Spinal Cord T2* mapping with Multi-echo Radial Stack of Star Acquisition at 7T

Motivation: Motion-insensitive high-resolution quantitative spinal cord imaging is critical for evaluating spinal cord pathologies and monitoring treatment. Goal(s): We aim to implement a stack of star radial acquisition of the spinal cord at 7T and evaluate its potential to generate quantitative T2* maps in the cervical spine. Approach: A multi-echo golden‐angle radial sampling pulse sequence was developed for Siemens 7T Terra. X scanner. The gridding reconstruction method was used for image reconstruction. Results: Our results show the feasibility of high-resolution spine imaging and T2* mapping using radial trajectories. Image quality was improved when compared to the MEDIC sequence. Impact: Imaging small-diameter structures such as the spinal cord at high spatial resolutions demands new data acquisition and processing techniques to mitigate limitations due to motion artifacts. Radial MRI acquisition can help reduce motion artifacts and increase speed.