title: Improving quality of arterial spin labeling MR imaging at 3 Tesla with a 32-channel coil and parallel imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare 12-channel and 32-channel phased-array coils and to determine the optimal parallel imaging (PI) technique and factor for brain perfusion imaging using Pulsed Arterial Spin labeling (PASL) at 3 Tesla (T).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven healthy volunteers underwent 10 different PASL perfusion PICORE Q2TIPS scans at 3T using 12-channel and 32-channel coils without PI and with GRAPPA or mSENSE using factor 2. PI with factor 3 and 4 were used only with the 32-channel coil. Visual quality was assessed using four parameters. Quantitative analyses were performed using temporal noise, contrast-to-noise and signal-to-noise ratios (CNR, SNR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with 12-channel acquisition, the scores for 32-channel acquisition were significantly higher for overall visual quality, lower for noise and higher for SNR and CNR. With the 32-channel coil, artifact compromise achieved the best score with PI factor 2. Noise increased, SNR and CNR decreased with PI factor. However mSENSE 2 scores were not always significantly different from acquisition without PI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For PASL at 3T, the 32-channel coil at 3T provided better quality than the 12-channel coil. With the 32-channel coil, mSENSE 2 seemed to offer the best compromise for decreasing artifacts without significantly reducing SNR, CNR.
authors.affiliation: CHU Rennes, Department of Neuroradiology, Rennes, France. jean-christophe.ferre@chu-rennes.fr
authors.forename: Jean-Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ferré
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Petr
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bannier
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barillot
authors.forename: Jean-Yves
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Gauvrit
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016477:Artifacts; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D058996:Quality Improvement; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D013113:Spin Labels
chemical_list: D013113:Spin Labels