AIR-SPAMM: alternative inversion recovery spatial modulation of magnetization for myocardial tagging.

Alternate inversion recovery spatial modulation of magnetization (AIR-SPAMM) can be used either for doubling the number of tags for a given tagging encoding gradient strength or for improving tagging contrast ratio. AIR-SPAMM requires only a single acquisition and utilizes inversion pulses spaced throughout the gradient recalled echo (GRE) cine acquisition to "lock" the recovering magnetization at a desired level. The theory of AIR-SPAMM is presented along with simulations and results from phantoms. AIR-SPAMM can be used either for imaging systole as demonstrated by initial in vivo results or potentially for imaging the entire cardiac cycle in a slice-interleaved manner.

[1]  E R McVeigh,et al.  Impact of Semiautomated versus Manual Image Segmentation Errors on Myocardial Strain Calculation by Magnetic Resonance Tagging , 1994, Investigative radiology.

[2]  E. McVeigh,et al.  Cardiac Tagging with Breath‐Hold Cine MRI , 1992, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[3]  L. Axel,et al.  Heart wall motion: improved method of spatial modulation of magnetization for MR imaging. , 1989, Radiology.

[4]  P Boesiger,et al.  True myocardial motion tracking , 1994, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[5]  R M Heethaar,et al.  Improved harmonic phase myocardial strain maps , 2001, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[6]  L. Axel,et al.  MR imaging of motion with spatial modulation of magnetization. , 1989, Radiology.

[7]  Nael F. Osman,et al.  Cardiac Motion Encoding using HARP and DENSE: Tagging or Phase Contrast? , 2001 .

[8]  R M Weisskoff,et al.  MRI signal void due to in‐plane motion is all‐or‐none , 1994, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[9]  Peter Andersen,et al.  Proton T2 relaxation study of water, N‐acetylaspartate, and creatine in human brain using Hahn and Carr‐Purcell spin echoes at 4T and 7T , 2002, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[10]  Elliot R. McVeigh,et al.  Optimization of tag thickness for measuring position with magnetic resonance imaging , 1994, IEEE Trans. Medical Imaging.

[11]  E. Zerhouni,et al.  Human heart: tagging with MR imaging--a method for noninvasive assessment of myocardial motion. , 1988, Radiology.

[12]  S. Maier,et al.  Improved myocardial tagging contrast , 1993, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[13]  H. Wen,et al.  Mixed echo train acquisition displacement encoding with stimulated echoes: An optimized DENSE method for in vivo functional imaging of the human heart , 2001, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[14]  K. Uğurbil,et al.  Tagging of the magnetization with the transition zones of 360 degrees rotations generated by a tandem of two adiabatic DANTE inversion sequences. , 2002, Journal of magnetic resonance.

[15]  E. Zerhouni.  Myocardial tagging by magnetic resonance imaging. , 1993, Coronary artery disease.

[16]  Peter Kellman,et al.  Multishot EPI‐SSFP in the heart , 2002, Magnetic resonance in medicine.