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Abstract #3025

3D Ultrashort Echo Time Cones Sequence with Diffusion Weighted Imaging (3D UTE-Cones-DWI): Evaluation of the Angular Dependence of Diffusion in the Achilles Tendon

Yajun Ma1, Michael Carl2, Graeme Bydder1, and Jiang Du1

1Department of Radiology, UCSD, San Diego, CA, United States, 2Global MR Application & Workflow, General Electric, San Diego, CA, United States

Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) has been widely used to evaluate the rate of water diffusion in long T2 tissues such as the white matter of the brain. Tissues such as cortical bone, tendons, ligaments and menisci have short T2 and have little or no signal with conventional clinical MR sequences. Water diffusion in these tissues is inaccessible. Ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequences with TEs down to 8 µs have been employed to image the short T2 tissues. The combination of UTE and stimulated echo diffusion preparation (UTE-DWI) allows water diffusion to be evaluated in short T2 tissues. In this study we report the use of a novel stimulated echo (STE) diffusion prepared 3D UTE Cones sequence (3D UTE-Cones-DWI) for assessment of water diffusion in the Achilles tendon using a clinical 3T scanner. The magic angle dependence of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) determined through this sequence was also investigated.

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