Numerical Simulations of Double-Wave-Vector Diffusion-Weighting Experiments with Multiple Concatenations at Short Mixing Times

Jrgen Finsterbusch^1,2

Double-wave-vector diffusion-weighting experiments where two diffusion weighting periods are applied successively in a single acquisition are a promising tool to investigate tissue microstructure, e.g. cell or compartment sizes. However, for the long gradient pulse durations required on whole-body MR systems the underlying signal modulation with the angle between the two wave vectors may be small which hampers the detectability of the effect. Here, it is shown that multiple concatenations of the two diffusion weightings in a single experiment can yield considerably higher signal modulations than expected theoretically because shorter gradient pulses are sufficient to achieve the desired diffusion weighting.