Abstract #3038

Fast Spin-Echo Imaging of Inner Field-Of-Views Using 2D-Selective RF Excitations

Jrgen Finsterbusch^1,2

¹Department of Systems Neuroscience , University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; ²Neuroimage Nord, University Medical Centers Hamburg-Kiel-Lbeck, Hamburg-Kiel-Lbeck, Germany

Fast spin-echo imaging suffers from image blurring if a large number of echoes per excitation (turbo factor) is used and, in particular at higher magnetic fields, from SAR limitations. Focussing the field-of-view to a small inner volume reduces the number of required echoes considerably and thus ameliorates blurring and RF deposition. This is demonstrated in phantoms and the human brain at 3T using blipped-planar 2D-selective RF excitations. Thereby, the unwanted side excitations were positioned in the dead corner between the slice stack and the image section in order to minimize the duration of the 2DRF excitations without saturating neighbored sections.