Improved T2 mapping accuracy with dual-echo turbo spin echo: Effect of phase encoding profile orders

Abstract

Turbo spin echo (TSE) pulse sequences have been applied to estimate T 2 relaxation times in clinically feasible scan times. However, T 2 estimations using TSE pulse sequences has been shown to differ considerable from reference standard sequences due to several sources of error. The purpose of this work was to apply voxel-sensitivity formalism to correct for one such source of error introduced by differing phase encoding profile orders with dual-echo TSE pulse sequences. The American College of Radiology phantom and the brains of two healthy volunteers were imaged using dual-echo TSE as well as 32-echo spin-echo acquisitions and T2 estimations from uncorrected and voxel-sensitivity formalism-corrected dual-echo TSE and 32-echo acquisitions were compared. In all regions of the brain and the majority of the analyses of the American College of Radiology phantom, voxel-sensitivity formalism correction resulted in considerable improvements in dual-echo TSE T2 estimation compared with the 32-echo acquisition, with improvements in T2 value accuracy ranging from 5.2% to 18.6%. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.