Slice profile correction for transmit sensitivity mapping using actual flip angle imaging

To enable clinical use of parallel transmission technology, it is necessary to rapidly produce transmit sensitivity (σ) maps. Actual flip angle imaging is an efficient mapping technique, which is accurate when used with 3D encoding and nonselective RF pulses. Mapping single slices is quicker, but 2D encoding leads to systematic errors due to slice profile effects. By simulating steady-state slice profiles, we computed the relationship between σ and the signals received from the actual flip angle imaging sequence for arbitrarily chosen slice selective RF pulses. Pulse specific lookup tables were then used for reconstruction. The resulting σ-maps are sensitive to T(1) in a manner that depends strongly on the specific pulse, for example a precision of ±3% can be achieved by using a 3-lobe sinc pulse. The method is applicable to any RF pulse; simulations must be performed once and thereafter fast reconstruction of σ-maps is possible.