Simultaneous solid and multiple-contrast soft tissue musculoskeletal magnetic resonance imaging

Motivation: MRI and CT are widely used for clinical assessment of musculoskeletal pathology. These modalities provide complementary information, but the scheduling of separate scans creates a logistically cumbersome scenario. Goal(s): To demonstrate the capabilities of a specialized pulse sequence that yields bone-selective and soft-tissue contrasts (T1-weighted and T2-weighted) in a single scan. Approach: DREAMER is a dual-echo UTE sequence combined with a phase-based encoding strategy to simultaneously obtain bone-selective, T1-weighted, and T2-weighted images. Imaging was performed at the knee, calf, and foot in healthy volunteers. Results: DREAMER enables a rapid and radiation-free method to assess bony anatomy and surrounding soft tissue for musculoskeletal applications. Impact: DREAMER performs simultaneous imaging of musculoskeletal solid and soft tissues, potentially obviating the need for additional CT. It can reduce the use of ionizing radiation in clinical imaging and remove logistical complexities related to scheduling examinations.