Implementation and expansion of an analytic framework for generating spiral trajectories

Motivation: Spiral MRI is SNR efficienct and temporally efficient, but is comlicated to implement and optimize. Goal(s): To extend a previous analytical algorithm for deriving spiral trajectory gradients and improve the user's ability to implement and optimize them. Approach: We extended a previous analytical algorithm for generating spiral trajectories by (1) slightly bending the end of the trajectory to facilitate its modularity and (2) adding an algorithm to optimize the gradient moment nulling of that waveform. Several versions of spiral waveforms were implemented on a clinical scanner. Results: The resulting images were promising. The source code is provided. Impact: This will help to enable spiral MRI, which may improve image quality and reduced scan times by 2-6X over conventional Cartesian methods with no loss in image quality.