MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE 15,152- 157 ( 1990)

Three-Dimensional Magnetization-Prepared Rapid

Gradient-Echo Imaging (3D MP RAGE)

JOHNP. MUGLER111 AND JAMESR.BROOKEMAN

Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Universityof Virginia

School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia22908

Received February 27, 1990

A new three-dimensional imaging technique which is applicable for 3D MR imaging

throughout the body is introduced. In our preliminary investigationswe have acquired
high-quality 3D image sets ofthe abdomen showing minimal respiratory artifacts in just
over 7 min (voxel size 2.7 X 2.7 X 2.7 mm3), and 3D image sets of the head showing
excellent gray/white contrast in less than 6 min (voxel size 1.0 X 2.0 X 1.4 mm').
0 1990Academic Press,Inc.

INTRODUCTION

Three-dimensionalmagnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echoimaging ( 3D MP

RAGE) is a novel technique applicable for three-dimensional imaging throughout
the body. A schematic representation of 3D MP RAGE is shown in Fig. 1. The se-
quence begins with a magnetization preparation (MP) period as employed by Haase
et al. (1, 2) in conjunction with the snapshot FLASH technique. For example, an
inversion pulse followed by a delay yields TI-dependent contrast, and a 90"-180"-
90" pulse set gives TZdependent contrast.
After the longitudinal magnetization is encoded with the desired contrast during
the MP period, a rapid gradient-echo (RAGE) sequence is used to sample the pre-
pared magnetization. The sampling sequence might be any of the well-known rapid
gradient-echo techniques such as FLASH (3),snapshot FLASH ( 1 , 2), GRASS,
FISP ( 4 ) ,FAST, or FFE ( 5 ) . A fraction of the desired 3D k-space volume is acquired
by a given RAGE acquisition. The amount of k space sampled with a given acquisi-
tion depends on the following:
1. The temporal nature of the motion in the region of the body being imaged. For
example,dependingon the TR of the RAGE acquisition,a smaller fraction of k space
might be sampled when the heart is imaged than when the liver is imaged.
2. The degree to which the acquisition degrades the prepared contrast. This of
course depends on the TR and flip angle for the RAGE acquisition as well as the T1
relaxation properties for the tissues of interest.
In Fig. 1 and in the imaging examples we present in this communication, each RAGE
acquisition samples one plane through the desired k-space volume.

0740-3194/90 $3.00 152

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TRIGGER
(OPTIONAL)

MAGNETIZATION RAPID MAGNETIZATION

PREPARATION GRADIENT ECHO RECOVERY

ACOUIRE OVER
K X - K Z PLANE

REPEAT OVER
K y VALUES

FIG. 1 . Schematic diagram of the 3D MP RAGE sequence.

A magnetization recovery period follows each RAGE acquisition. The duration of

the recovery period is determined by the desired contrast properties of the image, the
TI relaxation properties of the tissues, and the state of the longitudinal magnetization
at the end of the gradient-echo acquisition. The two limiting cases for the magnetiza-
tion recovery period are zero duration and a duration which is relatively long com-
pared to the T 1 's of interest. The second case, that of a relatively long recovery period,
is particularly important since in this case a given preparation-acquisition-recovery
(P-A-R) cycle is decoupled from other cycles, and relative variations in the recovery
periods therefore do not adversely affect the image quality.
The complete 3D MP RAGE data set is formed by repeating the P-A-R cycle
described above until the desired k-space volume is covered. Note from Fig. 1 that a
trigger signal may be used to initiate each cycle for imaging structuressubject to peri-
odic motion such as the liver or heart.
The structure of the 3D MP RAGE sequence provides several inherent advantages
over existing 3D acquisition methods which operate in a steady-state mode. (By
steady state we mean sequenceswhich are based on either a steady state of the longitu-
dinal component of the magnetization (e.g., standard spin-echo or FLASH) or a
steady state of the complete magnetization vector (e.g., FISP or GRASS).) The ad-
vantages of 3D MP RAGE include:
1. The cyclic nature ofthe sequence makes it naturally applicableto imaging struc-
tures subject to periodic motion such as the liver or heart using respiratory or cardiac
triggering, respectively. When the magnetization recovery period is sufficiently long
with respect to the tissue T 1 values, variations in the total cycle length as may occur
with changes in heart or respiratory rates do not adversely affect the images. To the
best of our knowledge, this is the first technique that can produce 3D image sets of
the abdomen with minimal respiratory artifacts in an imaging period acceptable for
routine clinical use.
2. By employing a separate magnetization preparation period, given tissue con-
trast properties can be obtained in a much shorter imaging time than is possible using
existing steady-stateacquisition schemes.
3. The dead times in the preparation and recovery periods can be used for second-
ary magnetization preparations such as spatial or chemical presaturation.
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FIG.2. A 3D MP RAGE acquisition of the abdomen of a normal volunteer acquired in the sagittal
orientation. The image matrix was 128 (350 mm) by 128 (350 mm) by 256 (700 mm). This yields cubic
voxels 2.7 mm on a side. The total imaging time was 7.18 min. The magnetization preparation consisted
of an inversion pulse followed by a 350-ms delay. The RAGE acquisition parameters were 128 phase
encoding steps, TR/TE 8 / 3.3, FLASH type sequence, lo" flip angle, measurement at end expiration. The
recovery period was 2 s. (b-d) Coronal ( b and c) and transverse (d) images reformatted from the original
sagittal acquisition. Note the sharp definition of the upper edge of the liver in (a-c). Examination of the
anterior subcutaneous fat in (a) and (d) reveals only minor artifacts from respiration. Note the relatively
black appearance of flowing blood as seen in (c).

RESULTS

Imaging was performed on a standard whole-body imager operating at a field

strength of 1.5 T (Siemens Magnetom 63SP,Siemens Medical Systems, Iselin, NJ) .
Figure 2 shows images from a 3D M P RAGE acquisition through the abdomen of a
normal volunteer in the sagittal orientation. The image matrix was 128 (350mm)
by 128 (350 mm) by 256 (700 mm). This yields cubic voxels 2.7 mm on a side.
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FIG.3 . A 3D MP RAGE acquisition of the head of a normal volunteer acquired in the sagittal orienta-
tion. The image matrix was 128 ( 180 mm) by 128(250 mm) by 256 (250 mm), interpolated to 128 X 256
X 256. This yields voxels with dimensions of 1.4 by 1 .O (interpolated) by 1.O mm. The total imaging time
was 5.92 min. The magnetization preparation consisted of an inversion pulse followed by a 500-ms delay.
The RAGE acquisition parameters were 128 phase-encoding steps, TR/TE 10/4.15, FLASH type se-
quence, lo" flip angle. The recovery period was 1 s. (b-d) Coronal (b and c) and transverse ( d ) images
reformatted from the original sagittal acquisition. Due to the very short TE of the RAGE acquisition and
the small voxel sizes, the images do not show any significant susceptibility artifacts at air/soft tissue and
bone/soft tissue interfaces. In (c), note the bright appearance of the blood in the arteries surrounding the
pituitary (see text).

The total imaging time was 7.18 min. The magnetization preparation consisted of an
inversion pulse followed by a 350-ms delay which produced strong T 1 weighting in
the image. Each RAGE acquisition acquired 128 lines in 1024 ms (TR/TE 8/3.3,
FLASH type sequence, lo" flip angle) and was performed at end expiration. The
recovery period was 2 s. Because respiratory triggering was not yet available on our
machine, the subject voluntarily respired in synchrony with the sequence. Figures
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2b-2d show coronal ( b and c ) and transverse (d) images reformatted from the origi-
nal sagittal acquisition. Since each RAGE acquisition was only 1 s, image artifacts
from stomach, bowel, and cardiac motions appear predominantly in one phase-en-
coding direction (horizontal in Fig. 2a). Note the sharp definition of the upper edge
of the liver in Figs. 2a-2c. Examination of the anterior subcutaneous fat in Figs.
2a and 2d reveals only minor artifacts from respiration. Note the relatively black
appearance of flowing blood as seen in Fig. 2c. This feature may prove very valuable
in relation to studies of vessels diseased with atherosclerosis.
Figure 3 shows images from a 3D MP RAGE acquisition of the head of a normal
volunteer acquired in the sagittal orientation. The image matrix was 128 ( 180 mm)
by 128 (250 mm) by 256 (250 mm), interpolated to 128 X 256 X 256. This yields
voxels with dimensions of 1.4 by 1.0 (interpolated) by 1.0 mm. The total imaging
time was 5.92 min. The magnetization preparation consisted of an inversion pulse
followed by a 500-ms delay which produced strong T 1 weighting in the image. Each
RAGE acquisition acquired 128 lines in 1280 ms (TR/TE 10/4.15, FLASH type
sequence, lo" flip angle). The recovery period was 1 s. Figures 3b-3d show coronal
(band c) and transverse ( d ) images reformatted from the original sagittal acquisition.
The images display excellent gray/white contrast compared to the standard T l-de-
pendent imaging sequences we currently employ (400/ 15 2D spin echo and 30/ 5
3D FLASH). Due to the very short TE of the RAGE acquisition and the small voxel
sizes, the images do not show any significant susceptibilityartifacts at air/ soft tissue
and bone/soft tissue interfaces. In Fig. 3c, note the bright appearance of the blood in
the arteries surrounding the pituitary. During the 500-ms delay period, fully magne-
tized blood flows into the transmitlreceive head coil resulting in an inflow enhance-
ment effect for the arteries. Blood that experiences the inversion pulse, such as that
in the venous structures,appears dark in the images.
CONCLUSIONS
Initial experience with the 3D MP RAGE sequence shows promise that it will be a
noteworthy addition to the existing arsenal of MR imaging techniques. Particularly
exciting is the possibility of generating high-quality three-dimensional image sets of
the abdomen.
There remain many important issues to be addressed in connection with the opti-
mum parameter values for given imaging situations. Since the magnetization is sam-
pled during a transient, many aspects of optimizing this sequence may be even more
difficult than was the case for existing steady-state imaging techniques. We have be-
gun theoretical and experimental investigation (6) into the general problem of opti-
mizing the contrast for a prepare-acquire imaging sequence such as 3D MP RAGE.
For the RAGE acquisition, we have implemented and are currently investigating
modifications to the standard acquisition procedure, including ( i ) RF pulse phase
offsets between excitations ( 7) to eliminate the formation of steady-state transverse
magnetization and the resulting artifacts, and (ii) modification of the sampling order
in k space (e.g., sampling a 2D k-space plane from the respective k = 0 component
outward) to improve the characteristics of the point spread function and provide
access to a wider range of image contrast properties.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank the Department of Radiology at the University of Virginia for support, and Dr.
Wayne S. Cail, director of Neuroradiology, and Dr. Eduard E. de Lange, director of body MR, for their
invaluable advice on the clinical goals of MRI.

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