Homodyne Reconstruction of Partial Fourier Readout-Segmented EPI for Diffusion Imaging

Robert Frost¹, David Andrew Porter², Thorsten Feiweier², Peter Jezzard¹

This study demonstrates that homodyne partial Fourier reconstruction can be used to reduce acquisition time in readout-segmented EPI with GRAPPA parallel imaging without significantly compromising image quality. Diffusion images and signal-to-noise ratio comparisons of full k-space and partial Fourier images are presented. By acquiring 6/11 readout segments, a 40% reduction in scan time could be achieved which would allow high-resolution tractography in clinically realistic time frames.