Banding artifact on balanced SSFP (FIESTA, bFFE, TrueFISP)
Dark curved bands on FIESTA-type images follow field inhomogeneity. Shim and TR move them out of the anatomy.
Balanced SSFP banding
Dark curved bands across FIESTA / TrueFISP / bFFE images, often at the edge of the FOV or near air and metal.
The steady-state signal drops to zero wherever the field is off-resonance by a specific amount. Band spacing is inversely related to TR.
- Shortest possible TR
- Shim on the organ of interest; at 3 T run a frequency scout for cardiac cine
- Phase-cycled acquisition (FIESTA-C / CISS)
Phase cycling doubles the scan time. Shorter TR may need a wider bandwidth and lowers SNR.
This page is one entry from the MRI Technologist Reference
The full reference has 31 protocols, 9 dynamic study timelines, 19 artifacts, 16 scanner problems and 15 safety topics, as a PDF in English and Arabic plus an interactive tool.
Educational reference. It does not replace your site protocols, the radiologist's instructions, the MR safety officer, or the manufacturer's instructions for any implant, device or contrast agent. Parameter values are typical starting points at 1.5 T and must be adapted to the scanner, coil and patient.