New phase-based B1 mapping method using two-dimensional spin-echo imaging with hyperbolic secant pulses

Purpose To propose a new phase‐based B1‐mapping method that exploits phase information created by hyperbolic secant (HS) pulses in conventional 2D spin‐echo imaging. Methods In this B1‐mapping method, HS pulses are used to accomplish π/2 excitation and π refocusing in standard multislice spin‐echo imaging. When setting the ratio of pulse lengths of the π/2 and π HS pulses to 2:1, the spin‐echo phase is independent of offset frequency and varies as a function of B1 strength. To eliminate undesired phase accumulations induced by unknown factors other than the B1 strength, two spin‐echo images are acquired using HS pulses applied with opposite frequency‐sweep directions, and the resulting phase images are subtracted from each other. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed method, phantom and in vivo experiments were performed using a surface coil and a volume coil. Results The B1 maps obtained by using the proposed method were in accordance with the B1 maps obtained using previous methods in both phantom and in vivo experiments. Conclusion The proposed method is easy to implement without any sequence modification, is insensitive to B0 inhomogeneity and chemical shift, and is robust in a reasonably wide range of B1 field strength. Magn Reson Med 73:170–181, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.