Yunpeng Zou1,
2, Matthew J. Middione3, 4, Subashini Srinivasan3,
Daniel B. Ennis, 15
1Department
of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; 2Sino-Dutch
Biomedical and Information Engineering School, Northeastern University,
Shenyang, China; 3Department of Radiological Sciences, University
of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; 4Biomedical Physics
Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United
States; 5Department of Radiological Sciences, University of
California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
PC-MRI experiments are typically performed using spoiled gradient recalled echo (GRE) experiments in which incremental RF phase cycling and a dephasing gradient are used to eliminate any residual transverse magnetization prior to the application of the subsequent RF pulse. The effect of gradient spoiling on artifact suppression in GRE magnitude images has been studied in detail, but an analysis of gradient spoiling in phase contrast MRI (PC-MRI) phase images has not been described. The objective was to define time-optimal gradient spoiling for GRE-based PC-MRI to reduce the TR and improve temporal resolution.