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1.
Jan Petr Henri J. M. M. Mutsaerts Rebecca M. E. Steketee Marion Smits Aart J. Nederveen Frank Hofheinz Jörg van den Hoff Iris Asllani 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2018,31(6):725-734
Objective
Partial volume (PV) correction is an important step in arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI that is used to separate perfusion from structural effects when computing the mean gray matter (GM) perfusion. There are three main methods for performing this correction: (1) GM-threshold, which includes only voxels with GM volume above a preset threshold; (2) GM-weighted, which uses voxel-wise GM contribution combined with thresholding; and (3) PVC, which applies a spatial linear regression algorithm to estimate the flow contribution of each tissue at a given voxel. In all cases, GM volume is obtained using PV maps extracted from the segmentation of the T1-weighted (T1w) image. As such, PV maps contain errors due to the difference in readout type and spatial resolution between ASL and T1w images. Here, we estimated these errors and evaluated their effect on the performance of each PV correction method in computing GM cerebral blood flow (CBF).Materials and methods
Twenty-two volunteers underwent scanning using 2D echo planar imaging (EPI) and 3D spiral ASL. For each PV correction method, GM CBF was computed using PV maps simulated to contain estimated errors due to spatial resolution mismatch and geometric distortions which are caused by the mismatch in readout between ASL and T1w images. Results were analyzed to assess the effect of each error on the estimation of GM CBF from ASL data.Results
Geometric distortion had the largest effect on the 2D EPI data, whereas the 3D spiral was most affected by the resolution mismatch. The PVC method outperformed the GM-threshold even in the presence of combined errors from resolution mismatch and geometric distortions. The quantitative advantage of PVC was 16% without and 10% with the combined errors for both 2D and 3D ASL. Consistent with theoretical expectations, for error-free PV maps, the PVC method extracted the true GM CBF. In contrast, GM-weighted overestimated GM CBF by 5%, while GM-threshold underestimated it by 16%. The presence of PV map errors decreased the calculated GM CBF for all methods.Conclusion
The quality of PV maps presents no argument for the preferential use of the GM-threshold method over PVC in the clinical application of ASL.2.
Alexander C. Wright Jonathon H. Yoder Edward J. Vresilovic Dawn M. Elliott 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2016,29(4):711-722
Objective
Here we develop a three-dimensional analytic model for MR image contrast of collagen lamellae in the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc of the spine, based on the dependence of the MRI signal on collagen fiber orientation.Materials and methods
High-resolution MRI scans were performed at 1.5 and 7 T on intact whole disc specimens from ovine, bovine, and human spines. An analytic model that approximates the three-dimensional curvature of the disc lamellae was developed to explain inter-lamellar contrast and intensity variations in the annulus. The model is based on the known anisotropic dipolar relaxation of water in tissues with ordered collagen.Results
Simulated MRI data were generated that reproduced many features of the actual MRI data. The calculated inter-lamellar image contrast demonstrated a strong dependence on the collagen fiber angle and on the circumferential location within the annulus.Conclusion
This analytic model may be useful for interpreting MR images of the disc and for predicting experimental conditions that will optimize MR image contrast in the annulus fibrosus.3.
Soheil Damangir Eric Westman Andrew Simmons Hugo Vrenken Lars-Olof Wahlund Gabriela Spulber 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2017,30(3):227-237
Objectives
We present a method based on a proposed statistical definition of white matter hyperintensities (WMH), which can work with any combination of conventional magnetic resonance (MR) sequences without depending on manually delineated samples.Materials and methods
T1-weighted, T2-weighted, FLAIR, and PD sequences acquired at 1.5 Tesla from 119 subjects from the Kings Health Partners-Dementia Case Register (healthy controls, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease) were used. The segmentation was performed using a proposed definition for WMH based on the one-tailed Kolmogorov–Smirnov test.Results
The presented method was verified, given all possible combinations of input sequences, against manual segmentations and a high similarity (Dice 0.85–0.91) was observed. Comparing segmentations with different input sequences to one another also yielded a high similarity (Dice 0.83–0.94) that exceeded intra-rater similarity (Dice 0.75–0.91). We compared the results with those of other available methods and showed that the segmentation based on the proposed definition has better accuracy and reproducibility in the test dataset used.Conclusion
Overall, the presented definition is shown to produce accurate results with higher reproducibility than manual delineation. This approach can be an alternative to other manual or automatic methods not only because of its accuracy, but also due to its good reproducibility.4.
Claudia Testa Stefania Evangelisti Mariagrazia Popeo Stefano Zanigni Laura Ludovica Gramegna Paola Fantazzini Caterina Tonon David Neil Manners Raffaele Lodi 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2017,30(3):265-280
Objectives
We evaluated diffusion imaging measures of the corticospinal tract obtained with a probabilistic tractography algorithm applied to data of two acquisition protocols based on different numbers of diffusion gradient directions (NDGDs).Materials and methods
The corticospinal tracts (CST) of 18 healthy subjects were delineated using 22 and 66-NDGD data. An along-tract analysis of diffusion metrics was performed to detect possible local differences due to NDGD.Results
FA values at 22-NDGD showed an increase along the central portion of the CST. The mean of partial volume fraction of the orientation of the second fiber (f2) was higher at 66-NDGD bilaterally, because for 66-NDGD data the algorithm more readily detects dominant fiber directions beyond the first, thus the increase in FA at 22-NDGD is due to a substantially reduced detection of crossing fiber volume. However, the good spatial correlation between the tracts drawn at 22 and 66 NDGD shows that the extent of the tract can be successfully defined even at lower NDGD.Conclusions
Given the spatial tract localization obtained even at 22-NDGD, local analysis of CST can be performed using a NDGD compatible with clinical protocols. The probabilistic approach was particularly powerful in evaluating crossing fibers when present.5.
Houchun H. Hu Amber L. Pokorney Niccolo Stefani Jonathan M. Chia Jeffrey H. Miller 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2017,30(2):107-112
Objective
We demonstrate the potential clinical utility of a 4D non-gadolinium dynamic angiography technique based on arterial spin-labeling called contrast inherent inflow enhanced multi-phase angiography (CINEMA) in pediatric patients.Materials and Methods
CINEMA was qualitatively compared to conventional time-of-flight (TOF) angiography in a cohort of 31 pediatric patients at 3 Tesla.Results
CINEMA data were successfully acquired and reconstructed in all patients with no image artifacts. There were no cases where CINEMA was rated inferior to TOF in depicting intracranial vessel conspicuity. In 19 cases, CINEMA was rated equivalent to TOF and in the 12 remaining cases CINEMA was rated superior to TOF.Conclusion
There is a steadily rising concern in adults and children over the potential effects of intracranial deposition of gadolinium. CINEMA is therefore a viable alternative in dynamic neurovascular imaging.6.
Ronnie Wirestam Emelie Lind André Ahlgren Freddy Ståhlberg Linda Knutsson 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2016,29(6):823-831
Objectives
Contrast agent (CA) relaxivities are generally not well established in vivo, and the relationship between frequency/phase shift and magnetic susceptibility might be a useful alternative for CA quantification.Materials and methods
Twenty volunteers (25–84 years old) were investigated using test–retest pre-bolus dynamic susceptibility-contrast (DSC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The pre-bolus phase-based venous output function (VOF) time integral was used for arterial input function (AIF) rescaling. Resulting cerebral blood flow (CBF) data for grey matter (GM) were compared with pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling (ASL). During the main bolus CA passage, the apparent spatial shift (pixel shift) of the superior sagittal sinus (seen in single-shot echo-planar imaging (EPI)) was converted to CA concentration and compared with conventional ΔR2*-based data and with a predicted phase-based VOF from the pre-bolus experiment.Results
The phase-based pre-bolus VOF resulted in a reasonable inter-individual GM CBF variability (coefficient of variation 28 %). Comparison with ASL CBF values implied a tissue R2*-relaxivity of 32 mM?1 s?1. Pixel-shift data at low concentrations (data not available at peak concentrations) were in reasonable agreement with the predicted phase-based VOF.Conclusion
Susceptibility-induced phase shifts and pixel shifts are potentially useful for large-vein CA quantification. Previous predictions of a higher R2*-relaxivity in tissue than in blood were supported.7.
Yuhong Peng Chao Zou Yangzi Qiao Changjun Tie Qian Wan Rui Jiang Chuanli Cheng Dong Liang Hairong Zheng Faqi Li Xin Liu 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2018,31(6):771-779
Purpose
Real-time monitoring is important for the safety and effectiveness of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging is the preferred imaging modality for HIFU monitoring, with its unique capability of temperature imaging. For real-time temperature imaging, higher temporal resolution and larger spatial coverage are needed. In this study, a sequence based on the echo-shifted RF-spoiled gradient echo (GRE) with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) imaging was designed for fast temperature imaging.Methods
A phantom experiment was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the echo-shifted sequence using a fluorescent fiber thermometer as reference. The temperature uncertainty of the echo-shifted sequence was compared with the traditional GRE sequence at room temperature through the ex vivo porcine muscle. Finally, the ex vivo porcine liver tissue experiment using HIFU heating was performed to demonstrate that the spatial coverage was increased without decreasing temporal resolution.Results
The echo-shifted sequence had a better temperature uncertainty performance compared with the traditional GRE sequence with the same temporal resolution. The ex vivo heating experiment confirmed that by combining the SMS technique and echo-shifted sequence, the spatial coverage was increased without decreasing the temporal resolution while maintaining high temperature measurement precision.Conclusion
The proposed technique was validated as an effective real-time method for monitoring HIFU therapy.8.
Mads S. Vinding Daniel Brenner Desmond H. Y. Tse Sebastian Vellmer Thomas Vosegaard Dieter Suter Tony Stöcker Ivan I. Maximov 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2017,30(1):29-39
Objective
Ultrahigh field MRI provides great opportunities for medical diagnostics and research. However, ultrahigh field MRI also brings challenges, such as larger magnetic susceptibility induced field changes. Parallel-transmit radio-frequency pulses can ameliorate these complications while performing advanced tasks in routine applications. To address one class of such pulses, we propose an optimal-control algorithm as a tool for designing advanced multi-dimensional, large flip-angle, radio-frequency pulses. We contrast initial conditions, constraints, and field correction abilities against increasing pulse trajectory acceleration factors.Materials and methods
On an 8-channel 7T system, we demonstrate the quasi-Newton algorithm with pulse designs for reduced field-of-view imaging with an oil phantom and in vivo with scans of the human brain stem. We used echo-planar imaging with 2D spatial-selective pulses. Pulses are computed sufficiently rapid for routine applications.Results
Our dataset was quantitatively analyzed with the conventional mean-square-error metric and the structural-similarity index from image processing. Analysis of both full and reduced field-of-view scans benefit from utilizing both complementary measures.Conclusion
We obtained excellent outer-volume suppression with our proposed method, thus enabling reduced field-of-view imaging using pulse trajectory acceleration factors up to 4.9.
Objective
Our aim was to map the in vivo human functional connectivity of several brainstem nuclei with the rest of the brain by using seed-based correlation of ultra-high magnetic field functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data.Materials and methods
We used the recently developed template of 11 brainstem nuclei derived from multi-contrast structural MRI at 7 Tesla as seed regions to determine their connectivity to the rest of the brain. To achieve this, we used the increased contrast-to-noise ratio of 7-Tesla fMRI compared with 3 Tesla and time-efficient simultaneous multi-slice imaging to cover the brain with high spatial resolution (1.1-mm isotropic nominal resolution) while maintaining a short repetition time (2.5 s).Results
The delineated Pearson’s correlation-based functional connectivity diagrams (connectomes) of 11 brainstem nuclei of the ascending arousal, motor, and autonomic systems from 12 controls are presented and discussed in the context of existing histology and animal work.Conclusion
Considering that the investigated brainstem nuclei play a crucial role in several vital functions, the delineated preliminary connectomes might prove useful for future in vivo research and clinical studies of human brainstem function and pathology, including disorders of consciousness, sleep disorders, autonomic disorders, Parkinson’s disease, and other motor disorders.10.
Objective
Recent MRI studies have shown that the orientation of nerve fibres relative to the main magnetic field affects the R2*(= 1/T2*) relaxation rate in white matter (WM) structures. The underlying physical causes have been discussed in several studies but are still not completely understood. However, understanding these effects in detail is of great importance since this might serve as a basis for the development of new diagnostic tools and/or improve quantitative susceptibility mapping techniques. Therefore, in addition to the known angular dependence of R2*, the current study investigates the relationship between fibre orientation and the longitudinal relaxation rate, R1 (= 1/T1), as well as the apparent water content.Materials and methods
For a group of 16 healthy subjects, a series of gradient echo, echo-planar and diffusion weighted images were acquired at 3T from which the decay rates, the apparent water content and the diffusion direction were reconstructed. The diffusion weighted data were used to determine the angle between the principle fibre direction and the main magnetic field to examine the angular dependence of R1 and apparent water content.Results
The obtained results demonstrate that both parameters depend on the fibre orientation and exhibit a positive correlation with the angle between fibre direction and main magnetic field.Conclusion
These observations could be helpful to improve and/or constrain existing biophysical models of brain microstructure by imposing additional constraints resulting from the observed angular dependence R1 and apparent water content in white matter.11.
Maximilian N. Voelker Oliver Kraff Daniel Brenner Astrid Wollrab Oliver Weinberger Moritz C. Berger Simon Robinson Wolfgang Bogner Christopher Wiggins Robert Trampel Tony Stöcker Thoralf Niendorf Harald H. Quick David G. Norris Mark E. Ladd Oliver Speck 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2016,29(3):399-415
Objective
This study evaluates the inter-site and intra-site reproducibility of 7 Tesla brain imaging and compares it to literature values for other field strengths.Materials and methods
The same two subjects were imaged at eight different 7 T sites. MP2RAGE, TSE, TOF, SWI, EPI as well as B1 and B0 field maps were analyzed quantitatively to assess inter-site reproducibility. Intra-site reproducibility was measured with rescans at three sites.Results
Quantitative measures of MP2RAGE scans showed high agreement. Inter-site and intra-site reproducibility errors were comparable to 1.5 and 3 T. Other sequences also showed high reproducibility between the sites, but differences were also revealed. The different RF coils used were the main source for systematic differences between the sites.Conclusion
Our results show for the first time that multi-center brain imaging studies of the supratentorial brain can be performed at 7 T with high reproducibility and similar reliability as at 3T. This study develops the basis for future large-scale 7 T multi-site studies.12.
Jason Langley Daniel E. Huddleston Christine J. Liu Xiaoping Hu 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2017,30(2):121-125
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to assess the reproducibility of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and locus coeruleus (LC) delineation and measurement with neuromelanin-sensitive MRI.Materials and methods
Eleven subjects underwent two neuromelanin-sensitive MRI scans. SNpc and LC volumes were extracted for each scan. Reproducibility of volume and magnetization transfer contrast measurements in SNpc and LC was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and dice similarity coefficients (DSC).Results
SNpc and LC volume measurements showed excellent reproducibility (SNpc-ICC: 0.94, p < 0.001; LC-ICC: 0.96, p < 0.001). SNpc and LC were accurately delineated between scans (SNpc-DSC: 0.80 ± 0.03; LC-DSC: 0.63 ± 0.07).Conclusion
Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI can consistently delineate SNpc and LC.13.
Nicholas G. Spencer David P. Lovell Kay Elderfield Brian Austen Franklyn A. Howe 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2017,30(2):153-163
Objectives
In the present study, we have tested whether MRI T1 relaxation time is a sensitive marker to detect early stages of amyloidosis and gliosis in the young 5xFAD transgenic mouse, a well-established animal model for Alzheimer’s disease.Materials and methods
5xFAD and wild-type mice were imaged in a 4.7 T Varian horizontal bore MRI system to generate T1 quantitative maps using the spin-echo multi-slice sequence. Following immunostaining for glial fibrillary acidic protein, Iba-1, and amyloid-β, T1 and area fraction of staining were quantified in the posterior parietal and primary somatosensory cortex and corpus callosum.Results
In comparison with age-matched wild-type mice, we observed first signs of amyloidosis in 2.5-month-old 5xFAD mice, and development of gliosis in 5-month-old 5xFAD mice. In contrast, MRI T1 relaxation times of young, i.e., 2.5- and 5-month-old, 5xFAD mice were not significantly different to those of age-matched wild-type controls. Furthermore, although disease progression was detectable by increased amyloid-β load in the brain of 5-month-old 5xFAD mice compared with 2.5-month-old 5xFAD mice, MRI T1 relaxation time did not change.Conclusions
In summary, our data suggest that MRI T1 relaxation time is neither a sensitive measure of disease onset nor progression at early stages in the 5xFAD mouse transgenic mouse model.14.
Object
The objective of this study is to propose a modified VARiable PROjection (VARPRO) algorithm specifically tailored for fitting the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model to diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) data from locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).Materials and methods
The proposed algorithm is compared with classical non-linear least squares (NLLS) analysis using the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm and with two recently proposed algorithms for ‘segmented’ analysis. These latter two comprise two consecutive steps: first, a subset of parameters is estimated using a portion of data; second, the remaining parameters are estimated using the whole data and the previous estimates. The comparison between the algorithms was based on the \(R^2\) goodness-of-fit measure: performance analysis was carried out on real data obtained by DW-MRI on 40 LARC patients.Results
The performance of the proposed algorithm was higher than that of LM in 64 % of cases; ‘segmented’ methods were poorer than our algorithm in 100 % of cases.Conclusion
The proposed modified VARPRO algorithm can lead to better fit of the IVIM model to LARC DW-MRI data compared to other techniques.15.
Daniel Giese Kilian Weiss Bettina Baeßler Navid Madershahian Yeong-Hoon Choi David Maintz Alexander C. Bunck 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2018,31(1):165-172
Objectives
The objective of the current work was to evaluate flow and turbulent kinetic energy in different transcatheter aortic valve implants using highly undersampled time-resolved multi-point 3-directional phase-contrast measurements (4D Flow MRI) in an in vitro setup.Materials and methods
A pulsatile flow setup was used with a compliant tubing mimicking a stiff left ventricular outflow tract and ascending aorta. Five different implants were measured using a highly undersampled multi-point 4D Flow MRI sequence. Velocities and turbulent kinetic energy values were analysed and compared.Results
Strong variations of turbulent kinetic energy distributions between the valves were observed. Maximum turbulent kinetic energy values ranged from 100 to over 500 J/m3 while through-plane velocities were similar between all valves.Conclusion
Highly accelerated 4D Flow MRI for the measurement of velocities and turbulent kinetic energy values allowed for the assessment of hemodynamic parameters in five different implant models. The presented setup, measurement protocol and analysis methods provides an efficient approach to compare different valve implants and could aid future novel valve designs.16.
Thomas Beyer Martin L. Lassen Ronald Boellaard Gaspar Delso Maqsood Yaqub Bernhard Sattler Harald H. Quick 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2016,29(1):75-87
Objective
We assess inter- and intra-subject variability of magnetic resonance (MR)-based attenuation maps (MRμMaps) of human subjects for state-of-the-art positron emission tomography (PET)/MR imaging systems.Materials and methods
Four healthy male subjects underwent repeated MR imaging with a Siemens Biograph mMR, Philips Ingenuity TF and GE SIGNA PET/MR system using product-specific MR sequences and image processing algorithms for generating MRμMaps. Total lung volumes and mean attenuation values in nine thoracic reference regions were calculated. Linear regression was used for comparing lung volumes on MRμMaps. Intra- and inter-system variability was investigated using a mixed effects model.Results
Intra-system variability was seen for the lung volume of some subjects, (p = 0.29). Mean attenuation values across subjects were significantly different (p < 0.001) due to different segmentations of the trachea. Differences in the attenuation values caused noticeable intra-individual and inter-system differences that translated into a subsequent bias of the corrected PET activity values, as verified by independent simulations.Conclusion
Significant differences of MRμMaps generated for the same subjects but different PET/MR systems resulted in differences in attenuation correction factors, particularly in the thorax. These differences currently limit the quantitative use of PET/MR in multi-center imaging studies.17.
Andreas Reichert Michael Bock Simon Reiss Christiaan G. Overduin Jurgen J. Fütterer Axel Joachim Krafft 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2018,31(6):781-788
Objective
To accelerate a passive tracking sequence based on phase-only cross correlation (POCC) using simultaneous slice excitation.Methods
For magnetic resonance (MR)-guided biopsy procedures, passive markers have been proposed that can be automatically localized online using a POCC-based tracking sequence. To accelerate the sequence, a phase-offset multiplanar (POMP) excitation technique was implemented to acquire tracking images. In a phantom experiment, the POMP–POCC sequence was tested and compared with the sequential non-accelerated version in terms of duration and accuracy. Further, technical feasibility of the POMP–POCC sequence was tested in a patient undergoing a prostate biopsy.Results
The temporal resolution of the POMP–POCC tracking sequence is accelerated by 33% compared with the sequential approach. In phantom experiments, the POMP–POCC and sequential sequences yielded the same targeting accuracy of 1.6?±?0.7 mm. Technical proof of concept of the new sequence could be demonstrated in a successful in vivo prostate biopsy.Conclusion
POMP–POCC tracking can substantially reduce the duration of localization of passive markers in MR-guided needle interventions without compromising targeting accuracy.18.
Feng Jia Gerrit Schultz Frederik Testud Anna Masako Welz Hans Weber Sebastian Littin Huijun Yu Jürgen Hennig Maxim Zaitsev 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2016,29(1):59-73
Objective
In this paper, we present a new performance measure of a matrix coil (also known as multi-coil) from the perspective of efficient, local, non-linear encoding without explicitly considering target encoding fields.Materials and methods
An optimization problem based on a joint optimization for the non-linear encoding fields is formulated. Based on the derived objective function, a figure of merit of a matrix coil is defined, which is a generalization of a previously known resistive figure of merit for traditional gradient coils.Results
A cylindrical matrix coil design with a high number of elements is used to illustrate the proposed performance measure. The results are analyzed to reveal novel features of matrix coil designs, which allowed us to optimize coil parameters, such as number of coil elements. A comparison to a scaled, existing multi-coil is also provided to demonstrate the use of the proposed performance parameter.Conclusions
The assessment of a matrix gradient coil profits from using a single performance parameter that takes the local encoding performance of the coil into account in relation to the dissipated power.19.
Amandine Coum Lobna Ouldamer Fanny Noury Laurent Barantin Aymeric Saint-Hilaire Anne Vilde Philippe Bougnoux Giulio Gambarota 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2016,29(1):1-4
Objective
To evaluate the feasibility of in vivo measurement of the fatty acid (FA) composition of breast adipose tissue by MRS on a clinical platform.Material and methods
MRS experiments were performed at 3 T, using a STEAM sequence, on 25 patients diagnosed with breast cancer. MR spectra, acquired on healthy breast tissue, were analysed with the LCModel.Results
The measured values of the saturated fatty acid (SFA), mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) fractions were 23.8 ± 7.1 %, 55.4 ± 6.8 % and 20.8 ± 4.4 %, respectively.The values of SFA, MUFA and PUFA observed in the current study are in the same range as those found in two previous studies performed at 7 T.Conclusion
The results of the current study show that it is possible to quantify the fatty acid composition of breast tissue in vivo in a clinical setting (3 T).20.
Elias Kellner Irina Mader Marco Reisert Horst Urbach Valerij Gennadevic Kiselev 《Magma (New York, N.Y.)》2018,31(3):439-448