Simultaneous Saturation and Excitation (SatEx) pulse

We propose a new slice-selective excitation pulse that simultaneously saturates magnetization adjacent to it. The Saturation and Excitation (SatEx) pulse is a summation of two asymmetric sinc pulses whose leading lobes have been cut combined with an asymmetric excitation pulse with its final lobes truncated. The saturation and excitation slice profile were validated in simulations and a flow-phantom scan. The flow-phantom scan showed strong saturation of inflow effects. Since the SatEx pulse is as short as a conventional sinc excitation pulse, it can be implemented in a wide range of fast imaging sequences to suppress inflow effects without lengthening TR.