Registering spherical navigators with spherical harmonic expansions to measure three-dimensional rotations in magnetic resonance imaging

Subject motion remains a challenging problem to overcome in clinical and research applications of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Subject motion degrades the quality of MR images and the integrity of experimental data. A promising method to correct for subject motion in MRI is the spherical navigator (SNAV) echo. Spherical navigators acquire k-space data on the surface of a sphere in order to measure three-dimensional (3D) rigid-body motion. Analysis begins by registering the magnitude of two SNAVs to determine the 3D rotation between them. Several different methods to register SNAV data exist, each with specific capabilities and limitations. In this study, we assessed the accuracy, precision and computational requirements of measuring rotations about all three coordinate axes by correlating the spherical harmonic expansions of SNAV data. We compare the results of this technique to previous SNAV studies and show that, although computationally expensive, the spherical harmonic technique is a highly accurate, precise and robust method to register SNAVs and detect 3D rotations in MRI. A key advantage to the spherical harmonic technique is the ability to optimize the accuracy, precision, processing time and memory requirements by adjusting parameters used in the registration. While present developments are aimed at improving the programming efficiency and memory handling of the algorithm, this registration technique is currently well suited for retrospective motion correction applications, such as removing motion-related image artifacts and aligning slices within a high-resolution 3D volume.     

Equivalent magnetic dipole method used to design gradient coil for unilateral magnetic resonance imaging

The conventional magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) equipment cannot measure large volume samples nondestructively in the engineering site for its heavy weight and closed structure. In order to realize the mobile MRI, this study focuses on the design of gradient coil of unilateral magnet. The unilateral MRI system is used to image the local area above the magnet. The current density distribution of the gradient coil cannot be used as a series of superconducting nuclear magnetic resonance gradient coils, because the region of interest(ROI) and the wiring area of the unilateral magnet are both cylindrical side arc surfaces. Therefore, the equivalent magnetic dipole method is used to design the gradient coil, and the algorithm is improved for the special case of the wiring area and the ROI, so the X and Y gradient coils are designed.Finally, a flexible printed circuit board(PCB) is used to fabricate the gradient coil, and the magnetic field distribution of the ROI is measured by a Gauss meter, and the measured results match with the simulation results. The gradient linearities of x and y coils are 2.82% and 3.56%, respectively, less than 5% of the commercial gradient coil requirement.     

Phase gradient imaging for positive contrast generation to superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle-labeled targets in magnetic resonance imaging

Positive contrast imaging methods produce enhanced signal at large magnetic field gradient in magnetic resonance imaging. Several postprocessing algorithms, such as susceptibility gradient mapping and phase gradient mapping methods, have been applied for positive contrast generation to detect the cells targeted by superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. In the phase gradient mapping methods, smoothness condition has to be satisfied to keep the phase gradient unwrapped. Moreover, there has been no discussion about the truncation artifact associated with the algorithm of differentiation that is performed in k-space by the multiplication with frequency value. In this work, phase gradient methods are discussed by considering the wrapping problem when the smoothness condition is not satisfied. A region-growing unwrapping algorithm is used in the phase gradient image to solve the problem. In order to reduce the truncation artifact, a cosine function is multiplied in the k-space to eliminate the abrupt change at the boundaries. Simulation, phantom and in vivo experimental results demonstrate that the modified phase gradient mapping methods may produce improved positive contrast effects by reducing truncation or wrapping artifacts.     

Multi-objective optimization of gradient coil for benchtop magnetic resonance imaging system with high-resolution

Significant high magnetic gradient field strength is essential to obtaining high-resolution images in a benchtop mag- netic resonance imaging （BT-MRI） system with permanent magnet. Extending minimum wire spacing and maximum wire width of gradient coils is one of the key solutions to minimize the maximum current density so as to reduce the local heating and generate higher magnetic field gradient strength. However, maximum current density is hard to optimize together with field linearity, stored magnetic energy, and power dissipation by the traditional target field method. In this paper, a new multi-objective method is proposed to optimize the maximum current density, field linearity, stored magnetic energy, and power dissipation in MRI gradient coils. The simulation and experimental results show that the minimum wire spacings are improved by 159% and 62% for the transverse and longitudinal gradient coil respectively. The maximum wire width increases from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. Maximum gradient field strengths of 157 mT/m and 405 mT/m for transverse and lon- gitudinal coil are achieved, respectively. The experimental results in BT-MRI instrument demonstrate that the MRI images with in-plane resolution of 50 ~tm can be obtained by using the designed coils.     

Design of biplanar gradient coils for magnetic resonance imaging of the human torso and limbs.

A method is described for design of gradient coils of unconventional geometry for MRI that is based on the superpositions of magnetic fields arising from individual current elements calculated by the Biot-Savart Law. Use of an optimization method based on a genetic algorithm enables a wide diversity in the shapes of coil that can be modeled. To exemplify this a two axis, biplanar gradient set is presented; this geometry offers good access for rectangular objects whilst holding the coils closer to the region of interest than is possible for cylindrical configurations. The inner dimensions of the gradient set were 40.0 x 24.4 x 40.0 cm and the gradient efficiencies were 0.3 and 0.4 mT m(-1) A(-1) in the z- and y- directions respectively over a 15 cm diameter region. Correction of signals arising from regions for which gradient linearity was not optimized was successful for the monotonic region within the set; the largest cuboid from which the MR signal could be processed to produce an undistorted image is of dimensions 36.3 x 17.2 x 24.4 cm.     

An approach to real-time magnetic resonance imaging for speech production

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has served as a valuable tool for studying static postures in speech production. Now, recent improvements in temporal resolution are making it possible to examine the dynamics of vocal-tract shaping during fluent speech using MRI. The present study uses spiral k-space acquisitions with a low flip-angle gradient echo pulse sequence on a conventional GE Signa 1.5-T CV/i scanner. This strategy allows for acquisition rates of 8-9 images per second and reconstruction rates of 20-24 images per second, making veridical movies of speech production now possible. Segmental durations, positions, and interarticulator timing can all be quantitatively evaluated. Data show clear real-time movements of the lips, tongue, and velum. Sample movies and data analysis strategies are presented.     

磁共振扩散张量成像中扩散敏感梯度磁场方向分布方案的研究进展

磁共振扩散张量成像可以定量无创研究人体内水分子在三维空间中的各向异性扩散规律,进而获取重要的病理及生理信息.为了得到水分子各向异性扩散信息,需要按照一定的方案依次施加不同方向的扩散敏感梯度磁场,测量水分子在这些方向上的扩散系数用以估算扩散张量.扩散张量成像测量结果的准确程度受梯度磁场方向分布方案的影响,本文对扩散敏感梯度磁场方向分布方案进行综述,包括完全随机方案、启发式方案、规则多面体式方案和数值优化方案等,分析这些方案的优势与局限性,并提出需进一步研究的问题.     

Design of small-scale gradient coils in magnetic resonance imaging by using the topology optimization method

A topology optimization method based on the solid isotropic material with penalization interpolation scheme is utilized for designing gradient coils for use in magnetic resonance microscopy. Unlike the popular stream function method, the proposed method has design variables that are the distribution of conductive material. A voltage-driven transverse gradient coil is proposed to be used as micro-scale magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) gradient coils, thus avoiding introducing a coil-winding pattern and simplifying the coil configuration. The proposed method avoids post-processing errors that occur when the continuous current density is approximated by discrete wires in the stream function approach. The feasibility and accuracy of the method are verified through designing the z-gradient and y-gradient coils on a cylindrical surface.Numerical design results show that the proposed method can provide a new coil layout in a compact design space.     

An improved 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging technique for the human breast: preliminary results

The high sensitivity but poor specificity of magnetic resonance imaging for detecting breast cancer has stimulated interest in magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) as a tool to improve specificity and reduce the number of benign biopsies. The challenge of applying 1H MRSI to the diagnosis of cancer in the human breast is the need for robust lipid suppression and a clinically acceptable acquisition time. We present an improved 1H MRSI technique that uses an independently optimized chemical-shift-selective for lipid suppression and weighted elliptical k-space sampling combined with a Hamming filter for improved sampling efficiency.     

Equivalent circuit for coil-patient interactions in magnetic resonance imaging

An equivalent circuit is presented which accurately models the performance of magnetic resonance imaging receiver coils used with conducting samples. Coil-sample interaction is determined by measuring either the complex impedance or the associated resonant frequency and quality factor when samples of different conductivity are placed in the coil. The equivalent circuit component values are obtained from these data using a global nonlinear least squares fit. This equivalent circuit contains a minimum number of components necessary for understanding and quantifying the detuning and losses caused by electric and magnetic field coupling with the sample.