Snapshot FLASH MRI. Applications to T1, T2, and Chemical-shift Imaging

Snapshot FLASH magnetic resonance imaging techniques have been developed to enable real-time imaging of MR parameters. The first realization of the method is based on a 64 X 128 FLASH tomogram acquired within 200 ms, using improved MR system hardware conditions. The soft tissue contrast obtained in FLASH MRI almost disappears by using flip angles of less than 5 degrees and repetition times of 3 ms. This work describes extensions of FLASH MRI placing conventional MR experiments before the whole imaging sequence. This creates images of any desired contrast without changing the measuring time. Examples of inversion-recovery T1, spin-echo T2, chemical-shift-selective, and spectroscopic FLASH MRI are presented. Further extensions to real-time MRI of blood vessels, diffusion coefficients, combination with two-dimensional MR spectroscopy experiments, and other nuclei are discussed.