Improved time efficiency and accuracy in diffusion tensor microimaging with multiple-echo acquisition

In high-field NMR microscopy rapid single-shot imaging methods, for example, echo planar imaging, cannot be used for determination of the apparent diffusion tensor (ADT) due to large magnetic susceptibility effects. We propose a pulse sequence in which a diffusion-weighted spin-echo is followed by multiple gradient-echoes with additional diffusion weighting. These additional echoes can be used to calculate the ADT and T2∗ maps. We show here that this results in modest but consistent improvements in the accuracy of ADT determination within a given total data acquisition time. The method is tested on excised, chemically fixed rat spinal cords.