Four-dimensional flow MRI using spiral acquisition.

Time-resolved three-dimensional phase-contrast MRI is an important tool for physiological as well as clinical studies of blood flow in the heart and vessels. The application of the technique is, however, limited by the long scan times required. In this work, we investigate the feasibility of using spiral readouts to reduce the scan time of four-dimensional flow MRI without sacrificing quality. Three spiral approaches are presented and evaluated in vivo and in vitro against a conventional Cartesian acquisition. In vivo, the performance of each method was assessed in the thoracic aorta in 10 volunteers using pathline-based analysis and cardiac output analysis. Signal-to-noise ratio and background phase errors were investigated in vitro. Using spiral readouts, the scan times of a four-dimensional flow acquisition of the thoracic aorta could be reduced 2-3-fold, with no statistically significant difference in pathline validity or cardiac output. The shortened scan time improves the applicability of four-dimensional flow MRI, which may allow the technique to become a part of a clinical workflow for cardiovascular functional imaging.