Multiple echo diffusion tensor acquisition technique

The standard method of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) involves one diffusion-sensitizing gradient direction per acquired signal. This paper describes an alternative method in which the entire direction set required for calculating the diffusion tenser is captured in a few scans. In this method, a series of radiofrequency (RF) pulses are applied, resulting in a train of spin echoes. A pattern of applied magnetic field gradients between the RF pulses generates a different diffusion weighting in both magnitude and direction for each echo, resulting in a dataset sufficient to determine the tenser. This significantly reduces the time required for a full DTI scan and potentially allows a tradeoff of this time for image quality. In the present work, this method is demonstrated in an anisotropic diffusion phantom (asparagus). (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.