3-D FLASH Imaging Using a Single Surface Coil and a New Adiabatic Pulse, BIR-4

A new adiabatic pulse, which can induce uniform and arbitrary flip angles despite the presence of transmitter coil magnetic field (B1) inhomogeneities, is employed for 3-D fast imaging using a single surface coil for pulse transmission and signal detection. Computer calculations and phantom, rat, and human surface coil imaging experiments demonstrate the utility of this adiabatic pulse for T1-weighted imaging with a transmitter coil which generates a highly-inhomogeneous B1 field profile.