High-resolution diffusion imaging with DIFRAD-FSE (diffusion-weighted radial acquisition with fast spin echo) MRI

A novel MRI method, DIFRAD-FSE (Diffusion with R&barbelow;adial A&barbelow;cquisition of D&barbelow;ata with F&barbelow;ast S&barbelow;pin-E&barbelow;cho) is presented that enables rapid, high-resolution, multi-shot diffusion-weighted MRI without significant artifacts due to motion. Following a diffusion-weighted spin-echo preparation, multiple radial lines of Fourier data are acquired using spin-echo refocusing. Data can be acquired in either 2D or 3D Fourier space. Motion correction is accomplished via one of four correction techniques: phase correction, shift correction, a combination of the phase and shift correction, or magnitude. Images from a radial data set are reconstructed with filtered back projection reconstruction. Results from human brain imaging will demonstrate the ability of DIFRAD-FSE to acquire high-resolution images without significant artifacts due to motion in both 2D and 3D. Results from liver and heart imaging demonstrate the versatility of the 2D DIFRAD-FSE.