Hamidreza Saligheh Rad1, Micheal J. Wald1, Jeremy F. Magland1, Felix W. Wehrli1
1Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
High-resolution MRI has demonstrated potential for in-vivo quantification of trabecular network integrity. Since scan times are relatively long displacements due to involuntary subject motion usually occur in spite of tight immobilization, causing substantial errors in the derived structural parameters. Correction via navigator tracking of motion significantly improves image sharpness and thus reproducibility. We show that accuracy of motion correction critically hinges on navigator SNR, and propose optimal design of the navigators within the framework of 3D FLASE pulse sequence. Performance improvements achieved are expected to yield improved reproducibility for the study of drug intervention in patients undergoing treatment for osteoporosis.