A modified pulse sequence for in vivo diffusion imaging with reduced motion artifacts.

A modified spin-echo diffusion imaging pulse sequence incorporating bipolar gradients that is less sensitive to macroscopic motion-induced artifacts is presented. Expressions for apparent diffusion coefficient in the presence of microcirculation and macroscopic motions and contrast-to-noise ratio in the diffusion map are derived. Diffusion coefficients of liquid phantoms have been measured using a 1.5-T GE Signa system. Experiments performed to demonstrate the immunity to motion-induced errors are reported. Brain images from human volunteer have also been included to show the potential clinical application of the proposed pulse sequence.