Arterial spin labeled perfusion imaging using three-dimensional turbo spin echo with a distributed spiral-in/out...

Area of Science:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Perfusion Imaging
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion imaging is crucial for assessing tissue perfusion.
• Three-dimensional (3D) spiral turbo spin echo (TSE) sequences are commonly used for ASL.
• Conventional spiral TSE with spiral-out readout faces limitations in image quality and protocol flexibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a more robust readout technique for 3D ASL perfusion imaging.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional spiral TSE and GRASE sequences.
• To enhance flexibility in ASL imaging protocol design.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a spiral-in/out readout within a 3D TSE sequence.
• Data acquisition using a distributed spirals trajectory.
• Separate reconstruction of spiral-in and -out data subsets followed by deblurring.

Main Results:

• Volunteer studies demonstrated no geometric distortion or signal pileup, unlike GRASE.
• Absence of signal loss observed with conventional spiral TSE.
• The technique showed flexibility in adjusting imaging parameters for diverse criteria.

Conclusions:

• The 3D TSE with a distributed spiral-in/out trajectory is a robust readout technique for ASL.
• This method offers significant advantages in ease of protocol design.
• It presents a promising alternative to GRASE and conventional spiral TSE for ASL perfusion imaging.