Improve Volume Selective 3D Fast Spin Echo Acquisition

Weitian Chen¹, Donglai Huo², Kristin Granlund³, Garry E. Gold³, Yuval Zur⁴

Fast spin echo imaging plays a central role in clinical imaging. Recently there is growing interest in using pseudo-steady-state FSE with flip angle modulation for high-resolution 3D anatomical imaging due to its high SNR efficiency. Fast spin echo sequences require the CPMG condition and the violation of it can result in image artifacts such as banding or SNR loss. A major cause to the violation of CPMG condition occurs with volume selective 3D FSE due to the eddy current effect from gradients, particularly when imaging at far off isoceter. This problem has been previously addressed in 2D FSE acquisitions, but solutions for 3D FSE can be time consuming or difficult to implement. In this work, we demonstrate that a recently developed phase correction approach can be used to improve the robustness of volume selective 3D FSE acquisition and its relevant applications.