Inner Volume Imaging of the Kidney in vivo Using Parallel Transmit

Martin Haas¹, Denis Kokorin¹, Stefanie Buchenau¹, Ara K. Yeramian¹, Hans-Peter Fautz², Tobias Wichmann³, Jrgen Hennig¹, Michael Bock¹, Maxim Zaitsev¹

Inner volume imaging with multi-dimensionally selective RF pulses has become feasible with introduction of parallel transmit acceleration techniques. Small organs like the kidney can profit from IVI, where the significant reduction of phase encoding steps decreases the acquisition time, which is limited by the patients ability to hold their breath. In this work, selective excitation of the right kidney of a volunteer is demonstrated, using eight-channel accelerated parallel transmit selective excitation. The kidney is imaged using segmented EPI in one breathhold and T2* maps are acquired with the aim to assess oxygenation changes in cortex and medulla under water loading.