In order to acquire an intracranial arterial blood flow sequence, a presaturation pulse would be applied in which location?

In the context of acquiring an intracranial arterial blood flow sequence with MRI, applying a presaturation pulse is a technique used to nullify signals from specific areas to enhance the visibility of the target region. By placing the presaturation pulse superior to the slice group, you are effectively saturating signals coming from the tissues and blood vessels located above the region of interest within the brain.

This is important because it helps to eliminate adjacent blood flow signals that could obscure or interfere with the visualization of the arterial flow you intend to evaluate. By reducing the signal from these upper structures, the contrast between the intracranial arteries and the surrounding tissues increases, allowing for a clearer assessment of the arterial blood flow within the brain.

In this context, the placement of the presaturation pulse is critical, as it directly influences the quality and clarity of the images obtained during the MRI sequence, specifically for arterial blood flow.