Combined acquisition of diffusion and T*-weighted measurements using simultaneous multi-contrast magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECT

In this work, we present a technique called simultaneous multi-contrast imaging (SMC) to acquire multiple contrasts within a single measurement. Simultaneous multi-slice imaging (SMS) shortens scan time by allowing the repetition time (TR) to be reduced for a given number of slices. SMC imaging preserves TR, while combining different scan types into a single acquisition. This technique offers new opportunities in clinical protocols where examination time is a critical factor and multiple image contrasts must be acquired.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

High-resolution, navigator-corrected, diffusion-weighted imaging was performed simultaneously with T*-weighted acquisition at 3 T in a phantom and in five healthy subjects using an adapted readout-segmented EPI sequence (rs-EPI).

RESULTS

The results demonstrated that simultaneous acquisition of two contrasts (here diffusion-weighted imaging and T*-weighting) with SMC imaging is feasible with robust separation of contrasts and minimal effect on image quality.

DISCUSSION

The simultaneous acquisition of multiple contrasts reduces the overall examination time and there is an inherent registration between contrasts. By using the results of this study to control saturation effects in SMC, the method enables rapid acquisition of distortion-matched and well-registered diffusion-weighted and T*-weighted imaging, which could support rapid diagnosis and treatment of acute stroke.