MR imaging: acronyms and clinical applications

The intention of this article is to provide an overview of all MR imaging t echniques that are accessible on most of commercially available scanners an d have the potential to be used in routine clinical applications. The techn iques implemented by the major vendors are briefly explained, including a c omparison of the commonly used acronyms. A classification scheme is introdu ced which provides a reasonable illustration of similarities and difference s between various techniques. The imaging techniques are divided into two m ain 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 p erformed in a single shot. For each technique the typical clinical applicat ions are listed or the potential applications which have been published.