MR imaging: acronyms and clinical applications

The intention of this article is to provide an overview of all MR imaging techniques that are accessible on most of commercially available scanners and have the potential to be used in routine clinical applications. The techniques implemented by the major vendors are briefly explained, including a comparison of the commonly used acronyms. A classification scheme is introduced which provides a reasonable illustration of similarities and differences between various techniques. The imaging techniques are divided into two main groups, the spin-echo and gradient-echo sequences. Within each group is the basic sequence, those which require a preparation of the magnetization, those which use multiple echoes to fill the k-space and those which are performed in a single shot. For each technique the typical clinical applications are listed or the potential applications which have been published. Received: 18 August 1998; Revision received: 3 November 1998; Accepted: 4 November 1998