Implementing Magnetic Resonance Elastography in the MAGNUS for Evaluation of High-Performance Gradient Coil Effects

Motivation: Enhanced gradient systems have the potential to significantly improve brain MRE, but their impact on data quality and acquisition parameters remains unclear. Goal(s): Our objective was to evaluate the influence of high-amplitude gradients on motion encoding efficiency and overall data quality in brain MRE. Approach: We conducted a human observational study and validated our findings using an anthropomorphic brain phantom. Results: High-amplitude gradients substantially improved motion encoding efficiency, leading to enhanced OSS-SNR up to a threshold of about 3 μm/rad. However, exceeding this efficiency threshold resulted in a rapid decline in OSS-SNR due to phase wrap. Impact: This study clarifies the advantages and limitations of high-performance gradient systems for brain MRE, guiding protocol optimization, inversion and signal processing methods, and acquisition techniques while furthering our understanding of applications best suited for high-performance gradients.