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Time-efficient, high-resolution 3T whole-brain relaxometry using 3D-QALAS with wave-CAIPI readouts
Jaejin Cho1,2, Borjan Gagoski2,3, Tae Hyung Kim4
1Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
|September 14, 2023
Summary
This study introduces a faster method for brain imaging, combining wave-controlled aliasing in parallel imaging (wave-CAIPI) with 3D quantification using an interleaved Look-Locker acquisition sequence (3D-QALAS). The new technique provides detailed brain maps in just 3 minutes, showing excellent agreement with standard methods.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Neuroimaging
- Quantitative MRI
Background:
- Quantitative mapping of brain relaxation properties is crucial but limited by long scan times and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
- Existing methods often require extensive acquisition periods, posing challenges for clinical applications and patient comfort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a time-efficient method for high-resolution, volumetric quantitative brain mapping.
- To enable simultaneous quantitative T1, T2, and proton density (PD) mapping at isotropic 1.15-mm³ resolution within a 3-minute acquisition time.
Main Methods:
- Integration of wave-controlled aliasing in parallel imaging (wave-CAIPI) readouts into the 3D quantification using an interleaved Look-Locker acquisition sequence (3D-QALAS).
- Utilized acceleration factors of R=3x2 with minimal SNR loss, employing a dictionary-based mapping algorithm that accounts for inversion efficiency and B1-field inhomogeneity.
- Quantitative comparison against conventional 3D-QALAS with GRAPPA acceleration (R=2) using an ISMRM/NIST phantom and 10 healthy volunteers.
Main Results:
- The accelerated wave-CAIPI 3D-QALAS protocol achieved full-brain quantitative T1, T2, and PD maps at 1.15-mm³ isotropic resolution in 3 minutes.
- Quantitative maps generated by the accelerated protocol demonstrated excellent agreement with those from the conventional 3D-QALAS sequence (R=2 GRAPPA).
- No significant SNR loss was observed despite the high acceleration factor, indicating the robustness of the wave-CAIPI implementation.
Conclusions:
- Wave-controlled aliasing in parallel imaging significantly enhances the speed of 3D-QALAS for quantitative brain mapping.
- The accelerated wave-CAIPI 3D-QALAS method provides a reliable and robust approach for rapid, high-resolution, whole-brain quantitative MRI.
- This technique holds promise for improving the efficiency and accessibility of quantitative brain imaging in clinical and research settings.
