DC-gated high resolution three-dimensional lung imaging during free-breathing.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Pulmonary Imaging

Background:

• Free-breathing MRI of the lung is challenging due to respiratory motion.
• High spatial resolution imaging of the entire lung is desirable for comprehensive diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate the k-space center signal (DC signal) acquisition for retrospective respiratory self-gating in a 3D FLASH sequence.
• To enable high-resolution imaging of the whole human lung during free breathing.

Main Methods:

• Volunteer and patient measurements were conducted under free-breathing conditions.
• The DC signal was acquired after image data acquisition within each excitation of a 3D FLASH sequence.
• The acquired DC signal was used to track respiratory motion for retrospective gating.

Main Results:

• The DC signal acquisition effectively extracts respiratory motion information for retrospective self-gating.
• This method allows for shorter echo times (TE).
• Shorter echo times lead to increased lung parenchyma signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Conclusions:

• Acquisition of the DC signal post-image acquisition enables successful retrospective gating.
• This technique facilitates the reconstruction of high-resolution images of the entire human lung.
• The method is suitable for free-breathing pulmonary MRI examinations.