Applications of reduced-encoding MR imaging with generalized-series reconstruction (RIGR).

The RIGR (reduced-encoding imaging by generalized-series reconstruction) technique for magnetic resonance imaging uses a high-resolution reference image as the basis set for the reconstruction of subsequent images acquired with a reduced number of phase-encoding steps. The technique allows increased temporal resolution in applications requiring repeated acquisitions, such as the dynamic imaging of contrast agent biodistribution, and in intrinsically time-consuming protocols such as the acquisition of a series of T2-weighted images. Several examples are presented to demonstrate that a four- to eightfold improvement in spatial or temporal resolution can be achieved with this technique.