Abdominal MR imaging at 3.0 T.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 3.0 T offers an improved signal-to-noise ratio compared with that at 1.5 T. However, the physics of high field strength also brings disadvantages, such as increases in the specific absorption rate, in magnetic field inhomogeneity effects, and in susceptibility artifacts. The use of 3.0-T MR imaging for abdominal evaluations, in particular, has lagged behind that for other applications because of the difficulty of imaging a large volume while compensating for respiratory motion. At a minimum, abdominal MR imaging at 3.0 T requires modifications in the pulse sequences used at 1.5 T. Such modifications may include a decrease in the flip angle used for refocusing pulses and an increase in the repetition time for T1-weighted acquisitions. In addition, parallel imaging and other techniques (hyper-echo sequences, transition between pseudo steady states) may be used to maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio while decreasing acquisition time and minimizing the occurrence of artifacts on abdominal MR images.