Feasibility of fast single-phase volumetric cardiac MR-thermometry

A novel fast simultaneous multi-slice black blood cardiac thermometry sequence is presented which allows multiple slices to be acquired in the same cardiac phase. A double inversion recovery pre-pulse is introduced to allow blood suppression and to optimise the pre-pulse strategy and therefore reduce acquisition time. Simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) imaging is integrated to further reduce the acquisition time of the multiple slices. Thermometry results obtained with this technique show an average temperature stability of 1.0±0.4°C in healthy subjects.