Simultaneous Multi-SliceSetting the pace in MRI acceleration for TSE and DWI

Simultaneous Multi-Slice (SMS) is a paradigm shift in MRI – helping cut total MSK exam times by up to 46%³, reducing DWI scan times throughout the body, and significantly improving temporal resolution for BOLD fMRI. SMS has expanded its capabilities, now providing high-resolution, distortion-free DWI with RESOLVE for up to 60% shorter scans. SMS can also be seamlessly combined with to conventional parallel imaging, enabling additional scan time reductions as a factor of slice acceleration.

SMS TSE enables scan time reductions as a factor of slice acceleration. Entire Foot/Ankle scans, covering all relevant contrasts and orientations, for example, can be performed in only 7 instead of 13 minutes while maintaining image quality. Time savings may also be invested in higher spatial resolution or thinner slices, while maintaining the original scan time.

SMS DWI maximizes productivity for diffusion-weighted imaging of the brain, breast, abdomen and pelvis. With acceleration factors of up to 8, SMS for DTI and BOLD bring advanced techniques, such as pre-surgical mapping, into clinical routine.

SMS RESOLVE further expands the footprint of SMS-accelerated applications, by enabling high-resolution, distortion-free DWI scans in significantly shorter time.

Simultaneous Multi-Slice speeds up imaging significantly – through the simultaneous excitation and readout of multiple slices. Together, Simultaneous Multi-Slice (SMS) TSE, EPI Diffusion, BOLD as well as RESOLVE for high-resolution, distortion-free DWI enable significant time savings from head to toe, offering various advantages:

Benefits Simultaneous Multi-Slice TSE:

• Scan time reduction as a factor of slice acceleration²
• Higher spatial resolution (thinner slices)
• Entire MSK exams can be performed in about half the time, enabling significantly shorter exam slots per patient

Can be combined with parallel imaging

Benefits Simultaneous Multi-Slice Diffusion:

• Scan time reduction as a factor of slice acceleration²
• Higher spatial resolution (thinner slices)
• Improved diffusion resolution (more directions and b values)

Can be combined with parallel imaging

Benefits Simultaneous Multi-Slice BOLD:

• Greater slice coverage
• Higher spatial resolution (thinner slices)
• Increased temporal resolution for higher sensitivity to BOLD signal

Can be combined with parallel imaging

Benefits Simultaneous Multi-Slice RESOLVE¹:

• Scan time reduction as a factor of slice acceleration²
• High-resolution, distortion free DWI in up to 60% shorter time
• Thinner Slices, i.e. 2mm in Neuro DWI.

Features:

• For TSE and diffusion-weighted imaging (both with EPI and RESOLVE), slice acceleration can be used to reduce scan time and/or achieve higher spatial/diffusion resolution
• For BOLD, slice acceleration can be used to increase temporal sampling of BOLD data, for higher sensitivity to BOLD signal changes, and/or to increase slice coverage/resolution
• Simultaneous Multi-Slice accelerated BOLD and diffusion-weighted protocols for the brain are provided
• Simultaneous Multi-Slice TSE protocols for hand, hip, knee, ankle, and foot are provided