Noise Characterization in Cine DENSE MRI

Introduction: Cine displacement-encoded (DENSE) MRI [1] is a high spatial resolution modality for the quantification of intramyocardial function. The noise in phase contrast MRI has been characterized as inversely proportional to the magnitude of magnetization [2]. In DENSE MRI, however, the calculation of the strain involves more complex processes, including a finite element model; the propagation of phase errors to the calculation of strain is less straight forward [3,4]. In echo-combined DENSE MRI, the intrinsic phase correction does not eliminate the systematic error due static magnetic field inhomogeneity (B0), because the two echoes being combined are separated by a time interval. As such, the residual phase error term is equal to ∆F∆T