一种用于高场MRI的多源射频发射机

介绍了高场磁共振成像（MRI）多源发射技术的原理,提出了一种用于高场MRI系统的多源射频信号发射机.它能并行输出多路频率、相位、幅度,可快速独立调节的射频脉冲信号.该射频发射机的实现基于单片现场可编程门阵列（FPGA）和多通道数模转换器（DAC）芯片,FPGA读取预存于双端口随机存取存储器（RAM）中的射频信号参数,并利用读取的参数分别实现每路信号的直接数字频率合成（DDS）和信号调制等核心功能,获得多路数字射频信号;FPGA输出的数字信号经过高性能DAC转化为模拟信号,即所需要的射频信号.该射频发射机在设计中大量采用软件无线电技术,即利用Xilinx提供的IP核实现DDS和信号调制等主要功能,具有集成度高、体积小、灵活度高的优点,同时,该设计可以大大缩短开发时间,有效降低实现的难度和成本,为高场MRI谱仪的多源射频发射机的设计研制提供了一种低成本、高效、高性价比的方案.     

基于同时多层激发和并行成像的心脏磁共振电影成像

磁共振成像（MRI）无创无害、对比度多、可以任意剖面成像的特点特别适合用于心脏成像,却因扫描时间长限制了其在临床上的应用.为了解决心脏磁共振电影成像屏气扫描时间过长的问题,该文提出了一种基于同时多层激发的多倍加速心脏磁共振电影成像及其影像重建的方法,该方法将相位调制多层激发（CAIPIRINHA）技术与并行加速（PPA）技术相结合,运用到分段采集心脏电影成像序列中,实现了在相位编码方向和选层方向的四倍加速,并使用改进的SENSE/GRAPPA算法对图像进行重建.分别在水模以及人体上进行了实验,将加速序列图像与不加速序列图像进行对比,结果验证了重建算法的有效性,表明该方法可以在保障图像质量以及准确测量心脏功能的前提下成倍节省扫描时间.     

基于反转恢复技术的水脂分离磁共振成像方法

提出了使用反转恢复技术获得独立的水和脂肪图像的磁共振成像（MRI）方法. 该方法利用水和脂肪T₁值的差异,在施加选择性180°准备脉冲后, 采用不同的反转恢复时间（T_I）2次采集MRI图像,计算出水和脂肪的信号贡献,获得水和脂肪独立的2套图像. 该方法可对水和脂肪进行良好的分离,避免常规水脂分离方法Dixon技术偶发的水-脂互换伪影的产生,同时,可避开相位校正,因此可使计算过程更为简单稳定.     

Bloch方程的精细时程积分及其在射频脉冲设计中的应用

射频脉冲的频率选择性直接影响磁共振成像的质量，而射频脉冲的优化设计又归结为对Bloch方程的求解.尽管在某些情况下Bloch方程存在解析解，但由于其缺乏通用性而且形式上过于复杂而难于得到实用.本文提出一种Bloch方程的精细时程积分算法，并结合全局优化算法给出一个完整的射频脉冲设计方案.精细积分算法具有高效、高精度的特点，对于射频脉冲的设计很有裨益.数值算例表明，设计所得的射频脉冲具有较好的频率选择性. 关键词： 磁共振成像 射频脉冲 Bloch方程 精细时程积分     

一种可拆装式的脑外科手术用磁共振成像线圈

在临床磁共振成像(MRI)应用中,射频线圈的设计是非常关键的,针对不同的应用目的,合适的线圈能获得质量更好的图像. 有的应用需要线圈提供均匀性较好的射频场,而有的应用则需要线圈在特定区域内提供高的信噪比(SNR). 但是线圈很难同时得到好的射频场（B₁场）、空间均匀性和高的SNR,需要根据实际应用情况进行折衷设计. 针对MRI在脑外科手术中的应用特点,设计并制作了一种新颖的、适用于脑外科手术的MRI接收和发射共用射频线圈. 该线圈采用可分拆式结构,在脑外科手术支架上可以进行反复组装和拆卸,减少了MRI对医生手术的影响. 仿真结果和人体成像实验表明,该线圈能产生均匀的射频场、有较高的SNR和较大的成像范围,满足脑外科手术的需要.     

相位可控的核四极矩共振激励脉冲发生器设计

在核四极矩共振（NQR）领域,射频激励脉冲信号的优劣对NQR响应信号有重要影响.针对常规方法中射频激励脉冲参数不可控的问题,本文基于32位闪存微型控制器STM32和直接数字频率合成（DDS）芯片AD9910设计了一种相位可控激励脉冲发生器.采用STM32控制AD9910产生波形参数（脉冲宽度、脉冲间隔、脉冲个数和共振频率等）可控的射频激励脉冲,利用LabVIEW软件平台设计脉冲参数设置界面,并建立计算机与微控制器通信,实现波形参数的精确优化控制.实验结果表明,该方法实现了相位可控的NQR激励脉冲序列,可为后续NQR信号检测提供有效激励源.     

基于System Generator的射频直接带通采样MRI信号接收方法

本文将软件无线电技术应用于磁共振成像（Magnetic Resonance Imaging，MRI）信号接收，提出了射频直接带通采样MRI信号接收的方法.基于此接收方法设计了一种MRI信号数字解调方法，该方法利用Xilinx公司推出的数字信号处理（Digital Signal Processing，DSP）设计开发工具——System Generator实现，同时设计验证了能够灵活实现数字下变频（Digital Down Conversion，DDC）功能的DDC系统.仿真与实验平台均验证了该接收方法的正确性和有效性.     

基于数字调制技术的核磁共振射频脉冲发生器

在核磁共振（NMR）领域,射频脉冲信号的质量、形状对NMR性能及应用有着重要影响.本文基于现场可编程门阵列（FPGA）和直接数字频率合成（DDS）芯片AD9910设计了一种硬件结构更为简单的NMR射频脉冲发生器,实现了射频脉冲各项参数的数字化调制.其频率、相位、振幅的控制精度分别达到了32位、16位和14位,脉冲调制的时间精度为0.01 μs,可灵活生成持续时间不小于0.1 μs、载波频率不高于400 MHz的各类软脉冲和硬脉冲.同时,针对脉冲序列的特点建立了"脉冲+延时"的基础模型,提出了一种通用性更强的列表式脉冲序列控制方案,精简了对上级控制单元的控制需求.此外,对射频脉冲信号的频谱特性进行了理论分析,并采用Hanning窗对软脉冲的包络波形进行了优化处理,仿真和实验结果表明,Hanning窗可以有效抑制软脉冲的频谱泄漏问题.     

基于FPGA与DDS的磁共振成像射频脉冲发生器

设计了一种基于现场可编程门阵列(FPGA)与直接数字频率合成(DDS)的磁共振成像(MRI)射频脉冲发生器,采用FPGA实现DDS,并内置软脉冲波形双端口随机存取存储器(RAM)、乘法器以及相关的控制逻辑.实现了较高的技术指标,其中频率、相位与幅度分辨率分别为32 bits、16 bits与16 bits,软脉冲波形的时间精度可达0.1?s.FPGA提供了一个可编程的接口,便于序列控制器对其进行控制,以输出射频脉冲.MRI实验结果证明了该设计的可行性.     

Varian系统所有通道上的整形脉冲

本文介绍了Varian系统所有通道上的整形脉冲;整形脉冲的形状;波形发生器的功率适中的脉冲整形以及应用"Tophat"的选择激发;整形脉冲与选择性反转;选择性反转或宽带反转,整形脉冲的宽带激发;以及多频率激发的移层式脉冲等.     

Slice-selective excitation with B₁⁺-insensitive composite pulses

Spatially selective excitation pulses have been designed to produce uniform flip angles in the presence of the RF and static field inhomogeneities typically encountered in MRI studies of the human brain at 7 T. Pulse designs are based upon non-selective, composite pulses numerically optimized for the desired performance over prescribed ranges of field inhomogeneities. The non-selective pulses are subsequently transformed into spatially selective pulses with the same field-insensitive properties through modification of the spectral composition of the individual sub-pulses which are then executed in conjunction with an oscillating gradient waveform. An in-depth analysis of the performance of these RF pulses is presented in terms of total pulse durations, slice profiles, linearity of in-slice magnetization phase, sensitivity to RF and static field variations, and signal loss due to T(2) effects. Both simulations and measurements in phantoms and in the human brain are used to evaluate pulses with nominal flip angles of 45° and 90°. Target slice thickness in all cases is 2mm. Results indicate that the described class of field-insensitive RF pulses is capable of improving flip-angle uniformity in 7 T human brain imaging. There appears to be a subset of pulses with durations ?10 ms for which non-linearities in the magnetization phase are minimal and signal loss due to T(2) decay is not prohibitive. Such pulses represent practical solutions for achieving uniform flip angles in the presence of the large field inhomogeneities common to high-field human imaging and help to better establish the performance limits of high-field imaging systems with single-channel transmission.     

Combined simulated annealing and Shinnar-Le Roux pulse design of slice-multiplexed RF pulses for multi-slice imaging

Slice-multiplexed RF pulses have recently been introduced for simultaneous multi-slice imaging. Their novel aspect is that each slice is given a different linear phase profile, and hence a different slice-rephasing requirement, by the pulse. During readout, extra slice gradients are applied such that when one slice is rephased, the others are dephased to prevent aliasing. In this paper, an improved method of designing slice-multiplexed RF pulses is presented: component pulses which are optimized with simulated annealing for a specific rephasing are combined using Shinnar-Le Roux methods. In this way, non-linearities at higher flip angles are taken into account and more slices can be excited. Bloch simulations show the phase and amplitude profile of component pulses are faithfully preserved in the multiplexed pulse. Three- and four-slice multiplex pulses are demonstrated in gradient- and spin-echo in-vivo imaging.     

磁共振现代射频脉冲理论在非均匀场成像中的应用

在磁共振非均匀场成像中，传统的射频脉冲导致回波信号的衰减.为了减小和消除这种磁共振信号的衰减，在讨论了经典理论的基础上根据非线性动力学中的逆散射理论和Shinnar-Le Roux方法导出了用于非均匀场成像的射频脉冲设计方法.模拟结果表明，采用逆散射理论和Shinnar-Le Roux方法优化的脉冲序列可以明显提高信号的信噪比. 关键词： 磁共振成像 射频脉冲 非线性系统     

A chemical-shift-insensitive slice-selective RF pulse (CHISS)

In NMR imaging and in vivo spectroscopy, slice selection is usually achieved by applying a frequency-selective RF pulse in the presence of a magnetic field gradient. A serious limitation of this method of slice selection is that, in a system with many different chemical shifts, the selected slice is offset in space for each chemically shifted resonance. In the present study, a composite RF pulse that is insensitive to chemical-shift differences has been developed. The pulse involves applying a RF pulse of desired shape in the presence of an alternating magnetic field gradient, together with hard 180° pulses at each gradient transition. Calculations are presented to show that excitation with the proposed pulse averages the chemical-shift term to zero. An exact calculation for a rectangular RF excitation shape verifies this. Experiments based on observing the RF excitation profiles have been performed to demonstrate the validity of the proposed pulse.     

A comparison and evaluation of reduced-FOV methods for multi-slice 7 T human imaging

Eight different reduced field-of-view (FOV) MRI techniques suitable for high field human imaging were implemented, optimized, and evaluated at 7 T. These included selective Inner-Volume Imaging (IVI) based methods, and Outer-Volume Suppression (OVS) techniques, some of which were previously unexplored at ultra-high fields. Design considerations included use of selective composite excitation and adiabatic refocusing radio-frequency (RF) pulses to address B1 inhomogeneities, twice-refocused spin echo techniques, frequency-modulated pulses to sharply define suppressed regions, and pulse sequence designs to improve SNR in multi-slice scans. The different methods were quantitatively compared in phantoms and in vivo human brain images to provide measurements of relative signal to noise ratio (SNR), power deposition (specific absorption rate, SAR), suppression of signal, artifact strength and prevalence, and general image quality. Multi-slice signal losses in out-of-slice locations were simulated for IVI methods, and then measured experimentally across a range of slice numbers. Corrections for B1 nonuniformities demonstrated an improved SNR and a reduction in artifact power in the reduced-FOV, but produced an elevated SAR. Multi-slice sequences with reordering of pulses in traditional and twice-refocused IVI techniques demonstrated an improved SNR compared to conventional methods. The combined results provide a basis for use of reduced-FOV techniques for human imaging localized to a small FOV at 7 T.     

Velocity sensitivity of slice-selective excitation

The purpose of this study was to investigate how flow affects slice-selective excitation, particularly for radiofrequency (rf) pulses optimized for slice-selective excitation of stationary material. Simulation methods were used to calculate the slice profiles for material flowing at different velocities, using optimal flow compensation when appropriate. Four rf pulses of very different shapes were used in the simulation study: a 90° linear-phase Shinnar-LeRoux pulse; a 90° self-refocusing pulse; a minimum-phase Shinnar-LeRoux inversion pulse; and a SPINCALC inversion pulse. Slice profiles from simulations with a laminar flow model were compared with experimental studies for two different rf pulses using a clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. We found that, for a given rf pulse, the effect of flow on slice-selective excitation depends on the product of the selection gradient amplitude, the component of velocity in the slice selection direction, and the square of the rf pulse duration. The shapes of the slice profiles from the Shinnar-LeRoux pulses were relatively insensitive to velocity. However, the slice profiles from the self-refocusing pulse and the SPINCALC pulse were significantly degraded by velocity. Experimental slice profiles showed excellent agreement with simulation. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that slice-selective excitation can be significantly degraded by flow depending on the velocity, the gradient amplitude, and characteristics of the rf excitation pulse used. The results can aid in the design of rf pulses for slice-selective excitation of flowing material.     

Optimization of Adiabatic Selective Pulses

Adiabatic RF pulses play an important role in spin inversion due to their robust behavior in presence of inhomogeneous RF fields. These pulses are characterized by the trajectory swept by the tip of theB_effvector and the rate of motion upon it. In this paper, a method is described for optimizing adiabatic inversion pulses to achieve a frequency-selective magnetization inversion over a given bandwidth in a shorter time and to improve slice profile. An efficient adiabatic pulse is used as an initial condition. This pulse allows for flexibility in choosing its parameters; in particular, the transition sharpness may be traded off against the inverted bandwidth. The considerations for selecting the parameters of the pulse according to the requirements of the design are discussed. The optimization process then improves the slice profile by optimizing the rate of motion along the trajectory of the pulse while preserving the trajectory itself. The adiabatic behavior of the optimized pulses is fully preserved over a twofold range of variation in the RF amplitude which is sufficient for imaging applications in commercial high-field MRI machines. Design examples demonstrate the superiority of the optimized pulses over the conventional sech/tanh pulse.     

Reducing SAR in parallel excitation using variable-density spirals: a simulation-based study

Parallel excitation using multiple transmit channels has emerged as an effective method to shorten multidimensional spatially selective radiofrequency (RF) pulses, which have a number of important applications, including B1 field inhomogeneity correction in high-field MRI. The specific absorption rate (SAR) is a primary concern in high-field MRI, where wavelength effects can lead to local peaks in SAR. In parallel excitation, the subjects are exposed to RF pulses from multiple coils, which makes the SAR problem more complex to analyze, yet potentially enables greater freedom in designing RF pulses with lower SAR. Parallel-excitation techniques typically employ either Cartesian or constant-density (CD) spiral trajectories. In this article, variable-density (VD) spiral trajectories are explored as a means for SAR reduction in parallel-excitation pulse design. Numerical simulations were conducted to study the effects of CD and VD spirals on parallel excitation. Specifically, the electromagnetic fields of a four-channel transmit head coil with a three-dimensional head model at 4.7 T were simulated using a finite-difference time domain method. The parallel RF pulses were designed and the resulting excitation patterns were generated using a Bloch simulator. The SAR distributions due to CD and VD spirals were evaluated quantitatively. The simulation results show that, for the same pulse duration, parallel excitation with VD spirals can achieve a lower SAR compared to CD spirals for parallel excitation. VD spirals also resulted in reduced artifact power in the excitation patterns. This gain came with slight, but noticeable, degrading of the spatial resolution of the resulting excitation patterns.     

Design of Frequency-Selective RF Pulses by Optimizing a Small Number of Pulse Parameters

Slice-selective amplitude-modulated and adiabatic frequency-modulated π pulses are obtained by optimizing a small number of significant pulse parameters by unconstrained optimization of a suitable function. The method is also used to optimize the slice profile of AM pulses taking into account the RF inhomogeneity in the selection direction and to reduce the specific absorption rate and peak power. Experimental slice profiles are presented to verify the performance of the optimized pulses.