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PURPOSE: To determine whether a controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA) technique can improve the image quality of three-dimensional (3D), T1-weighted gradient echo (T1w-GRE) imaging compared with the use of a standard, parallel acquisition technique (PAT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-four patients who underwent liver MR on a 3 Tesla (T) scanner, were included in this study. Twenty minutes after the injection of 0.025 mmole/kg of gadoxetic acid, 3D T1w-GRE imaging (volumetric interpolated breathhold examination VIBE) was acquired twice using a generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition (384 × 250 matrix, acceleration factor AF of 2) and a CAIPIRINHA (384 × 380 matrix, AF of 4), respectively. Qualitative image analysis was performed for two image sets. RESULTS: CAIPIRINHA-VIBE showed better hepatic vessel clarity and lesion conspicuity than standard VIBE (P < 0.05). CAIPIRINHA-VIBE in the coronal plane also provided better results of motion artifact and liver edge sharpness than the standard VIBE (P < 0.05). Despite the more apparent PAT artifact on CAIPIRINHA-VIBE than on standard VIBE (P < 0.05), CAIPIRINHA-VIBE showed better overall image quality. CONCLUSION: The CAIPIRINHA-VIBE was able to provide a higher spatial resolution, T1-weighted imaging with better image quality compared with a standard VIBE.
Yu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.