Josef Habib1,2, Dorothee P. Auer1,
Richard W. Bowtell2
1Academic Radiology, University of
Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; 2Sir
Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre,
The
Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) is a fundamental and critical data quality
measure in MRI, with several investigations dedicated to devising and
validating optimized measurement techniques. While the introduction of higher
field strength MRI systems is expected to impact attainable SNR levels, this
study shows that the prevalent technique for measuring SNR in vivo performs
sub-optimally at 7 Tesla, due to artifacts presumably caused by the increased
sensitivity to subject or physiological motion. Here we propose the use of an
alternative measurement technique for increased robustness, after quantitatively
evaluating its precision and accuracy.
Keywords