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Abstract #2647

Quantification of breathing-induced B0 field variations along the human spinal cord at 3T

Laura Beghini1, Gergely David2,3, Martina D. Liechti3, Silvan Büeler3, Alexander Jaffray4, and S. Johanna Vannesjo1
1Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, 2Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, 3Department of Neuro-Urology, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, 4Department of Physics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Synopsis

Keywords: Artifacts, Spinal Cord, Breathing

Motivation: Breathing-induced B0 field variations cause artefacts in spinal cord MRI. Characterizing the variations is useful for optimizing correction strategies, but has not yet been done below the thoracic region.

Goal(s): To quantify breathing-induced fields in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal cord, and to investigate their effect on image quality in multi-echo GRE.

Approach: Field measurements were obtained from navigator projection lines in 2D slices, and were quantified by taking their standard deviation over time.

Results: Breathing-induced field variations were detected in every subject, with a similar profile across vertebral levels. Levels with more intense field variations showed higher artifact load.

Impact: Breathing-induced B0 fields impact image quality and exhibit a consistent pattern of variation along the spinal cord that is highly similar between subjects. Characterizing these variations lays the foundation for future optimized corrections to achieve consistently high image quality.

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