Yuan Zheng1, Michael Marx1, G. Wilson Miller2, and Kim Butts Pauly1
1Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States, 2Radiology and Medical Imaging, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
We have developed a novel MR-ARFI technique
that makes use of transition band balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP).
Due to the strong dependence of image phase on the motion-encoded phase, this
technique improves the sensitivity of MR-ARFI measurements over commonly used spoiled
sequences. The proposed technique also features high speed, as an ARFI contrast
image can be acquired in a few seconds. With its high speed and high
sensitivity, the bSSFP-ARFI technique could be useful in confirming/calibrating
the HIFU focal spot before thermal ablation treatment.