Implementation of a fast gradient-echo SVD encoding technique for dynamic imaging

In the paper, the results of a fast gradient-echo implementation of the singular value decomposition (SVD) encoding technique for dynamic imaging are presented. The method used is an adaptation with several critical modifications of a keyhole-type approach previously proposed but not implemented. The method was tested by imaging the events following injection of a contrast agent into a phantom, producing a series of dynamic image updates. It is demonstrated that, for this type of application, the SVD encoding technique adequately follows dynamic changes with even a small number of encodes. The result is comared qualitatively to that obtained by standard Fourier-based keyhole imaging and is shown to provide improved spatial resolution of dynamic events when updating with the same number of encodes.