Optimizing an Accelerated Spin- and Gradient-Echo Sequence for Dynamic MR Vascular Fingerprinting

An accelerated spin- and gradient-echo (SAGE) pulse sequence sensitive to changes in oxygenation has been demonstrated to be suitable for MR vascular fingerprinting (MRvF), potentially enabling quantitative, multiparametric mapping of dynamic vascular physiology. This study aimed to optimize this SAGE sequence and matching algorithms used in MRvF and found that selecting shorter echo times resulted in better signal properties and sensitivity for pattern matching with lower estimation error. This optimization will enable these techniques to be used during dynamic vascular challenges and investigations into multiple, simultaneous functional cerebrovascular biomarkers.