Conical SPRITE: A rapid, 3D MRI method for imaging solid-like materials

Abstract

Conical SPRITE is introduced as a rapid, 3D, proton-density weighted single point imaging technique for the study of solid-like materials with short relaxation times. The development and implementation of this technique is discussed along with a point spread function analysis of the convolution blurring effect of the combined effects of the sampling method and magnetization relaxation. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate the speed of acquisition, the dependence of signal to noise and resolution on flip angle, and the potential for manipulation of contrast through the use of magnetization preparation.