Flip angle and RF pulse phase in 3D MP-SSFP were optimized to maximize SNR. Optimal flip angle and pulse phase were estimated by numerically maximizing the steady-state magnetization in MP-SSFP with SAR penalty. The estimated optimal flip angle and phase were experimentally validated with an agar gel phantom at 3T. The optimal RF pulse setting improved SNR up to 41% under the fixed SAR conditions, depending on MP-SSFP sequence parameters. Finally, in vivo human brain imaging was conducted to demonstrate image contrasts in MP-SSFP images with the optimal flip angle and pulse phase.
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