On-resonance and off-resonance continuous wave constant amplitude spin-lock and T1ρ quantification in the presence of B1 and B0 inhomogeneities

Abstract

Spin-lock MRI is a valuable diagnostic imaging technology, as it can be used to probe the macromolecule environment of tissues. Quantitative T_1ρ imaging is one application of spin-lock MRI that is reported to be promising for a number of clinical applications. Spin-lock is often performed with a continuous RF wave at a constant RF amplitude either on resonance or off resonance. However, both on- and off-resonance spin-lock approaches are susceptible to B₁ and B₀ inhomogeneities, which results in image artifacts and quantification errors. In this work, we report a continuous wave constant amplitude spin-lock approach that can achieve negligible image artifacts in the presence of B₁ and B₀ inhomogeneities for both on- and off-resonance spin-lock. Under the adiabatic condition, by setting the maximum B₁ amplitude of the adiabatic pulses equal to the B₁ amplitude of spin-lock RF pulse, the spins are ensured to align along the effective field throughout the spin-lock process. We show that this results in simultaneous compensation of B₁ and B₀ inhomogeneities for both on- and off-resonance spin-lock. The relaxation effect during the entire adiabatic half passage (AHP) and reverse AHP, and the stationary solution of the Bloch-McConnell equation present at off-resonance frequency offset, are considered in the revised relaxation model. We demonstrate that these factors create a direct current component to the conventional relaxation model. In contrast to the previously reported dual-acquisition method, the revised relaxation model just requires one acquisition to perform quantification. The simulation, phantom, and in vivo experiments demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves superior image quality compared with the existing methods, and the revised relaxation model can perform T_1ρ quantification with one acquisition instead of two.

Keywords: Spin-lock; T1ρ; artifacts; quantification.