Rapid NMR imaging of molecular self-diffusion using a modified CE-FAST sequence

Abstract This paper describes a new fast scan technique for magnetic resonance imaging of molecular self-diffusion. The method is based on a modified CE-FAST nuclear magnetic resonance sequence acquiring echo coherences of the steady-state free precession (SSFP) signal. The incorporation of an additional magnetic field gradient pulse into each repetition interval of the CE-FAST sequence results in an attenuation of the echo part of the SSFP signal due to diffusion. The extent of diffusion weighting may be varied by changing the duration or strength of the gradient pulse as well as the diffusion time here given by the repetition time. A series of diffusion-weighted images allows the calculation of local diffusion coefficients. 1H NMR imaging experiments on phantoms have been carried out using a 40 cm bore 2.35 T Bruker system.

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