Patent ID: 10126402

Abstract:
Example apparatus and methods provide improved quantitative T2 mapping for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Conventional T2 (spin-spin) mapping in MRI may employ a spin echo with multiple echoes (SEMC) approach like the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) spin echo sequence. These conventional approaches may be negatively impacted by a slice profile effect that incorrectly and undesirably lowers the signal of a first echo and by a stimulated echo effect that incorrectly and undesirably raises the signal for even echoes. Example apparatus mitigate these issues by using a T2 preparation phase that uses three dimensional (3D) non-slice selective block RF pulses followed by a multi-echo data acquisition that uses an in-out k-space trajectory. The multi-echo acquisition may employ k-space segmentation to acquire one line of partition encodings per T2 preparation phase. While conventional systems mix T2 preparation and multi-echo acquisition, example apparatus and methods separate T2 preparation and multi-echo acquisition.