Wave-encoding and Shuffling Enables Rapid Time Resolved Structural Imaging

TL;DR

This paper introduces Wave-Shuffling, a novel method combining wave-encoding with T2-Shuffling to enable rapid, high-resolution, time-resolved 3D structural imaging.

Contribution

It proposes a new Wave-Shuffling approach that enhances acceleration in T2-Shuffling and MPRAGE imaging using wave-encoding and shuffling techniques.

Findings

Achieves 1 mm isotropic resolution in rapid scans

Enables high acceleration in T2-Shuffling and MPRAGE

Provides improved temporal resolution for structural imaging

Abstract

T2-Shuffling reconstructs multiple sharp T2-weighted images from a single volumetric fast spin-echo (3D-FSE) scan. Wave-CAIPI is a parallel imaging technique that achieves good reconstruction at high accelerations through additional sinusoidal gradients that induce a voxel spreading effect in the readout direction to better take advantage of coil-sensitivity information. In this work, the Shuffling model in T2-Shuffling is augmented with wave-encoding to achieve higher acceleration capability. The resulting "Wave-Shuffling" approach is applied to 3D-FSE and Magnetization-Prepared Rapid Gradient-Echo (MPRAGE) to achieve rapid, 1 mm-isotropic resolution, time-resolved structural imaging.