High-resolution and high-fidelity diffusion tensor imaging of cervical spinal cord using 3D reduced-FOV multiplexed...

Area of Science:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Neuroimaging
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Current 2D cervical spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) faces challenges with resolution and fidelity.
• Limitations in 2D DTI hinder accurate quantitative assessment of the cervical spinal cord.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an advanced 3D isotropic, high-resolution, and high-fidelity cervical spinal cord DTI technique.
• To overcome the limitations inherent in existing 2D cervical spinal cord DTI methods.

Main Methods:

• Developed a 3D multi-shot diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) acquisition and reconstruction technique (3D-rFOV-MUSE).
• Integrated 3D multiplexed sensitivity encoding (3D-MUSE) with reduced field-of-view (rFOV) techniques.
• Employed self-referenced 2D ghost correction and navigator-based phase correction for artifact elimination.
• Utilized cardiac triggering to minimize cerebrospinal fluid pulsation effects.

Main Results:

• Achieved 1.0 mm isotropic resolution for cervical spinal cord DTI using 3D-rFOV-MUSE.
• Demonstrated improved geometric fidelity through integrated reduced FOV and multi-shot acquisitions.
• Mitigated through-plane partial volume effects and enabled multi-planar reformations.
• Showcased reduced distortions and enhanced signal-to-noise ratio compared to 2D single-shot EPI.

Conclusions:

• Feasibility of high-resolution (1.0 mm isotropic) and high-fidelity 3D cervical spinal cord DTI was established using the 3D-rFOV-MUSE technique.
• The proposed method holds potential for improved quantitative assessment of cervical spinal cord DTI biomarkers.