Multi-task convolutional neural network-based design of radio frequency pulse and the accompanying gradients for magnetic resonance imaging.

Modern MRI systems usually load the predesigned RFs and the accompanying gradients during clinical scans, with minimal adaption to the specific requirements of each scan. Here, we describe a neural network-based method for real-time design of excitation RF pulses and the accompanying gradients' waveforms to achieve spatially two-dimensional selectivity. Nine thousand sets of radio frequency (RF) and gradient waveforms with two-dimensional spatial selectivity were generated as the training dataset using the Shinnar-Le Roux (SLR) method. Neural networks were created and trained with five strategies (TS-1 to TS-5). The neural network-designed RF and gradients were compared with their SLR-designed counterparts and underwent Bloch simulation and phantom imaging to investigate their performances in spin manipulations. We demonstrate a convolutional neural network (TS-5) with multi-task learning to yield both the RF pulses and the accompanying two channels of gradient waveforms that comply with the SLR design, and these design results also provide excitation spatial profiles comparable with SLR pulses in both simulation (normalized root mean square error [NRMSE] of 0.0075 ± 0.0038 over the 400 sets of testing data between TS-5 and SLR) and phantom imaging. The output RF and gradient waveforms between the neural network and SLR methods were also compared, and the joint NRMSE, with both RF and the two channels of gradient waveforms considered, was 0.0098 ± 0.0024 between TS-5 and SLR. The RF and gradients were generated on a commercially available workstation, which took ~130 ms for TS-5. In conclusion, we present a convolutional neural network with multi-task learning, trained with SLR transformation pairs, that is capable of simultaneously generating RF and two channels of gradient waveforms, given the desired spatially two-dimensional excitation profiles.