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Updated: Apr 21, 2026
Fat-Water Phantoms for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Validation: A Flexible and Scalable Protocol
Published on: September 7, 2018
Fast multistation water/fat imaging at 3T using DREAM-based RF shimming
Melissa T Hooijmans1, Oleh Dzyubachyk2, Kay Nehrke3
1Department of Radiology, C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, LUMC, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Purpose:
To show the effect, efficiency, and image quality improvements achievable by Dual Refocusing Echo Acquisition Mode (DREAM)-based B1+ shimming in whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3T using the example of water/fat imaging.
Materials And Methods:
3D multistation, dual-echo mDixon gradient echo imaging was performed in 10 healthy subjects on a clinical 3T dual-transmit MRI system using station-to-station adapted B1+ shimming based on fast DREAM B1+ mapping. Whole-body data were obtained using conventional quadrature excitation and station-by-station adapted DREAM-based B1+ shimmed excitation, along with the corresponding B1+ maps for both excitation modes to assess image quality and radiofrequency (RF) performance.
Results:
Station-dependent DREAM-based B1+ shimming showed significantly improved image quality in the stations covering the upper legs, pelvis, and upper body region for all subjects (P < 0.02). This finding is supported by corresponding B1+ maps showing an improved B1+ homogeneity and a more precise flip angle in the DREAM-based B1+ shimmed excitation (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the very short dual-channel DREAM B1+ mapping times of less than 2 seconds facilitate quick B1+ shimming.
Conclusion:
Station-dependent DREAM-based B1+ shimming improved RF performance and image quality and is therefore a promising technique for whole-body multistation imaging applications.
