Abstract
Background Balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) imaging [1] has developed as the method of choice for coronary MRA at 1.5T. The bSSFP acquisition, however, is especially susceptible to static magnetic field (B0) inhomogeneities and radio frequency transmit field (B1+) distortions, both of which are more pronounced at higher field strengths, resulting in degraded and variable image quality at 3.0T compared to 1.5T. Although modified bSSFP sequences have been recently developed [2], these modified implementations too come with notable drawbacks such as longer scan time and lower SNR compared with conventional bSSFP. Therefore, the adoption of bSSFP at 3.0T is still quite limited and it has led to reutilization of spoiled gradient echo techniques at 3.0T, sometimes at the expense of using contrast agents [3]. Recent advances in hardware and software, such as 32-channel receive coils, multitransmit systems, and localized shimming, may however improve the performance of bSSFP at 3.0T. The purpose of this work was to develop an accelerated single breathhold bSSFP sequence at 3.0T taking advantage of these advances, and to test reproducibility of the implemented sequence.
Highlights
Balanced steady-state free precession imaging [1] has developed as the method of choice for coronary MRA at 1.5T
A three-dimensional, volume-targeted Balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) sequence was implemented on a 3.0T MR scanner equipped with multi-transmit system and a 32-channel cardiac phasedarray coil
Scan parameters were the following: TR/TE 3.9/1.9 ms, RF excitation angle 50°, field-of-view 300×300×20 mm3, reconstructed voxel size 0.8×0.8×1.0mm3, acquisition window 105ms, scan time 20.5±2.0s. 15 healthy volunteers and 3 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) were included (age 38±18 (21-75) years; 8 female), and the acquisition was repeated in 9 subjects
Summary
Balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) imaging [1] has developed as the method of choice for coronary MRA at 1.5T. The bSSFP acquisition, is especially susceptible to static magnetic field (B0) inhomogeneities and radio frequency transmit field (B1+) distortions, both of which are more pronounced at higher field strengths, resulting in degraded and variable image quality at 3.0T compared to 1.5T. Recent advances in hardware and software, such as 32-channel receive coils, multitransmit systems, and localized shimming, may improve the performance of bSSFP at 3.0T. The purpose of this work was to develop an accelerated single breathhold bSSFP sequence at 3.0T taking advantage of these advances, and to test reproducibility of the implemented sequence
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