Elliptical Signal Model based Simultaneous Parameter Estimation in bSSFP Imaging

In phase cycled balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) imaging technique; in order to shift the spatial location of signal loses in the image caused by off-resonance frequencies, multiple scans are obtained by changing the phase of the RF pulses. By taking advantage of these multiple-acquisitions, artifact free image is obtained. In addition to image reconstruction, same scan data can be used to estimate tissue specific parameters that constitute the signal such as T1 and T2 relaxation times. In this work, minimum number of phase cycles required to estimate T1 and T2 is investigated, and an estimation method that uses geometric relations in the elliptical signal model is proposed. This method's simulation results are shown together with reference values, and image reconstruction is compared with common methods.