Recent work in k-t BLAST and undersampled projection angiography has emphasized the value of using training data sets obtained during the acquisition of a series of images. These techniques have used iterative algorithms guided by the training set information to reconstruct time frames sampled at well below the Nyquist limit. We present here a simple non-iterative unfiltered backprojection algorithm that incorporates the idea of a composite image consisting of portions or all of the acquired data to constrain the backprojection process. This significantly reduces streak artifacts and increases the overall SNR, permitting decreased numbers of projections to be used when acquiring each image in the image time series. For undersampled 2D projection imaging applications, such as cine phase contrast (PC) angiography, our results suggest that the angular undersampling factor, relative to Nyquist requirements, can be increased from the present factor of 4 to about 100 while increasing SNR per individual time frame. Results are presented for a contrast-enhanced PR HYPR TRICKS acquisition in a volunteer using an angular undersampling factor of 75 and a TRICKS temporal undersampling factor of 3 for an overall undersampling factor of 225. There are many applications for which it is desirable to have high spatial and high temporal resolution. K-space sampling that obeys the Nyquist theorem usually precludes simultaneous achievement of these aims in MR imaging. Among other approaches, radial acquisitions have been proposed for accelerated sampling schemes. Peters (1) and Vigen (2) reported on the use of 3D MR angiography acquisitions in which 2 dimensions were encoded using undersampled projection reconstruction and the third was encoded using phase encoding. In these applications, the projections are rotated around a single axis and, even if the planes containing the projections are completely sampled in the Fourier encoded direction, the undersampling factor, relative to that required by the Nyquist theorem, is limited to about 6 due to the streaks in the axial reformatted images.When radial sampling is extended by distributing the projections in all directions in 3D as in VIPR (3), significantly higher acceleration factors relative to fully sampled acquisition can be achieved. We recently reported on a relatively artifact free PC VIPR (phase contrast Vastly undersampled Isotropic PRojection imaging) acquisition in which an acceleration factor of 61 relative to conventional Cartesian 3D PC was achieved (4). This acceleration factor was defined as the ratio of an imaging speed index for PC VIPR and Cartesian 3D PC acquisitions. This index was determined as the volume covered divided by the product of scan duration times voxel size.Despite such large increases in acquisition speed, some applications would benefit from further accelerations. For example, in recent cine PC VIPR measurements with 3D flow encoding for pressure mapping in 1-2 mm thick vessels using an acquisition matrix of 256 ϫ 256 ϫ 256 voxels and 10 cardiac ph...

Purpose To enable dynamic speech imaging with high spatiotemporal resolution and full-vocal-tract spatial coverage, leveraging recent advances in sparse sampling. Methods An imaging method is developed to enable high-speed dynamic speech imaging exploiting low-rank and sparsity of the dynamic images of articulatory motion during speech. The proposed method includes: a) a novel data acquisition strategy that collects navigators with high temporal frame rate, and b) an image reconstruction method that derives temporal subspaces from navigators and reconstructs high-resolution images from sparsely sampled data with joint low-rank and sparsity constraints. Results The proposed method has been systematically evaluated and validated through several dynamic speech experiments. A nominal imaging speed of 102 frames per second (fps) was achieved for a single-slice imaging protocol with a spatial resolution of 2.2 × 2.2 × 6.5 mm3. An eight-slice imaging protocol covering the entire vocal tract achieved a nominal imaging speed of 12.8 fps with the identical spatial resolution. The effectiveness of the proposed method and its practical utility was also demonstrated in a phonetic investigation. Conclusion High spatiotemporal resolution with full-vocal-tract spatial coverage can be achieved for dynamic speech imaging experiments with low-rank and sparsity constraints.

Background No studies have reported the circumference and diameter of the levator veli palatini muscle at multiple points along its length and from both views (frontal and lateral). The purpose of this study was to provide quantitative data regarding the levator muscle morphology along the length of the muscle using magnetic resonance imaging and advanced three-dimensional computer technology. Methods Ten Caucasian male subjects participated in the study. Subjects were scanned using a Siemens 3 T Trio. Levator muscle measures were obtained using a two-dimensional image plane. A three-dimensional model was used to measure the circumference and muscle diameter (in two directions) at six points along the length of the levator muscle. Results Levator muscle length ranged from 41.67 mm to 52.85 mm across all subjects. Mean extravelar muscle length was 30.55 mm (SD, 2.8 mm) and 30.01 mm (SD, 2.9 mm) for right and left muscles. The mean circumference at the origin was 18.90 mm (SD, 2.6 mm). At the second point, the muscle circumference mean increased slightly (mean, 22.40 mm; SD, 4.9 mm). The means for the remainder of the measures (points 3, 4, 5, and 6) were consistent, showing little to no change. Conclusion Circumference and diameter values were similar to those reported in previous literature. The muscle did diverge at the point where the muscle bundle entered the velum, as it has been previously described. Instead, the muscle diverges near the midline insertion becoming sparser (smaller superior-to-inferior diameter).

This is the first study to examine the interaction of race and sex on levator muscle morphology. In spite of the differences in velar dimensions, no significant differences were found in muscle size, specifically the levator veli palatini, which is contained within the velum.

Three-dimensional dynamic speech imaging is possible with full-vocal-tract coverage, high spatial resolution and high nominal frame rate to provide dynamic speech data useful for phonetic studies. Magn Reson Med 77:1619-1629, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.