Experimental demonstration of diffusion limitations on resolution and SNR in MR microscopy.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

MR microscopy is in principle capable of producing images at cellular resolution (<10 µm), but various factors limit the quality achieved in practice. A recognized limit on the signal to noise ratio and spatial resolution is the dephasing of transverse magnetization caused by diffusion of spins in strong gradients. Such effects may be reduced by using phase encoding instead of frequency encoding read-out gradients. However, experimental demonstration of the quantitative benefits of phase encoding are lacking, and the exact conditions in which it is preferred are not clearly established. We quantify the conditions where phase encoding outperforms a readout gradient with emphasis on the detrimental effects of diffusion on SNR and resolution.

Methods

A 15.2 T Bruker MRI

SUBMITTER: Hardy BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10757347 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature