Diffusion MRI measurements in challenging head and brain regions via cross-term spatiotemporally encoding. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Cross-term spatiotemporal encoding (xSPEN) is a recently introduced imaging approach delivering single-scan 2D NMR images with unprecedented resilience to field inhomogeneities. The method relies on performing a pre-acquisition encoding and a subsequent image read out while using the disturbing frequency inhomogeneities as part of the image formation processes, rather than as artifacts to be overwhelmed by the application of external gradients. This study introduces the use of this new single-shot MRI technique as a diffusion-monitoring tool, for accessing regions that have hitherto been unapproachable by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) methods. In order to achieve this, xSPEN MRI's intrinsic diffusion weighting effects are formulated using a customized, spatially-localized b-matrix analysis; with this, we devise a novel diffusion-weighting scheme that both exploits and overcomes xSPEN's strong intrinsic weighting effects. The ability to provide reliable and robust diffusion maps in challenging head and brain regions, including the eyes and the optic nerves, is thus demonstrated in humans at 3T. New avenues for imaging other body regions are also briefly discussed.

publication date

  • December 21, 2017

Research

keywords

  • Brain
  • Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Head
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC5740132

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85042351760

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1002/mrm.25084

PubMed ID

  • 29269941

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 7

issue

  • 1