Triple-quantum-filtered imaging of sodium in presence of B0 inhomogeneities

Triple quantum filtered sodium MRI techniques have been recently demonstrated in vivo. These techniques have been previously advocated as a means to separate the sodium NMR signal from different physiological compartments based on the differences between their relaxation rates. Among the different triple quantum coherence transfer filters, the three-pulse coherence transfer filter has been demonstrated to be better suited for human imaging than the traditional four-pulse implementation. While the three-pulse structure has distinct advantages in terms of RF efficiency, the lack of a refocusing pulse in the filter introduces an increased dependence on the main magnetic field inhomogeneities, which can sometimes lead to significant signal loss. In this paper, we characterize these dependencies and introduce a method for their compensation through the acquisition of a B-0 map and the use of a modified phase cycling scheme. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.