Abstract #3025

3D Ultrashort Echo Time Cones Sequence with Diffusion Weighted Imaging (3D UTE-Cones-DWI): Evaluation of the Angular Dependence of Diffusion in the Achilles Tendon

Yajun Ma¹, Michael Carl², Graeme Bydder¹, and Jiang Du¹

¹Department of Radiology, UCSD, San Diego, CA, United States, ²Global MR Application & Workflow, General Electric, San Diego, CA, United States

Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) has been widely used to evaluate the rate of water diffusion in long T₂ tissues such as the white matter of the brain. Tissues such as cortical bone, tendons, ligaments and menisci have short T₂ and have little or no signal with conventional clinical MR sequences. Water diffusion in these tissues is inaccessible. Ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequences with TEs down to 8 µs have been employed to image the short T2 tissues. The combination of UTE and stimulated echo diffusion preparation (UTE-DWI) allows water diffusion to be evaluated in short T2 tissues. In this study we report the use of a novel stimulated echo (STE) diffusion prepared 3D UTE Cones sequence (3D UTE-Cones-DWI) for assessment of water diffusion in the Achilles tendon using a clinical 3T scanner. The magic angle dependence of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) determined through this sequence was also investigated.

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