title: [Echo-planar imaging (EPI) of the abdomen].
abstract: The time resolution of echoplanar imaging (EPI) allows the acquisition of images < or = 100 ms, thus eliminating motion-related artifacts of the abdomen. Physical limitations are restrictions in signal-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution. Breath-held acquisitions are recommended to avoid spatial misregistrations and to ensure a defined slice position. Clinical studies have demonstrated the usefulness of EPI for the detection and characterization of focal liver lesions. The development of clinical strategies of EPI for abdominal imaging requires the administration of gastrointestinal contrast agents as in computed tomography. Current clinically approved CT contrast agents appear to be applicable for abdominal EPI because of their long relaxation times.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Klinische Radiologie, Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reimer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tombach
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ladebeck
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Brady
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016477:Artifacts; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media