Abstract #1038

Atkinson D, Counsell S, Larkman D, Hajnal J, Batchelor P, Hill D

Multi-shot EPI diffusion weighted imaging is used to present transverse images of the spine with improved resolution and reduced distortion compared to single-shot images. The image reconstruction uses: two dimensional image-domain phase corrections determined from a navigator following every shot, data from multiple averages, multiple coils and coil sensitivity information. The acquisition physics is expressed as matrix multiplications or equivalently as image operations. Consideration of these approaches permits the use of conjugate gradient based reconstructions to yield diffusion weighted images of the spine and nerve root.