Toward volumetric MR thermometry with the MASTER sequence.

MR temperature monitoring is an indispensable tool for high intensity focused ultrasound. In this paper, a new technique known as MASTER (multiple adjacent slice thermometry with excitation refocusing) is presented which improves the speed and accuracy of multiple-slice MR thermometry. Defocusing the magnetization after exciting a slice allows for multiple slices to be excited concurrently and stored in k-space. The magnetization from each excitation is then refocused and read in sequence. This approach increases TE for each slice, greatly improving temperature SNR as compared to conventional slice interleaving. Gradient sequence design optimization is required to minimize diffusion losses while maintaining high sequence efficiency. Flexibility in selecting position, update rate, accuracy, and voxel size for each slice independently allows for freedom in design to fit different application needs. Results are shown in phantom and in vivo validating the feasibility of the sequence, and comparing it to interleaved GRE. Sample design curves are presented that contrast the MASTER design space with that of interleaved GRE thermometry.