DREAMER: Rapid and Simultaneous Multiple Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Solid and Soft Tissue

Pediatric craniofacial imaging may involve examination of both the skull and brain tissues via CT and MRI, respectively. DREAMER (Dual Repetition and Echo Acquisition with Multi-contrast Encoding and Reconstruction) simultaneously acquires solid- and soft-tissue images, potentially providing a rapid, high-resolution, and radiation-free protocol whenever bone-selective, T₁w, and T₂w images are required.

The DREAMER sequence combines a solid-state MRI method with phase-based T₂ encoding to produce a multi-contrast signal model that enables retrospective customization of image contrast weighting. DREAMER is paired with an iterative image reconstruction algorithm for accelerated and high-resolution structural imaging of solid- and soft-tissue compartments. Two healthy adult volunteers and two pediatric patients were scanned at 3 T to qualitatively compare soft-tissue DREAMER image contrasts with their corresponding clinical standards, T₁w MPRAGE and T₂w fast spin-echo (FSE). Two patients also underwent clinical CT to compare the bone-selective images and skull renderings.

DREAMER images are self-registered, high-resolution, and spatially isotropic. The bone-selective, T₁w, and T₂w images approximate the image contrasts and structural imaging capabilities of their corresponding clinical standards (CT, T₁w MPRAGE, and T₂w FSE). Unlike the standard techniques, DREAMER imaging occurs at a single scanner using a single pulse sequence.

DREAMER combines mechanisms for solid- and multiple-contrast soft-tissue imaging into a single scan. For craniofacial imaging, DREAMER may consolidate CT and MRI demand, reduce exposure to ionizing radiation, decrease patient examination and wait times, and simplify the radiological workflow.