Optimal Dual-VENC with 3D radial sampling for improved quantification in 4D Flow MRI: An in vitro validation study

Motivation: Single-VENC encoding is not adapted for quantification of complex flows occurring in the volume covered by 4D Flow MRI with 3D radial sampling. Dual-VENC encoding improves quantification but comes at a cost of nearly doubled acquisition time Goal(s): to investigate performance of optimal combination dual-VENC for 4D Flow with 3D radial sampling and its potential to reduce acquisition time Approach: velocity measurements with single- and dual-VENC were performed in a pulsatile flow phantom. To simulate acquisition time reduction, images were reconstructed with different undersampling factors Results: Optimal dual-VENC consistently outperformed standard dual-VENC for all undersampling factors allowing significant reduction in acquisition times Impact: Improved velocity quantification of fast arterial and slow venous flows in the same imaging volume with significantly shorter acquisition times may be achievable with 3D radial sampling and optimal combination dual-VENC 4D Flow MRI in patients.