Spine magnetic resonance imaging is among the most frequently performed examinations in clinical radiology and places substantial demands on workflow efficiency and image quality. Over the past 20 years, acquisition times have been markedly reduced through a combination of optimized sequence parameters, advanced acceleration techniques, and modern image reconstruction methods.

This article provides an overview of contemporary strategies for accelerating two-dimensional spine magnetic resonance imaging, with a focus on techniques that are robust and feasible in routine clinical practice. Classical parameter optimization, parallel imaging, compressed sensing, simultaneous multislice acquisition, and image reconstruction based on artificial intelligence are discussed with regard to their technical principles, advantages, and limitations.

Particular emphasis is placed on practical protocol integration and a “how we do it” approach, illustrating how these methods can be combined to achieve substantial time savings while preserving diagnostic confidence. When applied judiciously, modern acceleration and reconstruction techniques enable efficient, high-quality spine magnetic resonance imaging and are particularly well suited for this high-volume clinical application.

Benjamin Fritz is affiliated with Balgrist University Hospital that has an academic research collaboration with Siemens Healthineers, Bayer, and Balzano Informatik.

Received: 05 January 2026

Accepted: 23 January 2026

Article published online:
09 March 2026

© 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA