Diffusion mapping by mr fingerprinting

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of MR imaging of an object () placed in an examination volume of an MR system (). It is an object of the invention to enable quantitative diffusion MR imaging based on the generation of a temporally incoherent MR signal evolution by variation of acquisition parameters (like in MRF or MR STAT). The method comprises the steps of: subjecting the object () to an imaging sequence composed of a train of sequence blocks, each sequence block comprising at least one RF pulse, at least one switched spoiling magnetic field gradient and at least one switched readout magnetic field gradient defining a k-space sampling pattern, and having associated therewith a set of acquisition parameters including the zeroth moment of the spoiling magnetic field gradient; acquiring the MR signals while varying at least the zeroth moment of the spoiling magnetic field gradient and, optionally, one or more further acquisition parameters during the course of the imaging sequence; and reconstructing at least one MR image, wherein at least a diffusion coefficient and, optionally, one or more further MR parameters are computed for a number of image positions from an incoherent temporal evolution of the acquired MR signals caused by the variation of the at least one acquisition parameter. Moreover, the invention relates to an MR system () for carrying out this method as well as to a computer program to be run on an MR system.