Spiral diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) with field monitoring and iterative reconstruction offers potentially reduced echo time (TE) and higher effective resolution (less blurring) compared to EPI. Coupled with a scanner with ultra-strong gradients, it enabled an 800 µm DWI protocol for imaging fine structures of the brain in vivo. Compared to EPI, the shorter TEs provided distinctly different contrast in iron-rich areas (U-fibres and sub-cortical nuclei), which could enhance investigations of these regions. The protocol did, however, come with a reduction in SNR/(unit time) compared to EPI due to differences in readout time.
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