MRI chemical shift artifact produced by center-out radial sampling of k-space: a potential pitfall in clinical diagnosis

Abstract

Background: Center-out radial sampling of k-space in magnetic resonance imaging employs a different direction for each readout. Off-resonance artifacts (including those produced by chemical shift between water and fat) found with this type of sampling are usually described as blurring, however more specific characterization of these artifacts can be ascertained from the fact that their point spread function is ring-shaped. This produces effects that differ from those seen with Cartesian sampling of k-space. Experiments were designed to demonstrate the origin of these artifacts and a volunteer was imaged to show them. Methods: Two phantoms containing oil in a syringe and an annulus of oil surrounded by water were scanned with a range of bandwidths from 62.5 down to 4 kHz. In a human volunteer, head, pelvis and spine images were obtained with bandwidths of 62.5 and 4 kHz. Results: The two phantoms showed displacement of the oil signal away from the center into the region of the surrounding water. The effect increased as the bandwidth was decreased. In the head of the volunteer, signal from fat in red bone marrow in the skull was displaced centrally and peripherally relative to water within the marrow, and appeared in the region between the skull and the brain, as well as in the surrounding scalp. Displacements of the former type simulated subdural hematomas. Displacement of perivesical fat signal centrally over the wall of the bladder simulated bladder tumor, and displacement of fat signal from red bone marrow in the lumbar spine to the intervertebral discs simulated their cartilaginous endplates. Conclusions: Center-out radial artifacts are important to recognize on clinical images since they may mimic anatomy and simulate pathology. The article shows how these artifacts originate, includes examples, and describes how the artifacts differ from Cartesian chemical shift artifacts.