Wave-CAIPI Multiparameter MR Imaging in Neurology

In clinical practice, particularly in neurology assessments, imaging multiparametric MR images with a single-sequence scan is often limited by either insufficient imaging contrast or the constraints of accelerated imaging techniques. A novel single scan 3D imaging method, incorporating Wave-CAIPI and MULTIPLEX technologies and named WAMP, has been developed for rapid and comprehensive parametric imaging in clinical diagnostic applications. Featuring a hybrid design that includes wave encoding, the CAIPIRINHA sampling pattern, dual time of repetition (TR), dual flip angle (FA), multiecho, and optional flow modulation, the WAMP method captures information on RF B1t fields, proton density (PD), T1, susceptibility, and blood flow. This method facilitates the synthesis of multiple qualitative contrast-weighted images and relaxometric parametric maps. A single WAMP scan generates multiple contrast-weighted images and relaxometric parametric maps, including PD-weighted (PDW), T1-weighted (T1W), T2*-weighted (T2W), adjusted T1-weighted (aT1W), susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), B1t map, T1 map, T2/R2* map, PD map, and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). Both phantom and in vivo experiments have demonstrated that the proposed method can achieve high image quality and quantification accuracy even at high acceleration factors of 4 and 9. The experiments have confirmed that the rapid single scan method can be effectively applied in clinical neurology, serving as a valuable diagnostic tool for conditions such as pediatric tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-related epilepsy, adult Parkinson's disease, and suspected stroke patient. The WAMP method holds substantial potential for advancing multiparametric MR imaging in clinical neurology, promising significant improvements in both diagnostic speed and accuracy.