Double‐echo three‐point‐dixon method for fat suppression MRI

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A double‐echo two‐excitation pulse sequence encoding fat and water signals for a phase‐sensitive three‐point Dixon‐type analysis (DE‐3PD) was developed and implemented on a 1.5 T MR imager. Data processing was performed using a previously developed two‐dimensional (2D) region‐growing algorithm, adapted to use double‐echo data. Density‐, T1, and T2‐weighted fat suppression images were obtained from six volunteers using the new fat suppression method. The images were compared with corresponding images obtained using frequency‐selective excitation fat suppression (FAT‐SAT) and a single‐echo three‐point‐Dixon method (SE‐3PD). The results demonstrate that the DE‐3PD sequence shortens the imaging time by one‐third compared with the SE‐3PD method, without loss in image quality. The data also show that a 2D region‐growing algorithm effectively unwraps the phase of DE‐3PD data sets, and that results of DE‐3PD fat signal suppression are consistently better than those obtained using a standard FATSAT method. The authors conclude that the double‐echo sequence provides density‐, T1, and T2‐weighted images that appear to be promising for routine clinical applications.