Balanced SSFP Imaging with Variable Tip Angles and Repetition Times

Tolga ukur¹, Dwight G. Nishimura¹

Regular balanced (b)SSFP sequences produce a spectral response composed of periodic pass-bands. Previous work has focused on periodically alternating either the repetition times (TRs) or the tip angles to generate a stop-band around the fat resonance or to widen the central pass-band. In this work, we develop a framework to combine variable-tips and variable-TRs, and analyze the effects of such modifications on the resulting response by treating them as spectrally selective RF pulses applied within a single-TR of a regular bSSFP sequence. With this framework, we propose designs with significantly improved responses while allowing flexible parameter selection.