Table 1.

Parameters used for protocol testing.

Parameter	GE Signa Excite	Philips Achieva	Siemens Avanto
Reduction by regular protocol variation
Gradient speed	on/off (flow opt.)	default/regular	normal/whisper
Partial Echo	min (75%)/min full	on (75%)/off	asymmetry strong (77%)/off
Bandwidth (Hz/pix)	200, 250, 300, 350, 400
Venc (cm/s)	120, 150, 180, 200, 300
Slice Thickness (mm)	6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Exploratory measurements beyond the protocol
Delay Td (ms)	-	0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0
Velocity encoding	-	symmetric/asymmetric
Slew rate (%) & amplitude (%)	-	-	20, 40, 60, 80, 100

Protocol parameters used for protocol testing listed per scanner type. In bold the basic protocol setting.