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Abstract #3330

Evaluation of Readout-Segmented EPI for Use in fMRI at 7T

Ryan K. Robison1, 2, Allen T. Newton2, 3

1Philips Healthcare, Nashville, TN, United States; 2Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; 3Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN, United States

Readout-segmented EPI is applied herein to functional MRI to reduce the effects of shot-to-shot signal variations. At ultra high field, geometric distortion may compromise the use of single-shot EPI for functional studies, particularly for high spatial resolution. Interleaved multi-shot EPI has been investigated as an alternative but is strongly affected by shot-to-shot signal variations. Improvement in temporal SNR is shown for readout-segmented EPI as compared to interleaved multi-shot EPI. Improved geometric distortion is also shown for readout-segmented EPI as compared to single-shot EPI.

Keywords

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