Fast online spectral-spatial pulse design for subject-specific fat saturation in cervical spine and foot imaging at 1.5 T.

Objective: To compensate subject-specific field inhomogeneities and enhance fat pre-saturation with a fast online individual spectral-spatial (SPSP) single-channel pulse design.

Methods: The RF shape is calculated online using subject-specific field maps and a predefined excitation k-space trajectory. Calculation acceleration options are explored to increase clinical viability.

Hybrid -shimming and gradient adaptions for improved pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling at 7 Tesla.

Purpose: To improve pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pcASL) at 7T by exploiting a hybrid homogeneity- and efficiency-optimized -shim with adapted gradient strength as well as background suppression.

Methods: The following three experiments were performed at 7T, each employing five volunteers: (1) A hybrid (ie, homogeneity-efficiency optimized) -shim was introduced and evaluated for variable-rate selective excitation pcASL labeling. Therefore, -maps in the V3 segment and time-of-flight images were acquired to identify the feeding arteries.