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Balanced steady state-free precession (b-SSFP) imaging for MRCP: techniques and applications

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Abstract

Balanced steady state-free precession (b-SSFP) pulse sequences have a number of properties which can be useful in magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), including short acquisition times, high signal-to-noise ratios, and T2/T1 contrast weighting. The utility and versatility of b-SSFP sequences for MRCP imaging are probably underappreciated, and this pictorial essay briefly discusses benefits and limitations of 2D and 3D b-SSFP techniques used in place of or in addition to conventional single-shot fast spin echo or 3D fast spin echo acquisitions and illustrates their appearance in several clinical cases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, 55905, Rochester, MN, USA

    James F. Glockner & Christine U. Lee

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  1. James F. Glockner
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  2. Christine U. Lee
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Correspondence to James F. Glockner.

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Glockner, J.F., Lee, C.U. Balanced steady state-free precession (b-SSFP) imaging for MRCP: techniques and applications. Abdom Imaging 39, 1309–1322 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-014-0153-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-014-0153-6

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