Hybrid Adiabatic-Rectangular Pulse Train for Effective Saturation of Magnetization Within the Whole Heart at 3T

Daniel Kim¹, KellyAnne McGorty¹

While 3T MRI is a promising modality to increase the contrast-to-noise ratio in first-pass cardiac perfusion imaging, increased radio-frequency (RF) variations and dielectric effects make it difficult to perform accurate T1-weighting using a conventional saturation pulse. Previously proposed adiabatic B1-insensitive rotation, rectangular RF pulse train, and tailored rectangular RF pulse train did improve the saturation of magnetization, but none of them achieved effective saturation of magnetization within the whole heart, while remaining within clinically acceptable specific absorption rate limits. The purpose of this study was to develop a hybrid adiabatic-rectangular pulse train that can achieve both of the aforementioned objectives.