Sequence Timing Optimization in Multi-Slice Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Beating Heart

Christian Torben Stoeck¹, Nicolas Toussaint², Peter Boesiger¹, Philip G. Batchelor², Sebastian Kozerke^1,2

Cardiac DTI faces major challenges due to underlying physiological motion such as breathing and the heart beat. Therefore the timing of diffusion encoding is essential for the success of diffusion weighted imaging in the heart. In this Study we introduce a dynamic timing scout sequence and investigate time windows during the cardiac cycle usable for DTI. Imaging is possible during the upslope of circumferential contraction and symmetry point of rotational motion. It appears that the optimal timing window is independent of the subjects heart rate.