Simultaneous spatial and spectral selectivity by spatiotemporal encoding

Purpose To introduce a method that provides simultaneous spatial and spectral selectivity, whose implementation is less demanding than - and quality comparable to - conventional 2D spectral-spatial counterparts. Theory Spatiotemporal encoding concepts lead to a spatially selective, chemical-shift-dependent echo, with simultaneous dephasing of all other off-resonant species. The approach only requires applying a pair of suitable radiofrequency-swept pulses, and allows arbitrary shaping of the spatial profiles. Methods Based on arguments derived for chirp pulses operating in the sequential-sweep approximation, quadratic-phase SLR excitation and refocusing waveforms were designed and used to collect 2D slice- and shift-selective images on a 7 T microimaging system (phantoms). The same strategy was used to obtain multi-slice echo-planar and spin-echo images of breast on human volunteers in a 3 T scanner. Results The method managed to deliver excellent shift-selective multi-slice images in phantoms and human volunteers. Simultaneous water and fat images were also collected in a single, interleaved acquisition mode on both platforms, using straightforward sequence and reconstruction modifications of the basic scheme. Conclusion A new way to achieve chemical shift selectivity with high quality spatial profiling is achieved, without the usual requirements for playing out fast oscillating gradients in conjunction with carefully timed radiofrequency pulses.