DREAMER: Rapid and Simultaneous Multiple Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Solid and Soft Tissue.

PURPOSE: Pediatric craniofacial imaging may involve examination of both the skull and brain tissues via CT and MRI, respectively. DREAMER (Dual Repetition and Echo Acquisition with Multi-contrast Encoding and Reconstruction) simultaneously acquires solid- and soft-tissue images, potentially providing a rapid, high-resolution, and radiation-free protocol whenever bone-selective, T1w, and T2w images are required.

METHODS

The DREAMER sequence combines a solid-state MRI method with phase-based T2 encoding to produce a multi-contrast signal model that enables retrospective customization of image contrast weighting. DREAMER is paired with an iterative image reconstruction algorithm for accelerated and high-resolution structural imaging of solid- and soft-tissue compartments. Two healthy adult volunteers and two pediatric patients were scanned at 3 T to qualitatively compare soft-tissue DREAMER image contrasts with their corresponding clinical standards, T1w MPRAGE and T2w fast spin-echo (FSE). Two patients also underwent clinical CT to compare the bone-selective images and skull renderings.

RESULTS

DREAMER images are self-registered, high-resolution, and spatially isotropic. The bone-selective, T1w, and T2w images approximate the image contrasts and structural imaging capabilities of their corresponding clinical standards (CT, T1w MPRAGE, and T2w FSE). Unlike the standard techniques, DREAMER imaging occurs at a single scanner using a single pulse sequence.

CONCLUSION

DREAMER combines mechanisms for solid- and multiple-contrast soft-tissue imaging into a single scan. For craniofacial imaging, DREAMER may consolidate CT and MRI demand, reduce exposure to ionizing radiation, decrease patient examination and wait times, and simplify the radiological workflow.