3D-multi-echo radial imaging of 23Na (3D-MERINA) for time-efficient multi-parameter tissue compartment mapping

Abstract

Purpose: This work demonstrates a 3D radial multi-echo acquisition scheme for time-efficient sodium (23Na) MR-signal acquisition and analysis. Echo reconstructions were used to produce signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-enhanced 23Na-images and parameter maps of the biexponential observed transverse relaxation time (T2*) decay. Methods: A custom-built sequence for radial multi-echo acquisition was proposed for acquisition of a series of 3D volumetric 23Na-images. Measurements acquired in a phantom and in vivo human brains were analyzed for SNR enhancement and multi-component T2* estimation. Results: Rapid gradient refocused imaging acquired 38 echoes within a repetition time of 160 ms. Signal avera..