Pascal Sati1, David M. Thomasson2,
Nadia M. Biassou2, Daniel Salo Reich1,2, John A. Butman2
1Translational
Neuroradiology Unit , Neuroimmunology Branch, NINDS, National Institutes of
Health, Bethesda, MD, United States; 2Radiology & Imaging
Sciences, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Clinical Center, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging (SWI) is an MR technique that utilizes the magnetic susceptibility differences between tissues to highlight small vessels and veins, iron deposition, and calcification in the brain. Here, we tested a flow-compensated 3D segmented-EPI acquisition for SWI applications. While significantly reducing the scanning time as compared to standard gradient-echo acquisition (53sec for segmented-EPI vs. 7min 15sec for GRE), the segmented-EPI acquisition maintains high resolution and depicts similar brain vasculature. Although minimal distortions exist in the segmented-EPI images, they do not appear to diminish the usefulness of this ultra-fast imaging technique in a clinical setting.