Fernando F. Paiva1,
1D'Or Institute for
Research & Education, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; 2Philips
Medical Systems; 3InRad-Hospital das Clinicas, Magnetic Resonance
Department, Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo
Due to the intrinsic low SNR, EPI-based ASL requires several signal averages to achieve a reliable measurement. A possible approach to overcome this SNR issue is based on using single-shot 3D EPI. However, the ASL signal evolves during the data acquisition and this can result in image blurring if not taken into account. In the present study we present an optimization for a 3D gradient echo EPI acquisition scheme by exploring a modulation of the flip angle of the MR acquisition to keep the ASL contrast constant over the 3D image readout.