Contrast-Enhanced T1-CUBE Brain Imaging with Compressed Sensing

Kevin F. King¹, Matt A. Bernstein², Donglai Huo¹, Timothy J. Kaufmann², Kirk M. Welker²

The acceleration that can be expected with good image quality from compressed sensing is limited by the inherent compressibility of the images. T1-weighted 3D FSE CUBE has flat image contrast suitable for detecting small enhancing lesions in post-contrast brain exams. The lack of soft tissue structure should enhance image compressibility, making this technique a good candidate for CS acceleration. Radiologist reviews of results on two patients scanned after gadolinium injection at 3T showed that compressed sensing could accelerate acquisition by 1.5 fold more than conventional parallel imaging while still maintaining acceptable image quality.