Partial angle inversion recovery (PAIR) MR imaging: spin-echo and snapshot implementation.

The effects of varying the inversion or excitation RF pulse flip angles on image contrast and imaging time have been investigated in IR imaging theoretically, with phantoms and with normal volunteers. Signal intensity in an IR pulse sequence as a function of excitation, inversion and refocusing pulse flip angles was calculated from the solution to the Bloch equations and was utilized to determine the contrast behavior of a lesion/liver model. Theoretical and experimental results were consistent with each other. With the TI chosen to suppress the fat signal, optimization of the excitation pulse flip angle results in an increase in lesion/liver contrast or allows reduction in imaging time which, in turn, can be traded for an increased number of averages. This, in normal volunteers, improved spleen/liver contrast-to-noise ratio (9.0 vs. 5.7, n = 8, p less than 0.01) and suppressed respiratory ghosts by 33% (p less than 0.01). Reducing or increasing the inversion pulse from 180 degrees results in shorter TI needed to null the signal from the tissue of interest. Although this decreases the contrast-to-noise ratio, it can substantially increase the number of sections which can be imaged per given TR in conventional IR imaging or during breathold in the snapshot IR (turboFLASH) technique. Thus, the optimization of RF pulses is useful in obtaining faster IR images, increasing the contrast and/or increasing the number of imaging planes.     

T1rho-weighted MRI using a surface coil to transmit spin-lock pulses

T1rho-weighted MRI is a novel basis for generating tissue contrast. However, it suffers from sensitivity to B1 inhomogeneity. First, excitation with a spatially varying B1 causes flip-angle artifacts and second, spin locking with an inhomogeneous B1 results in non-uniform T1rho contrast. In this study, we overcome the former complication with a specially designed spin-locking pulse sequence and we successfully obtain T1rho-weighted images with a surface coil. In this pulse sequence, the spin-lock pulse was divided into segments of equal duration and alternating phase. This "self-compensating" T1rho-preparatory pulse sequence was analyzed and the effect of an inhomogeneous B1 field was simulated using the Bloch equations. T1rho-weighted MR images of a phantom and a human knee joint in vivo were obtained on a clinical scanner with a surface coil to demonstrate the utility of the pulse sequence. The self-compensating T1rho-prepared pulses sequence resulted in substantially reduced image artifacts compared to the conventional, single-phase spin-lock pulse.     

T1ρ-weighted MRI using a surface coil to transmit spin-lock pulses

T1rho-weighted MRI is a novel basis for generating tissue contrast. However, it suffers from sensitivity to B1 inhomogeneity. First, excitation with a spatially varying B1 causes flip-angle artifacts and second, spin locking with an inhomogeneous B1 results in non-uniform T1rho contrast. In this study, we overcome the former complication with a specially designed spin-locking pulse sequence and we successfully obtain T1rho-weighted images with a surface coil. In this pulse sequence, the spin-lock pulse was divided into segments of equal duration and alternating phase. This "self-compensating" T1rho-preparatory pulse sequence was analyzed and the effect of an inhomogeneous B1 field was simulated using the Bloch equations. T1rho-weighted MR images of a phantom and a human knee joint in vivo were obtained on a clinical scanner with a surface coil to demonstrate the utility of the pulse sequence. The self-compensating T1rho-prepared pulses sequence resulted in substantially reduced image artifacts compared to the conventional, single-phase spin-lock pulse.     

Selection of pulse sequences producing maximum tissue contrast in magnetic resonance imaging

The importance of spin density [N(H)] and spin-lattice (T₁) and spin-spin (T₂) relaxation in the characterization of tissue by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is clearly recognized. This work considers which optimized pulse sequences provide the best tissue discrimination between a given pair of tissues. The effects of tissue spin density and machine-imposed minimum rephasing echo times (TE_MIN) for achieving maximum signal tissue contrast are discussed. A long TE_MIN sacrifices T₁-dependent contrast in saturation recovery (SR) and inversion recovery (IR) pulse sequences so that spin-echo (SE) becomes the optimum sequence to provide tissue contrast, due to T₂ relaxation. Pulse sequences providing superior performance may be selected based on spin density and T₁ and T₂ ratios for a given pair of tissues. Selection of the preferred pulse sequence and interpulse delay times to produce maximum tissue contrast is strongly dependent on knowledge of tissue spin densities as well as T₁ and T₂ characteristics. As the spin density ratio increases, IR replaces SR as the preferred sequence and SE replaces IR and SR as the pulse sequence providing superior contrast. To select the optimal pulse sequence and interpulse delay times, an accurate knowledge of tissue spin density, T₁ and T₂ must be known for each tissue.     

Application of fuzzy c-means segmentation technique for tissue differentiation in MR images of a hemorrhagic glioblastoma multiforme

The application of a raw data-based, operator-independent MR segmentation technique to differentiate boundaries of tumor from edema or hemorrhage is demonstrated. A case of a glioblastoma multiforme with gross and histopathologic correlation is presented. The MR image data set was segmented into tissue classes based on three different MR weighted image parameters (T₁-, proton density-, and T₂-weighted) using unsupervised fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering algorithm technique for pattern recognition. A radiological examination of the MR images and correlation with fuzzy clustering segmentations was performed. Results were confirmed by gross and histopathology which, to the best of our knowledge, reports the first application of this demanding approach. Based on the results of neuropathologic correlation, the application of FCM MR image segmentation to several MR images of a glioblastoma multiforme represents a viable technique for displaying diagnostically relevant tissue contrast information used in 3D volume reconstruction. With this technique, it is possible to generate segmentation images that display clinically important neuroanatomic and neuropathologic tissue contrast information from raw MR image data.     

Efficacy of spectral presaturation of inversion recovery in evaluating delayed myocardial enhancement

OBJECTIVE: Delayed myocardial enhancement is caused by a variety of cardiovascular diseases. The extent of the enhanced area has been examined by the inversion recovery (IR) method, whereby at the inversion time (TI), normal myocardium shows a low signal intensity. In this sequence, as pericardial fat shows a very high intensity, a delayed enhancement just below the pericardium may be indistinct. To improve the accuracy of delayed myocardial enhancement, we employed the spectral presaturation of inversion recovery (SPIR) method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients with symptoms of cardiovascular disease aged between 36 and 80 years old (mean age, 62 years old) were investigated. Thirty were men and five were women. Inversion recovery and SPIR images were obtained 25 min after initial administration of a gadolinium-based contrast material. Each TI, when the signal intensity of the normal myocardium was null, was determined by images obtained at serial different TIs. A radiologist and a cardiologist examined each image by a consensus reading. The extent of myocardial enhancement was described as none, subendocardial, transmural and a random pattern in each case. Images were ranked over three levels and were based on whether myocardial enhancement could be easily detected or whether the contour of the myocardium was visualized precisely. Student's t-test was conducted to compare the quality of two sequences in all patients and in 22 patients who showed delayed myocardial enhancement. RESULTS: The imaging quality in evaluating delayed myocardial enhancement in all patients was superior with IR compared with SPIR, although it was not statistically significant. The imaging quality in the patients with delayed myocardial enhancement was similar between SPIR and IR. SPIR was superior to the IR sequence in two of the four patients who exhibited transmural enhancement. CONCLUSION: SPIR exhibited equivalent image quality to IR in evaluating delayed myocardial enhancement. As it has the potential advantage in patients with rich adipose tissue surrounding the myocardium, it can be an alternative sequence to evaluate myocardial viability.     

An observation of increased contrast due to both T1 and T2 weighting in a synthetic image

An observation was made that subtracted images generated by an SR/IR interleaved pulse sequence on a low field strength magnetic resonance imager (M&D Technology Ltd, Aberdeen, Scotland) contained contrast between pathological and normal tissues that was not explained by either T1 or T2 weighting alone. A theoretical model for this image has been derived and its validity confirmed by phantom experiments. It is shown that the subtracted image is dependent on the product of T1 and T2 prolongation for contrast. This type of image might be of use in screening for unknown pathologies and such techniques may shorten routine patient imaging times.     

Phase-sensitive spectral estimation by the hybrid filter diagonalization method

A more robust way to obtain a high-resolution multidimensional NMR spectrum from limited data sets is described. The Filter Diagonalization Method (FDM) is used to analyze phase-modulated data and cast the spectrum in terms of phase-sensitive Lorentzian "phase-twist" peaks. These spectra are then used to obtain absorption-mode phase-sensitive spectra. In contrast to earlier implementations of multidimensional FDM, the absolute phase of the data need not be known beforehand, and linear phase corrections in each frequency dimension are possible, if they are required. Regularization is employed to improve the conditioning of the linear algebra problems that must be solved to obtain the spectral estimate. While regularization smoothes away noise and small peaks, a hybrid method allows the true noise floor to be correctly represented in the final result. Line shape transformation to a Gaussian-like shape improves the clarity of the spectra, and is achieved by a conventional Lorentzian-to-Gaussian transformation in the time-domain, after inverse Fourier transformation of the FDM spectra. The results obtained highlight the danger of not using proper phase-sensitive line shapes in the spectral estimate. The advantages of the new method for the spectral estimate are the following: (i) the spectrum can be phased by conventional means after it is obtained; (ii) there is a true and accurate noise floor; and (iii) there is some indication of the quality of fit in each local region of the spectrum. The method is illustrated with 2D NMR data for the first time, but is applicable to n-dimensional data without any restriction on the number of time/frequency dimensions.     

Phase-sensitive fat suppression steady-state free procession sequence with phase correction

Robust and fast fat suppression is a challenge in balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) magnetic resonance imaging. Although single-acquisition phase-sensitive SSFP can provide fat-suppressed images in short scan time, phase errors, especially spatially-dependent phase shift, caused by a variety of factors may result in misplacement of fat and water voxels. In this paper, a novel phase correction algorithm was used to calibrate those phase errors during image reconstruction. This algorithm corrects phase by region growing, employing both the magnitude and the phase information of image pixels. Phantom and \textit{in vivo} imagings were performed to validate the technique. As a result, excellent fat-suppressed images were acquired by using single-acquisition phase-sensitive SSFP with phase correction.     

Calculated T1 images derived from a partial saturation-inversion recovery pulse sequence with adiabatic fast passage

Calculated T1 images of the head and abdomen have been obtained using an alternating partial saturation-inversion recovery pulse sequence. Timing parameters were adjusted to yield optimum T1 contrast-to-noise ratio for this sequence for the range of T1 studied. Adiabatic fast passage (AFP) was implemented for the nonselective inverting pulse, to reduce the sensitivity of the measurement to RF and static field inhomogeneity. A nonlinear frequency sweep was used to improve the efficiency of the AFP pulse. The effect on the T1 calculation of slice selection during the pi/2 pulses was also determined and corrected for in the image reconstruction algorithm. The T1's determined by this method show a standard deviation of less than 10%, and good agreement with the literature.     

Phase-sensitive fat suppression steady-state free procession sequence with phase correction

Robust and fast fat suppression is a challenge in balanced steady-state free precession （SSFP） magnetic resonance imaging. Although single-acquisition phase-sensitive SSFP can provide fat-suppressed images in short scan time, phase errors, especially spatially-dependent phase shift, caused by a variety of factors may result in misplacement of fat and water voxels. In this paper, a novel phase correction algorithm was used to calibrate those phase errors during image reconstruction. This algorithm corrects phase by region growing, employing both the magnitude and the phase information of image pixels. Phantom and in vivo imagings were performed to validate the technique. As a result, excellent fat-suppressed images were acquired by using single-acquisition phase-sensitive SSFP with phase correction.     

Frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging for endoscopic clinical cancer photodetection: Apparatus design and preliminary results

We describe a new fluorescence imaging device for clinical cancer photodetection in hollow organs in which the tumor/normal tissue contrast is derived from the fluorescence lifetime of endogenous or exogenous fluorochromes. This fluorescence lifetime contrast gives information about the physicochemical properties of the environment which are different between normal and certain diseased tissues. The excitation light from a CW laser is modulated in amplitude at a radio frequency by an electrooptical modulator and delivered by an optical fiber through an endoscope to the hollow organ. The image of the tissue collected by the endoscope is separated in two spectral windows, one being the backscattered excitation light and the other the fluorescence of the fluorochrome. Each image is then focused on the photocathode of image intensifiers (II) whose optical gain is modulated at the same frequency as the excitation intensity, resulting in homodyne phase-sensitive images. By acquiring stationary phase-sensitive frames at different phases between the excitation and the detection, it is possible to calculate in quasi-real time the apparent fluorescence lifetime of the corresponding tissue region for each pixel. A result obtained by investigating the endogenous fluorochromes present in the mucous membrane of an excised human bladder is presented to illustrate this method and most of the optical parameters which are of major importance for this photodetection modality have been evaluated.     

Automatic registration of serial sections of mouse lymph node by using Image-Reg

The first step towards the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of histological structures from serial sectioned tissue blocks is the proper alignment of microscope image sequences. We have accomplished an automatic rigid registration program, named Image-Reg, to align serial sections from mouse lymph node and Peyer's patch. Our approach is based on the calculation of the pixel-correlation of objects in adjacent images. The registration process is mainly divided into two steps. Once the foreground images have been segmented from the original images, the first step (primary alignment) is performed on the binary images of segmented objects; this process includes rotation by using the moments and translation through the X, Y axes by using the centroid. In the second step, the matching error of two binary images is calculated and the registration results are refined through multi-scale iterations. In order to test the registration performance, Image-Reg has been applied to an image and its transformed (rotated) version and subsequently to an image sequence of three serial sections of mouse lymph node. In addition, to compare our algorithm with other registration methods, three other approaches, viz. manual registration with Reconstruct, semi-automatic landmark registration with Image-Pro Plus and the automatic phase-correlation method with Image-Pro Plus, have also been applied to these three sections. The performance of our program has been also tested on other two-image data sets. These include: (a) two light microscopic images acquired by the automatic microscope (stitched with other software); (b) two images fluorescent images acquired by confocal microscopy (tiled with other software). Our proposed approach provides a fast and accurate linear alignment of serial image sequences for the 3D reconstruction of tissues and organs.     

Equilibrium signal intensity mapping, an MRI method for fast mapping of longitudinal relaxation rates and for image enhancement

INTRODUCTION: Inhomogeneity of magnetic fields, both B(0) and B(1), has been a major challenge in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Field inhomogeneity leads to image artifacts and unreliability of signal intensity (SI) measurements. This work proposes and shows the feasibility of generating equilibrium signal intensity (SI(Eq)) maps that can be utilized either to speed up relaxation-rate measurement or to enhance image quality and relaxation-rate-based weighting in various applications. METHODS: A 1.5-T MRI scanner was used. In canines (n=4), myocardial infarction was induced, and 48 h after the administration of 0.05 mmol kg(-1) Gd(ABE-DTTA), a contrast agent with slow tissue kinetics, in vivo R(1) mapping was carried out using an inversion recovery (IR)-prepared, fast gradient-echo sequence with varying inversion times (TIs). To test the SI(Eq) mapping method without the confounding effects of motion and blood flow, we carried out ex vivo R(1) mapping after the administration of 0.2 mmol kg(-1) Gd(DTPA) using an IR-prepared, fast spin-echo sequence in another group of dogs (n=2). R(1,full) maps and SI(Eq) maps were generated from the data from both sequences by three-parameter nonlinear curve fitting of the SI versus TI dependence. R(1,full) maps served as the reference standard. Raw IR images were then divided by the SI(Eq) maps, yielding corrected SI maps (COSIMs). Additionally, R(1) values were calculated from each single-TI image separately, using the SI(Eq) value and a one-parameter curve-fitting procedure (R(1,single)). Voxelwise correlation analysis was carried out for the COSIMs and the R(1,single) maps, both versus the standard R(1,full) maps. Deviations of R(1,single) from R(1,full) were statistically evaluated. RESULTS: In vivo, COSIM versus R(1,full) showed significantly (P<.05) better correlation [correlation coefficient (CC)=0.95] than SI versus R(1,full) with a TI=700-800 ms, which is 200-300 ms longer than the tau(null) (500 ms) of viable myocardium. With such TIs, SI versus R(1,full) yielded CCs of 0.86-0.88. R(1,single) versus R(1,full) yielded a peak CC of 0.96 at TI=700-900 ms. Mean deviations of R(1,single) from R(1,full) were below 5% for TIs between 500 and 1000 ms. Ex vivo, where tau(null) was 300 ms, the advantage of correction with SI(Eq) was not in the improvement of linear correlation but more in the reduction of scatter. Peak CCs for SI versus R(1,full) and COSIM versus R(1,full) at TI=500 ms were 0.96 for both. The ex vivo CC for R(1,single) versus R(1,full) at TI=500 ms was 0.98. Mean deviations of R(1,single) from R(1,full) were below 5% for TIs between 400 and 700 ms. CONCLUSIONS: Once the corresponding SI(Eq) map is obtained from a control stack, R(1) can be obtained accurately, using only a single IR image and without the need for a stack of TI-varied images. This approach could be applied in various dynamic MRI studies where short measurement time, once the dynamics has started, is of essence. When using this method with IR-prepared T(1)-weighted images, it is essential that the single TI be chosen such that the longitudinal relaxation in all voxels of interest would have passed tau(null). SI(Eq) maps are also useful in eliminating confounders from MR images to allow obtaining SI values that reflect more faithfully the relaxation parameter (R(1)) sought.     

NMR angiography with enhanced quasi-half-echo scanning

Flow dephasing effects in NMR images can be significantly reduced by the use of gradient quasi-half-echo signals. They can also be reduced by moment-nulling techniques. In this paper, an efficient imaging pulse sequence, the flow-insensitive enhanced quasi-half-echo method is developed in which these two techniques are combined. This pulse sequence is used to reduce dephasing effects in images acquired to enhance blood vessels in gradient echo subtraction angiography. Both phase corrected and uncorrected quasi-half-echo reconstruction techniques are used to determine the effect on image resolution and vessel enhancement.     

Fluorescence lifetime imaging of intracellular calcium

Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) is a new methodology for studying the spatial and temporal dynamics of macromolecule, molecules, and ions in living cells. In FLIM image contrast is derived from the mean fluorescence lifetime at each point in a two-dimensional image. In our case the lifetime was measured by the phase-modulation method. We describe our FLIM apparatus, which consists of a fluorescence microscope, high-speed gated proximity focused MCP image intensifier, and slow-scan CCD camera. To accomplish subnanosecond time-resolved imaging, the gain of the image intensifier is modulated with a high-frequency signal, resulting in stationary phase-sensitive intensity images on the image intensifier. These images are recorded using a cooled slow-scan CCD camera and stored in an image processor. The lifetime images are created from a series of phase-sensitive images at various phase shift of the gain-modulation signal. We demonstrate calcium concentration imaging in living COS cells based on Ca²⁺-induced lifetime changes of Quin-2. The phase-angle image is mapped to the Ca²⁺ concentration image using anin vitro-determined calibration curve. The Ca²⁺ concentration was found to be uniform throughout the cell. In contrast, the intensity image shows significant spatial differences, which likely reflect variations in the thickness and distribution of probe within the cell.     

The effect of Laplacian filter in adaptive unsharp masking for infrared image enhancement

Image processing, in particular image enhancement techniques have been the focal point of considerable research activity in the last decade. With the aid of an existing image enhancement technique, adaptive unsharp masking (AUM), we propose a novel kernel to be used in AUM filtering in order to enhance discontinuities which occur on the edges of targets of interest in infrared (IR) images. The proposed method uses an adaptive filter approach where an objective function is minimized by using descent algorithms. The output IR image has better sharpness and contrast adjustment for the detection of targets in terms of objective quality metrics. Hence, the proposed method ensures that the edges of the targets in IR images are sharper and that the quality of contrast adjustment has its optimum level in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratios.     

Classical far-field phase-sensitive ghost imaging

We report the first (to our knowledge) far-field ghost images formed with phase-sensitive classical-state light and compare them with ghost images of the same object formed with conventional phase-insensitive classical-state light. To generate signal and reference beams with phase-sensitive cross correlation, we used a pair of synchronized spatial light modulators that imposed random, spatially varying, anticorrelated phase modulation on the outputs from 50-50 beam splitting of a laser beam. In agreement with theory, we found the phase-sensitive image to be inverted, whereas the phase-insensitive image is erect, with both having comparable spatial resolutions and signal-to-noise ratios.     

Influences of Target Size and Contrast on Near Infrared Diffuse Optical Tomography – a Comparison Between Featured-data and Full Time-resolved Schemes

Our recent diffuse optical tomography experiments on human lower legs and forearms are presented using the time-resolved measuring system and image reconstruction algorithm based on the modified generalized pulse spectrum technique. It was shown that the spatial resolution and quantitativeness of the resultant images, was rather poor, and the interior blood vessels invisible in the absorption images. To clarify this issue, the influences of target contrast and size on the image reconstruction were investigated with simulated data. We have found that the quantitativeness of the reconstructed optical properties was prone to be spoiled by the small size ratio and high contrast of the interior targets to the background, and the incompleteness of information embedded in the featured data-types, evidently answers for the degradation of the image quality. It was shown in a further simulative investigation that the image quality could be substantially improved by making full use of the time-resolved data.     

Observation of true c(8 × 2) symmetry in scanning tunnelling microscopy images of the clean InSb(001) surface

Filled and empty state scanning tunnelling microscopy images of the sputtered and annealed InSb(001) surface are presented. The sputter-anneal preparation generates a surface with two distinct phases. The dominant phase possesses a unit cell with true c(8 × 2) symmetry, whereas the other phase is attributed to an asymmetric 1 × 3 reconstruction. The presence of a c(8 × 2) unit cell in filled state images is in contrast to previous reports, which identified only a 4 × 1 unit cell. The true c(8 × 2) symmetry further indicates, the available structural model is used as a guide, that the current interpretation of features in filled state images is incorrect. This result may necessitate a reevaluation of the structural model for the InSb(001)-c(8 × 2) surface.