Abstract #2278
Imaging of the Liver at 3.0T. : Optimization of Breath-hold, Volumetric Fat-suppressed Fast Spin-Echo and Diffusion-weighted Black-Blood Echo-Planar imaging
van den Bos I, Hussain S, Wielopolski P
Erasmus Medical Center
The advantages of abdominal imaging at 3.0T are yet to be devised. Potential benefits include higher spatial resolution and possibility of thin slice imaging, although fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging is limited by several factors, which include high specific-absorption-rate (SAR) and artifacts related to increased SNR, paramagnetic effects and field distorsion.To evaluate and optimize T2-weighted imaging at 3.0T, a pilot study was performed on eight volunteers to obtain optimal scanning parameters. Fat-suppressed FSE and diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging show potential for thin slice imaging with multi-planar reformatting capabilities, improved fat-suppression and suppression of the blood signal with improved detection of focal liver lesions.
