A 3D dual-echo spiral sequence for dynamic susceptibility contrast imaging

Dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC)-MRI is an important tool to assess brain tumor status for diagnosis, surgical planning, and surveillance. Dual-echo EPI based DSC-MRI enables accurate perfusion measurements using a single-dose of contrast agent, simultaneous DSC- and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)-MRI measures and greater parameter flexibility. However, EPI-related distortion artifacts impair its clinical utility. In this work, we proposed a 3D dual-echo spiral acquisition to mitigate EPI-related artifacts, and improve the fidelity of DCE-MRI derived parameters and arterial input function estimation. Preliminary data from volunteers and a glioma tumor patient showed reduced geometric distortion, increased temporal SNR, and accurate perfusion measurements.