title: Phase-cycled simultaneous multislice balanced SSFP imaging with CAIPIRINHA for efficient banding reduction.
abstract: To present a time-efficient technique for banding reduction in balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) imaging using phase-cycled simultaneous multislice (SMS) acquisition with CAIPIRINHA (controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration).
  
  
  
  The proposed technique exploits the inherent phase modulation of SMS imaging with CAIPIRINHA to acquire multiple phase-cycled images, which can be combined for efficient banding reduction within the same scan time of a single-band bSSFP scan.
  
  
  
  Bloch equation simulation, phantom and in vivo brain, abdominal and cardiac imaging experiments were performed on healthy volunteers at 3T using multi-channel head and body array coils with SMS acceleration factors of two to four. The performance of banding reduction was quantitatively evaluated based on the percent ripple of signal distribution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) efficiency in both phantom and human studies.
  
  
  
  The banding artifact was successfully removed or suppressed using phase-cycled SMS bSSFP imaging across SMS factors of two to four. The performance of banding reduction improved with higher SMS factors along with increased SNR efficiency.
  
  
  
  Phase-cycled SMS bSSFP with CAIPIRINHA is a promising technique for efficient band reduction in bSSFP without prolonged scan time. Further evaluation of this technique in clinical applications is warranted. Magn Reson Med 76:1764-1774, 2016. © 2015 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of FMRI Technology (LOFT), Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of FMRI Technology (LOFT), Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Xingfeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of FMRI Technology (LOFT), Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Center of Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Steen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.affiliation: Center of Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Essa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yacoub
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of FMRI Technology (LOFT), Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Danny J J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D016477:Artifacts; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
keywords: balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP); banding reduction; controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA); simultaneous multi-slice (SMS)