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PURPOSE: To compare the performances of uniform-density spiral (UDS), variable-density spiral (VDS), and dual-density spiral (DDS) samplings in multi-shot diffusion imaging, and determine a sampling strategy that balances reliability of shot navigator and overall DWI image quality. THEORY AND METHODS: UDS, VDS, and DDS trajectories were implemented to achieve four-shot diffusion-weighted spiral imaging. First, the static B0 off-resonance effects in UDS, VDS, and DDS acquisitions were analyzed based on a signal model. Then, in vivo experiments were performed to verify the theoretical analyses, and fractional anisotropy (FA) fitting residuals were used to quantitatively assess the quality of spiral diffusion data for tensor estimation. Finally, the SNR performances and g-factor behavior of the three spiral samplings were evaluated using a Monte Carlo-based pseudo multiple replica method. RESULTS: Among the three spiral trajectories with the same readout duration, UDS sampling exhibited the least off-resonance artifacts. This was most evident when the static B0 off-resonance effect was severe. The UDS diffusion images had higher anatomical fidelity and lower FA fitting residuals than the other two counterparts. Furthermore, the four-shot UDS acquisition achieved the best SNR performance in diffusion imaging with 12.11% and 40.85% improvements over the VDS and DDS acquisitions with the same readout duration, respectively. CONCLUSION: UDS sampling is an efficient spiral acquisition scheme for high-resolution diffusion imaging with reliable navigator information. It provides superior off-resonance performance and SNR efficiency over the VDS and DDS samplings for the tested scenarios.
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Algoritmos , Imagen de Difusión por Resonancia Magnética , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Imagen de Difusión por Resonancia Magnética/métodos , Imagen de Difusión Tensora/métodos , Interpretación de Imagen Asistida por Computador/métodos , Artefactos , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador/métodos , Imagen Eco-PlanarRESUMEN
The purpose of this study was to develop a self-navigation strategy to improve scan efficiency and image quality of water/fat-separated, diffusion-weighted multishot echo-planar imaging (ms-EPI). This is accomplished by acquiring chemical shift-encoded diffusion-weighted data and using an appropriate water-fat and diffusion-encoded signal model to enable reconstruction directly from k-space data. Multishot EPI provides reduced geometric distortion and improved signal-to-noise ratio in diffusion-weighted imaging compared with single-shot approaches. Multishot acquisitions require corrections for physiological motion-induced shot-to-shot phase errors using either extra navigators or self-navigation principles. In addition, proper fat suppression is important, especially in regions with large B0 inhomogeneity. This makes the use of chemical shift encoding attractive. However, when combined with ms-EPI, shot-to-shot phase navigation can be challenging because of the spatial displacement of fat signals along the phase-encoding direction. In this work, a new model-based, self-navigated water/fat separation reconstruction algorithm is proposed. Experiments in legs and in the head-neck region of 10 subjects were performed to validate the algorithm. The results are compared with an image-based, two-dimensional (2D) navigated water/fat separation approach for ms-EPI and with a conventional fat saturation approach. Compared with the 2D navigated method, the use of self-navigation reduced the shot duration time by 30%-35%. The proposed algorithm provided improved diffusion-weighted water images in both leg and head-neck regions compared with the 2D navigator-based approach. The proposed algorithm also produced better fat suppression compared with the conventional fat saturation technique in the B0 inhomogeneous regions. In conclusion, the proposed self-navigated reconstruction algorithm can produce superior water-only diffusion-weighted EPI images with less artefacts compared with the existing methods.
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Imagen Eco-Planar , Agua , HumanosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To implement magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) on a permanent magnet 50 mT low-field system deployable as a future point-of-care (POC) unit and explore the quality of the parameter maps. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 3D MRF was implemented on a custom-built Halbach array using a slab-selective spoiled steady-state free precession sequence with 3D Cartesian readout. Undersampled scans were acquired with different MRF flip angle patterns and reconstructed using matrix completion and matched to the simulated dictionary, taking excitation profile and coil ringing into account. MRF relaxation times were compared to that of inversion recovery (IR) and multi-echo spin echo (MESE) experiments in phantom and in vivo. Furthermore, B0 inhomogeneities were encoded in the MRF sequence using an alternating TE pattern, and the estimated map was used to correct for image distortions in the MRF images using a model-based reconstruction. RESULTS: Phantom relaxation times measured with an optimized MRF sequence for low field were in better agreement with reference techniques than for a standard MRF sequence. In vivo muscle relaxation times measured with MRF were longer than those obtained with an IR sequence (T1: 182 ± 21.5 vs 168 ± 9.89 ms) and with an MESE sequence (T2: 69.8 ± 19.7 vs 46.1 ± 9.65 ms). In vivo lipid MRF relaxation times were also longer compared with IR (T1: 165 ± 15.1 ms vs 127 ± 8.28 ms) and with MESE (T2: 160 ± 15.0 ms vs 124 ± 4.27 ms). Integrated ΔB0 estimation and correction resulted in parameter maps with reduced distortions. DISCUSSION: It is possible to measure volumetric relaxation times with MRF at 2.5 × 2.5 × 3.0 mm3 resolution in a 13 min scan time on a 50 mT permanent magnet system. The measured MRF relaxation times are longer compared to those measured with reference techniques, especially for T2. This discrepancy can potentially be addressed by hardware, reconstruction and sequence design, but long-term reproducibility needs to be further improved.
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Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Sistemas de Atención de Punto , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/métodos , Espectroscopía de Resonancia Magnética , Músculos , Fantasmas de Imagen , Lípidos , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador/métodos , EncéfaloRESUMEN
OBJECT: Lower-field MR is reemerging as a viable, potentially cost-effective alternative to high-field MR, thanks to advances in hardware, sequence design, and reconstruction over the past decades. Evaluation of lower field strengths, however, is limited by the availability of lower-field systems on the market and their considerable procurement costs. In this work, we demonstrate a low-cost, temporary alternative to purchasing a dedicated lower-field MR system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: By ramping down an existing clinical 3 T MRI system to 0.75 T, proton signals can be acquired using repurposed 13C transmit/receive hardware and the multi-nuclei spectrometer interface. We describe the ramp-down procedure and necessary software and hardware changes to the system. RESULTS: Apart from presenting system characterization results, we show in vivo examples of cardiac cine imaging, abdominal two- and three-point Dixon-type water/fat separation, water/fat-separated MR Fingerprinting, and point-resolved spectroscopy. In addition, the ramp-down approach allows unique comparisons of, e.g., gradient fidelity of the same MR system operated at different field strengths using the same receive chain, gradient coils, and amplifiers. DISCUSSION: Ramping down an existing MR system may be seen as a viable alternative for lower-field MR research in groups that already own multi-nuclei hardware and can also serve as a testing platform for custom-made multi-nuclei transmit/receive coils.
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Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Programas Informáticos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/métodos , ProtonesRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To develop a methodology to simultaneously perform single echo Dixon water-fat imaging and susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) based on a single echo time (TE) ultra-short echo time (UTE) (sUTE) scan to assess vertebral fractures and degenerative bone changes in the thoracolumbar spine. METHODS: A methodology was developed to solve the smoothness-constrained inverse water-fat problem to separate water and fat while removing unwanted low-frequency phase terms. Additionally, the corrected UTE phase was used for SWI. UTE imaging (TE: 0.14 ms, 3T MRI) was performed in the lumbar spine of nine patients with vertebral fractures and bone marrow edema (BME). All images were reviewed by two radiologists. Water- and fat-separated images were analyzed in comparison with short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) and with respect to BME visibility. The visibility of fracture lines and cortical outlining of the UTE magnitude images were analyzed in comparison with computed tomography. RESULTS: Unwanted phase components, dominated by the B1 phase, were removed from the UTE phase images. The rating of the diagnostic quality of BME visualization showed a high preference for the sUTE-Dixon water- and fat-separated images in comparison with STIR. The UTE magnitude images enabled better visualizing fracture lines compared with STIR and slightly better visibility of cortical outlining. With increasing SWI weighting osseous structures and fatty tissues were enhanced. CONCLUSION: The proposed sUTE-Dixon-SWI methodology allows the removal of unwanted low-frequency phases and enables water-fat separation and SWI processing from a single complex UTE image. The methodology can be used for the simultaneous assessment of vertebral fractures and BME of the thoracolumbar spine.
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Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Agua , Edema/diagnóstico por imagen , Humanos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/métodos , Columna Vertebral , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X/métodosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To visualize the encoding capability of magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) dictionaries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: High-dimensional MRF dictionaries were simulated and embedded into a lower-dimensional space using t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE). The embeddings were visualized via colors as a surrogate for location in low-dimensional space. First, we illustrate this technique on three different MRF sequences. We then compare the resulting embeddings and the color-coded dictionary maps to these obtained with a singular value decomposition (SVD) dimensionality reduction technique. We validate the t-SNE approach with measures based on existing quantitative measures of encoding capability using the Euclidean distance. Finally, we use t-SNE to visualize MRF sequences resulting from an MRF sequence optimization algorithm. RESULTS: t-SNE was able to show clear differences between the color-coded dictionary maps of three MRF sequences. SVD showed smaller differences between different sequences. These findings were confirmed by quantitative measures of encoding. t-SNE was also able to visualize differences in encoding capability between subsequent iterations of an MRF sequence optimization algorithm. DISCUSSION: This visualization approach enables comparison of the encoding capability of different MRF sequences. This technique can be used as a confirmation tool in MRF sequence optimization.
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Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Algoritmos , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador/métodos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/métodos , Espectroscopía de Resonancia Magnética , Fantasmas de ImagenRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To improve the robustness of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data acquired with segmented simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) echo-planar imaging (EPI) against in-plane and through-plane rigid motion. THEORY AND METHODS: The proposed algorithm incorporates a 3D rigid motion correction and wavelet denoising into the image reconstruction of segmented SMS-EPI diffusion data. Low-resolution navigators are used to estimate shot-specific diffusion phase corruptions and 3D rigid motion parameters through SMS-to-volume registration. The shot-wise rigid motion and phase parameters are integrated into a SENSE-based full-volume reconstruction for each diffusion direction. The algorithm is compared to a navigated SMS reconstruction without gross motion correction in simulations and in vivo studies with four-fold interleaved 3-SMS diffusion tensor acquisitions. RESULTS: Simulations demonstrate high fidelity was achieved in the SMS-to-volume registration, with submillimeter registration errors and improved image reconstruction quality. In vivo experiments validate successful artifact reduction in 3D motion-compromised in vivo scans with a temporal motion resolution of approximately 0.3 s. CONCLUSION: This work demonstrates the feasibility of retrospective 3D rigid motion correction from shot navigators for segmented SMS DWI.
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Imagen de Difusión por Resonancia Magnética , Imagen Eco-Planar , Algoritmos , Artefactos , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Movimiento (Física) , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Non-Cartesian imaging sequences involve sampling during rapid variation of the encoding field gradients. The quality of the reconstructed images often suffers from insufficient knowledge of the exact dynamics of the actual fields applied during sampling. METHODS: We propose determination of the accurate field dynamics by measuring the currents at the gradient amplifier outputs using the amplifiers' internal sensors concurrently with imaging. The actual dynamic field evolution is then determined by convolution with the measured current-to-field impulse response function of the gradient coil. Integration of the gradient field evolution allows derivation of the k-space trajectory for reconstruction. RESULTS: The current-based approach is investigated in spiral and ultrashort TE phantom imaging. In comparison with the model-based product reconstruction as well as a correction approach based on the conventional input waveform-to-field impulse response function, it provides slightly improved image quality. The improvement is ascribed to a better representation of eddy current and amplifier nonlinearity effects. CONCLUSION: Trajectory calculation based on measured amplifier output currents offers a robust, purely measurement-based alternative to conventional model-based approaches. The implementation can mitigate gradient amplifier imperfections with no or little additional hardware effort.
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Artefactos , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Algoritmos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Fantasmas de Imagen , LecturaRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To develop a new water-fat separation and B0 estimation algorithm to effectively suppress the multiple resonances of fat signal in EPI. This is especially relevant for DWI where fat is often a confounding factor. METHODS: Water-fat separation based on chemical-shift encoding enables robust fat suppression in routine MRI. However, for EPI the different chemical-shift displacements of the multiple fat resonances along the phase-encoding direction can be problematic for conventional separation algorithms. This work proposes a suitable model approximation for EPI under B0 and fat off-resonance effects, providing a feasible multi-peak water-fat separation algorithm. Simulations were performed to validate the algorithm. In vivo validation was performed in 6 volunteers, acquiring spin-echo EPI images in the leg (B0 homogeneous) and head-neck (B0 inhomogeneous) regions, using a TE-shifted interleaved EPI sequence with/without diffusion sensitization. The results are numerically and statistically compared with voxel-independent water-fat separation and fat saturation techniques to demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm. RESULTS: The reference separation algorithm without the proposed spatial shift correction caused water-fat ambiguities in simulations and in vivo experiments. Some spectrally selective fat saturation approaches also failed to suppress fat in regions with severe B0 inhomogeneities. The proposed algorithm was able to achieve improved fat suppression for DWI data and ADC maps in the head-neck and leg regions. CONCLUSION: The proposed algorithm shows improved suppression of the multi-peak fat components in multi-shot interleaved EPI applications compared to the conventional fat saturation approaches and separation algorithms.
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Imagen Eco-Planar , Agua , Algoritmos , Imagen de Difusión por Resonancia Magnética , Humanos , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Imagen por Resonancia MagnéticaRESUMEN
PURPOSE: UTE sequences typically acquire data during the ramping up of the gradient fields, which makes UTE imaging prone to eddy current and system delay effects. The purpose of this work was to use a simple gradient impulse response function (GIRF) measurement to estimate the real readout gradient waveform and to demonstrate that precise knowledge of the gradient waveform is important in the context of high-resolution UTE musculoskeletal imaging. METHODS: The GIRF was measured using the standard hardware of a 3 Tesla scanner and applied on 3D radial UTE data (TE: 0.14 ms). Experiments were performed on a phantom, in vivo on a healthy knee, and in vivo on patients with spine fractures. UTE images were reconstructed twice, first using the GIRF-corrected gradient waveforms and second using nominal-corrected waveforms, correcting for the low-pass filter characteristic of the gradient chain. RESULTS: Images reconstructed with the nominal-corrected gradient waveforms exhibited blurring and showed edge artifacts. The blurring and the edge artifacts were reduced when the GIRF-corrected gradient waveforms were used, as shown in single-UTE phantom scans and in vivo dual-UTE gradient-echo scans in the knee. Further, the importance of the GIRF-based correction was indicated in UTE images of the lumbar spine, where thin bone structures disappeared when the nominal correction was employed. CONCLUSION: The presented GIRF-based trajectory correction method using standard scanner hardware can improve the quality of high-resolution UTE musculoskeletal imaging.
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Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Sistema Musculoesquelético , Artefactos , Humanos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Fantasmas de ImagenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To correct for image distortions produced by standard Fourier reconstruction techniques on low field permanent magnet MRI systems with strong [Formula: see text] inhomogeneity and gradient field nonlinearities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conventional image distortion correction algorithms require accurate [Formula: see text] maps which are not possible to acquire directly when the [Formula: see text] inhomogeneities also produce significant image distortions. Here we use a readout gradient time-shift in a TSE sequence to encode the [Formula: see text] field inhomogeneities in the k-space signals. Using a non-shifted and a shifted acquisition as input, [Formula: see text] maps and images were reconstructed in an iterative manner. In each iteration, [Formula: see text] maps were reconstructed from the phase difference using Tikhonov regularization, while images were reconstructed using either conjugate phase reconstruction (CPR) or model-based (MB) image reconstruction, taking the reconstructed field map into account. MB reconstructions were, furthermore, combined with compressed sensing (CS) to show the flexibility of this approach towards undersampling. These methods were compared to the standard fast Fourier transform (FFT) image reconstruction approach in simulations and measurements. Distortions due to gradient nonlinearities were corrected in CPR and MB using simulated gradient maps. RESULTS: Simulation results show that for moderate field inhomogeneities and gradient nonlinearities, [Formula: see text] maps and images reconstructed using iterative CPR result in comparable quality to that for iterative MB reconstructions. However, for stronger inhomogeneities, iterative MB reconstruction outperforms iterative CPR in terms of signal intensity correction. Combining MB with CS, similar image and [Formula: see text] map quality can be obtained without a scan time penalty. These findings were confirmed by experimental results. DISCUSSION: In case of [Formula: see text] inhomogeneities in the order of kHz, iterative MB reconstructions can help to improve both image quality and [Formula: see text] map estimation.
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Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Imanes , Algoritmos , Simulación por Computador , Análisis de Fourier , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Fantasmas de ImagenRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To develop a self-calibrating approach for the estimation of wave point spread function (PSF) and coil sensitivities from the subsampled wave-encoded k-space, and evaluate its performance for wave-encoded 3D turbo spin echo (TSE) imaging. METHODS: A low rank subspace parametric model was demonstrated in simulation to improve the representation for practical wave encoding k-space trajectories with aperiodicity, and an autofocus metric for the entire imaging volume was used to calibrate the wave PSF in a 2-stage manner from coarse to refined estimation. The coil sensitivities can be extracted from the shifted central region of wave PSF corrected subsampled k-space, and further used with wave PSF for wave-encoded parallel imaging (PI) reconstruction. The wave encoding gradients were integrated into the 3D TSE sequence considering eddy current reduction aspects and maintaining of the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill condition. Phantom and in vivo brain experiments were performed to evaluate the accuracy of wave PSF self-calibration and to compare the PI reconstruction performance between wave and Cartesian encoding scheme. RESULTS: The self-calibrated wave PSF, estimated from different k-space undersampling patterns can robustly correct the wave encoding induced image artifacts given sufficient central autocalibration data. The self-calibrating wave-encoded PI reconstruction has demonstrated its improved performance in reduced aliasing artifacts and noise amplification in comparison to the Cartesian-encoded PI reconstruction results for 3D TSE imaging. CONCLUSION: The proposed self-calibrating wave-encoded method allows robust calibration of wave PSF and coil sensitivities from the subsampled k-space, and improves the overall image quality for accelerated 3D TSE imaging.
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Algoritmos , Artefactos , Imagen Eco-Planar , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Fantasmas de ImagenRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To minimize the known biases introduced by fat in rapid T1 and T2 quantification in muscle using a single-run magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) water-fat separation sequence. METHODS: The single-run MRF acquisition uses an alternating in-phase/out-of-phase TE pattern to achieve water-fat separation based on a 2-point DIXON method. Conjugate phase reconstruction and fat deblurring were applied to correct for B0 inhomogeneities and chemical shift blurring. Water and fat signals were matched to the on-resonance MRF dictionary. The method was first tested in a multicompartment phantom. To test whether the approach is capable of measuring small in vivo dynamic changes in relaxation times, experiments were run in 9 healthy volunteers; parameter values were compared with and without water-fat separation during muscle recovery after plantar flexion exercise. RESULTS: Phantom results show the robustness of the water-fat resolving MRF approach to undersampling. Parameter maps in volunteers show a significant (P < .01) increase in T1 (105 ± 94 ms) and decrease in T2 (14 ± 6 ms) when using water-fat-separated MRF, suggesting improved parameter quantification by reducing the well-known biases introduced by fat. Exercise results showed smooth T1 and T2 recovery curves. CONCLUSION: Water-fat separation using conjugate phase reconstruction is possible within a single-run MRF scan. This technique can be used to rapidly map relaxation times in studies requiring dynamic scanning, in which the presence of fat is problematic.
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Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Agua , Algoritmos , Humanos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Espectroscopía de Resonancia Magnética , Músculos , Fantasmas de ImagenRESUMEN
Multi-shot techniques offer improved resolution and signal-to-noise ratio for diffusion- weighted imaging, but make the acquisition vulnerable to shot-specific phase variations and inter-shot macroscopic motion. Several model-based reconstruction approaches with iterative phase correction have been proposed, but robust macroscopic motion estimation is still challenging. Segmented diffusion imaging with iterative motion-corrected reconstruction (SEDIMENT) uses iteratively refined data-driven shot navigators based on sensitivity encoding to cure phase and rigid in-plane motion artifacts. The iterative scheme is compared in simulations and in vivo with a non-iterative reference algorithm for echo-planar imaging with up to sixfold segmentation. The SEDIMENT framework supports partial Fourier acquisitions and furthermore includes options for data rejection and learning-based modules to improve robustness and convergence.
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Algoritmos , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Imagen de Difusión por Resonancia Magnética , Imagen Eco-Planar , Movimiento (Física) , Anisotropía , Simulación por Computador , HumanosRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To explore the feasibility of MR Fingerprinting (MRF) to rapidly quantify relaxation times in the human eye at 7T, and to provide a data acquisition and processing framework for future tissue characterization in eye tumor patients. METHODS: In this single-element receive coil MRF approach with Cartesian sampling, undersampling is used to shorten scan time and, therefore, to reduce the degree of motion artifacts. For reconstruction, approaches based on compressed sensing (CS) and matrix completion (MC) were used, while their effects on the quality of the MRF parameter maps were studied in simulations and experiments. Average relaxation times in the eye were measured in 6 healthy volunteers. One uveal melanoma patient was included to show the feasibility of MRF in a clinical context. RESULTS: Simulation results showed that an MC-based reconstruction enables large undersampling factors and also results in more accurate parameter maps compared with using CS. Experiments in 6 healthy volunteers used a reduction in scan time from 7:02 to 1:16 min, producing images without visible loss of detail in the parameter maps when using the MC-based reconstruction. Relaxation times from 6 healthy volunteers are in agreement with values obtained from fully sampled scans and values in literature, and parameter maps in a uveal melanoma patient show clear difference in relaxation times between tumor and healthy tissue. CONCLUSION: Cartesian-based MRF is feasible in the eye at 7T. High undersampling factors can be achieved by means of MC, significantly shortening scan time and increasing patient comfort, while also mitigating the risk of motion artifacts.
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Compresión de Datos/métodos , Neoplasias del Ojo/diagnóstico por imagen , Ojo/diagnóstico por imagen , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador/métodos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/métodos , Melanoma/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasias de la Úvea/diagnóstico por imagen , Algoritmos , Artefactos , Simulación por Computador , Estudios de Factibilidad , Voluntarios Sanos , Humanos , Movimiento (Física) , Fantasmas de Imagen , RiesgoRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Design of a preconditioner for fast and efficient parallel imaging (PI) and compressed sensing (CS) reconstructions for Cartesian trajectories. THEORY: PI and CS reconstructions become time consuming when the problem size or the number of coils is large, due to the large linear system of equations that has to be solved in â 1 and â 2 -norm based reconstruction algorithms. Such linear systems can be solved efficiently using effective preconditioning techniques. METHODS: In this article we construct such a preconditioner by approximating the system matrix of the linear system, which comprises the data fidelity and includes total variation and wavelet regularization, by a matrix that is block circulant with circulant blocks. Due to this structure, the preconditioner can be constructed quickly and its inverse can be evaluated fast using only two fast Fourier transformations. We test the performance of the preconditioner for the conjugate gradient method as the linear solver, integrated into the well-established Split Bregman algorithm. RESULTS: The designed circulant preconditioner reduces the number of iterations required in the conjugate gradient method by almost a factor of 5. The speed up results in a total acceleration factor of approximately 2.5 for the entire reconstruction algorithm when implemented in MATLAB, while the initialization time of the preconditioner is negligible. CONCLUSION: The proposed preconditioner reduces the reconstruction time for PI and CS in a Split Bregman implementation without compromising reconstruction stability and can easily handle large systems since it is Fourier-based, allowing for efficient computations.
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Compresión de Datos/métodos , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador/métodos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Algoritmos , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Simulación por Computador , Análisis de Fourier , Humanos , Modelos Lineales , Modelos Teóricos , Programas Informáticos , Columna Vertebral/diagnóstico por imagen , Análisis de OndículasRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To provide a simple tool for rapid measurement of the 3D gradient modulation transfer function (GMTF) of clinical MRI systems using a phantom. Knowledge of the transfer function is useful for gradient chain characterization, system calibration, and improvement of image reconstruction results. METHODS: Starting from the well-established thin slice method used for phantom-based measurement of the 1D GMTF, we add phase encoding to partition the thin slices into voxels that act as localized field probes. From the signal phase evolution measured at the 3D voxel positions, the GMTF can be derived for cross and higher order spatial terms represented by spherical harmonics up to 3rd order. RESULTS: Using spherical phantoms, 16 GMTFs representing all terms up to 3rd order harmonics can be determined in a scan time of <2 min. A large voxel volume of >1 mL yields high SNR, enabling signal acquisition using the system's body coil. The method is applied for improving system calibration and for characterizing the effect of additional hardware in the bore. CONCLUSION: The presented method seems well-suited for rapid measurement of the GMTF of a clinical system, as it delivers high-quality results in a short scan time.
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Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador/métodos , Imagenología Tridimensional , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Algoritmos , Calibración , Humanos , Modelos Estadísticos , Fantasmas de Imagen , Relación Señal-RuidoRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To explore the effect of using extremely high permittivity (εr â¼1,000) materials on image quality and power requirements of spine imaging at 3 T. THEORY AND METHODS: A linear array of high permittivity dielectric blocks made of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) was designed and characterized by electromagnetic simulations and experiments. Their effect on the transmit efficiency, receive sensitivity, power deposition, and diagnostic image quality was analyzed in vivo in 10 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: Simulation results showed that for quadrature mode excitation, the PZT blocks improve the transmit efficiency by 75% while reducing the maximum 10g average specific absorption rate (SAR10 ) by 20%. In vivo experiments in 10 healthy volunteers showed statistically significant improvements for the transmit efficiency, and image quality. Compared to active radiofrequency shimming, image quality was similar, but the required system input power was significantly lower for quadrature excitation using the PZT blocks. CONCLUSION: For single-channel transmit systems, using high permittivity PZT blocks offer a way to improve transmit efficiency and image quality in the spine. Results show that the effect, and therefore optimal design, is body mass index and sex specific. Magn Reson Med 79:1192-1199, 2018. © 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
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Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador/métodos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/métodos , Columna Vertebral/diagnóstico por imagen , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Modelos Biológicos , Fantasmas de Imagen , Sensibilidad y EspecificidadRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To design a preparation module for vessel signal suppression in MR neurography of the extremities, which causes minimal attenuation of nerve signal and is highly insensitive to eddy currents and motion. METHODS: The orthogonally combined motion- and diffusion-sensitized driven equilibrium (OC-MDSDE) preparation was proposed, based on the improved motion- and diffusion-sensitized driven equilibrium methods (iMSDE and FC-DSDE, respectively), with specific gradient design and orientation. OC-MDSDE was desensitized against eddy currents using appropriately designed gradient prepulses. The motion sensitivity and vessel signal suppression capability of OC-MDSDE and its components were assessed in vivo in the knee using 3D turbo spin echo (TSE). Nerve-to-vessel signal ratios were measured for iMSDE and OC-MDSDE in 7 subjects. RESULTS: iMSDE was shown to be highly sensitive to motion with increasing flow sensitization. FC-DSDE showed robustness against motion, but resulted in strong nerve signal loss with diffusion gradients oriented parallel to the nerve. OC-MDSDE showed superior vessel suppression compared to iMSDE and FC-DSDE and maintained high nerve signal. Mean nerve-to-vessel signal ratios in 7 subjects were 0.40 ± 0.17 for iMSDE and 0.63 ± 0.37 for OC-MDSDE. CONCLUSION: OC-MDSDE combined with 3D TSE in the extremities allows high-near-isotropic-resolution imaging of peripheral nerves with reduced vessel contamination and high nerve signal. Magn Reson Med 79:407-415, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Nervios Periféricos/diagnóstico por imagen , Adulto , Algoritmos , Artefactos , Femenino , Humanos , Interpretación de Imagen Asistida por Computador , Imagenología Tridimensional , Angiografía por Resonancia Magnética , Masculino , Movimiento (Física) , Reproducibilidad de los ResultadosRESUMEN
PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to devise a gradient system for MRI in humans that reconciles cutting-edge gradient strength with rapid switching and brings up the duty cycle to 100% at full continuous amplitude. Aiming to advance neuroimaging and short-T2 techniques, the hardware design focused on the head and the extremities as target anatomies. METHODS: A boundary element method with minimization of power dissipation and stored magnetic energy was used to design anatomy-targeted gradient coils with maximally relaxed geometry constraints. The design relies on hollow conductors for high-performance cooling and split coils to enable dual-mode gradient amplifier operation. With this approach, strength and slew rate specifications of either 100 mT/m with 1200 mT/m/ms or 200 mT/m with 600 mT/m/ms were reached at 100% duty cycle, assuming a standard gradient amplifier and cooling unit. RESULTS: After manufacturing, the specified values for maximum gradient strength, maximum switching rate, and field geometry were verified experimentally. In temperature measurements, maximum local values of 63°C were observed, confirming that the device can be operated continuously at full amplitude. Testing for peripheral nerve stimulation showed nearly unrestricted applicability in humans at full gradient performance. In measurements of acoustic noise, a maximum average sound pressure level of 132 dB(A) was determined. In vivo capability was demonstrated by head and knee imaging. Full gradient performance was employed with echo planar and zero echo time readouts. CONCLUSION: Combining extreme gradient strength and switching speed without duty cycle limitations, the described system offers unprecedented options for rapid and short-T2 imaging. Magn Reson Med 79:3256-3266, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.