Distortion correction for a double inversion-recovery sequence with an echo-planar imaging readout.

A double inversion-recovery (DIR) sequence with an echo-planar imaging (EPI) readout can be used to image selectively the grey matter of the brain, and this has previously been applied to improve the sensitivity of the statistical analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. If a procedure were to be implemented to remove the distortions that are inherent in the EPI-based fMRI data set, then a similar technique would have to be applied to the DIR-EPI image also to ensure that it matches the geometry of the functional data. A comparison of candidate methodologies for correcting distortions in DIR-EPI images, based on the reversed-gradient method, is presented.

Impact of incidental magnetization transfer effects on inversion-recovery sequences that use a fast spin-echo readout.

Multislice MR images obtained using a fast spin-echo (FSE) readout are strongly affected by magnetization transfer (MT) effects, which will cause a decrease in the observed longitudinal relaxation times for tissues with a large bound water component. This is pertinent for FSE-based inversion-recovery (IR) sequences, as it would be expected to cause a change in the required inversion times. Furthermore, the effect will be greater as the number of slices that are acquired within the repetition time (TR) is increased.

Evolution of the longitudinal magnetization for pulse sequences using a fast spin-echo readout: application to fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery and double inversion-recovery sequences.

The fast spin-echo (FSE) sequence is frequently used as a fast data-readout technique in conjunction with other pulse sequence elements, such as in fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) and double inversion-recovery (DIR) sequences. In order to implement those pulse sequences, an understanding is required of how the longitudinal magnetization evolves during the FSE part of the sequence. This evolution has been addressed to a certain extent by previous publications, but the DIR literature in particular appears to be replete with approximations to the exact expression for the longitudinal magnetization, and several papers contain errors.