Diffusion MRI with a multi-shot rosette readout

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the ability of a rosette readout trajectory to correct for three common sources of artifact in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI): B₀ inhomogeneities, diffusion gradient induced eddy currents, and shot-to-shot phase variations. Multi-shot rosette acquisitions were acquired in phantoms and an ex vivo ferret brain at 7T. Rosette and EPI DWI data were acquired from two mouse spinal cords in vivo at 15.2 T. Rosette DWI provided robust image quality in both ex vivo and in vivo samples at the two field strengths. Correction of shot-to-shot phase variations removed additional attenuation of diffusion-weighted signal caused by averaging of multiple shots with phase errors. Multi-shot rosette acquisitions produced high quality DWI, and demonstrated a robust ability to measure and correct for B₀ inhomogeneities, diffusion eddy currents, and shot-to-shot phase variations.