There is growing evidence as to the benefits of collecting BOLD fMRI data with increased sampling rates. However, many of the newly developed acquisition techniques developed to collect BOLD data with ultra-short TRs require hardware, software, and non-standard analytic pipelines that may not be accessible to all researchers. We propose to incorporate the method of shifted echo into a standard ...

Echo shifted (ES) gradient-recalled echo sequences (whose TE > TR) have found important applications in fMRI and MR thermometry since their introduction. The technique increases T *(2) weighting in BOLD imaging and temperature change sensitivity in phase-based temperature imaging compared to FLASH sequences. Yet, inconsistent observations have previously been reported when variants of this tech...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE T1-weighted, 3D gradient-echo MR sequences can be optimized for rapid acquisition and improved resolution through asymmetric k-space sampling and interpolation. We compared a volumetric interpolated brain examination (VIBE) sequence with a magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (MP RAGE) sequence and a 2D T1-weighted spin-echo (SE) sequence. METHODS Thir...

Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) is a rare idiopathic condition that leads to the acute onset of neurological deficits, which can have catastrophic consequences if not recognized early. It is important to make an early precise diagnosis. Spinal epidural hematoma has been increasingly recognized since the advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, T1and T2-weighted gradient-...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine if changes in hepatic iron content in patients with hemochromatosis pre- and post-venesection could be detected by changes in liver signal intensity with MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was performed with institutional ethics approval and with informed consent. Gradient echo images were performed on 20 patients with hemochromatosis pre- an...

PURPOSE The increasing demand for the clinical application of functional MR imaging raises the question of whether this technique can be routinely performed on 1.0-T MR scanners. To this end, we assessed the feasibility of functional MR imaging at 1.0 T. METHODS Healthy volunteers were scanned during the performance of a motor task. Functional data were acquired with echo-planar imaging (EPI)...

An interesting method for B1 mapping based on the Bloch-Siegert (BLS) shift was recently presented (1,2) for gradient echo (FLASH) and Spin Echo (SE) sequences. This method uses off-resonant pulses before signal acquisition to encode the B1 information into the signal phase. Fast B1 mapping is possible since the repetition time has only minor influence on the quality of the phase information. I...

Gradient Recalled Echo (GRE) based MR imaging techniques have wide applications in MRI. Due to the absence of refocusing RF pulses GRE sequences are fast and since low flip angles are usually applied, GRE sequences have low specific absorption rate, hence are particularly well suited for high field MRI. While MR signal generated from GRE techniques is complex, most traditional applications rely...