Prospective acceleration of parallel RF transmission‐based 3D chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging with compressed sensing

Purpose To develop prospectively accelerated 3D CEST imaging using compressed sensing (CS), combined with a saturation scheme based on time‐interleaved parallel transmission. Methods A variable density pseudo‐random sampling pattern with a centric elliptical k‐space ordering was used for CS acceleration in 3D. Retrospective CS studies were performed with CEST phantoms to test the reconstruction scheme. Prospectively CS‐accelerated 3D‐CEST images were acquired in 10 healthy volunteers and 6 brain tumor patients with an acceleration factor (R CS ) of 4 and compared with conventional SENSE reconstructed images. Amide proton transfer weighted (APTw) signals under varied RF saturation powers were compared with varied acceleration factors. Results The APTw signals obtained from the CS with acceleration factor of 4 were well‐preserved as compared with the reference image (SENSE R = 2) both in retrospective phantom and prospective healthy volunteer studies. In the patient study, the APTw signals were significantly higher in the tumor region (gadolinium [Gd]‐enhancing tumor core) than in the normal tissue ( p < .001). There was no significant APTw difference between the CS‐accelerated images and the reference image. The scan time of CS‐accelerated 3D APTw imaging was dramatically reduced to 2:10 minutes (in‐plane spatial resolution of 1.8 1.8 mm 2 ; 15 slices with 4‐mm slice thickness) as compared with SENSE (4:07 minutes). Conclusion Compressed sensing acceleration was successfully extended to 3D‐CEST imaging without compromising CEST image quality and quantification. The CS‐based CEST imaging can easily be integrated into clinical protocols and would be beneficial for a wide range of applications.