Shigeaki Umeoka1, Nobuko Morisawa1, Masako Kataoka1, David Andrew Porter2, Kaori Togashi1
1Diagnostic Imaing & Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; 2Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany
Read-out segmented echo-planar imaging (RS-EPI) combined with 2D-navigator-based reacquision has been recently established with high resolution with distortion-free, reduced susceptibility artifact and blurring from T2* signal decay compared to conventional single-shot EPI (SS-EPI). RS-EPI DWI of the central neural system has been documented to improve image quality. In our study, RS-EPI DWI could reduce susceptibility artifact and provide better delineation and visualization of internal structure of the parotid gland. Although further improvement might be necessary to shorten the scan time, this newly-developed RS-EPI MRI could be a promising tool to visualize and evaluate the head & neck organs.