Abstract #1379

Comparison of Reduced-FOV Single-Shot EPI Methods for DWI: ZOOM-EPI Vs. 2D Echo-Planar RF Excitation

Emine Ulku Saritas¹, Ken-Pin Hwang², Eric T. Han³, Jin Hyung Lee¹, Dwight George Nishimura¹, Ajit Shankaranarayanan³

¹Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; ²Applied Science Laboratory, GE Healthcare, Houston, TX, USA; ³Global Applied Science Laboratory, GE Healthcare, Menlo Park, CA, USA

Single-shot EPI (ss-EPI) is still the most widely used DWI sequence, due to its robustness against motion-induced phase perturbations. However, it is challenging to produce high-resolution diffusion images using ss-EPI. Several reduced-FOV methods have recently been proposed to overcome this challenge. In this work, we compare two of these methods: Reduced-FOV with 2D echo-planar RF (2D-EPRF) excitation and ZOOM-EPI. To achieve a thorough comparison, we present in vivo sagittal and axial DWI of the spinal cord using both techniques.