Abstract #2690

Hoogenraad F, Golay X, Petersen E, Versluis M, den Harder J, Moerland A, Moore E

Arterial spin labelling is generally a low-SNR and time-consuming technique, making it difficult to apply in a clinical setting. Recently a new technique, PULSAR, has been proposed for 3.0T. PULSAR has an efficient pre-saturation technique and EPI-STAR labelling scheme, which are relatively insensitive to B1 inhomogeneity. High SNR quantitative images can be obtained realitively quickly. The increased SNR can be traded for reduced scan time, to allow qualitative perfusion images to be acquired in less than one minute. The sequence is a promising alternative to Gd-bolus techniques for the clinical evaluation of conditions such as stroke and dementia.