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Lohr D, Kollmann A, Bille M, Terekhov M, Elabyad I, Hock M, Baltes S, Reiter T, Schnitter F, Bauer WR, Hofmann U, Schreiber LM. Precision imaging of cardiac function and scar size in acute and chronic porcine myocardial infarction using ultrahigh-field MRI. COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE 2024; 4:146. [PMID: 39026075 PMCID: PMC11258271 DOI: 10.1038/s43856-024-00559-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND 7 T cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies may enable higher precision in clinical metrics like cardiac function, ventricular mass, and more. Higher precision may allow early detection of functional impairment and early evaluation of treatment responses in clinical practice and pre-clinical studies. METHODS Seven female German Landrace pigs were scanned prior to and at three time points (3-4 days, 7-10 days, and ~60 days) post myocardial infarction using a whole body 7 T system and three radiofrequency (RF) coils developed and built in-house to accompany animal growth. RESULTS The combination of dedicated RF hardware and 7 T MRI enables a longitudinal study in a pig model of acute and chronic infarction, providing consistent blood tissue contrast and high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in measurements of cardiac function, as well as low coefficients of variation (CoV) for ejection fraction (CoVintra-observer: 2%, CoVinter-observer: 3.8%) and infarct size (CoVintra-observer: 8.4%, CoVinter-observer: 3.8%), despite drastic animal growth. CONCLUSIONS Best results are achieved via manual segmentation. We define state-of-the-art procedures for large animal studies at 7 T.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Lohr
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany.
| | - Alena Kollmann
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Maya Bille
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Maxim Terekhov
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Ibrahim Elabyad
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Michael Hock
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Baltes
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Theresa Reiter
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Florian Schnitter
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Rudolf Bauer
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Hofmann
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Laura Maria Schreiber
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany.
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Kollmann A, Lohr D, Ankenbrand MJ, Bille M, Terekhov M, Hock M, Elabyad I, Baltes S, Reiter T, Schnitter F, Bauer WR, Hofmann U, Schreiber LM. Cardiac function in a large animal model of myocardial infarction at 7 T: deep learning based automatic segmentation increases reproducibility. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11009. [PMID: 38744988 PMCID: PMC11094053 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61417-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging allows precise non-invasive quantification of cardiac function. It requires reliable image segmentation for myocardial tissue. Clinically used software usually offers automatic approaches for this step. These are, however, designed for segmentation of human images obtained at clinical field strengths. They reach their limits when applied to preclinical data and ultrahigh field strength (such as CMR of pigs at 7 T). In our study, eleven animals (seven with myocardial infarction) underwent four CMR scans each. Short-axis cine stacks were acquired and used for functional cardiac analysis. End-systolic and end-diastolic images were labelled manually by two observers and inter- and intra-observer variability were assessed. Aiming to make the functional analysis faster and more reproducible, an established deep learning (DL) model for myocardial segmentation in humans was re-trained using our preclinical 7 T data (n = 772 images and labels). We then tested the model on n = 288 images. Excellent agreement in parameters of cardiac function was found between manual and DL segmentation: For ejection fraction (EF) we achieved a Pearson's r of 0.95, an Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.97, and a Coefficient of variability (CoV) of 6.6%. Dice scores were 0.88 for the left ventricle and 0.84 for the myocardium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Kollmann
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - David Lohr
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Markus J Ankenbrand
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology (CCTB), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Maya Bille
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Maxim Terekhov
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Michael Hock
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ibrahim Elabyad
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Baltes
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Theresa Reiter
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Florian Schnitter
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang R Bauer
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Hofmann
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Laura M Schreiber
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Chair of Molecular and Cellular Imaging, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Nurzed B, Kuehne A, Aigner CS, Schmitter S, Niendorf T, Eigentler TW. Radiofrequency antenna concepts for human cardiac MR at 14.0 T. MAGMA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 36:257-277. [PMID: 36920549 PMCID: PMC10140016 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-023-01075-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the feasibility of human cardiac MR (CMR) at 14.0 T using high-density radiofrequency (RF) dipole transceiver arrays in conjunction with static and dynamic parallel transmission (pTx). MATERIALS AND METHODS RF arrays comprised of self-grounded bow-tie (SGBT) antennas, bow-tie (BT) antennas, or fractionated dipole (FD) antennas were used in this simulation study. Static and dynamic pTx were applied to enhance transmission field (B1+) uniformity and efficiency in the heart of the human voxel model. B1+ distribution and maximum specific absorption rate averaged over 10 g tissue (SAR10g) were examined at 7.0 T and 14.0 T. RESULTS At 14.0 T static pTx revealed a minimum B1+ROI efficiency of 0.91 μT/√kW (SGBT), 0.73 μT/√kW (BT), and 0.56 μT/√kW (FD) and maximum SAR10g of 4.24 W/kg, 1.45 W/kg, and 2.04 W/kg. Dynamic pTx with 8 kT points indicate a balance between B1+ROI homogeneity (coefficient of variation < 14%) and efficiency (minimum B1+ROI > 1.11 µT/√kW) at 14.0 T with a maximum SAR10g < 5.25 W/kg. DISCUSSION MRI of the human heart at 14.0 T is feasible from an electrodynamic and theoretical standpoint, provided that multi-channel high-density antennas are arranged accordingly. These findings provide a technical foundation for further explorations into CMR at 14.0 T.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilguun Nurzed
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Robert Rössle Strasse 10, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Robert Rössle Strasse 10, 13125, Berlin, Germany.
- MRI.TOOLS GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Thomas Wilhelm Eigentler
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Robert Rössle Strasse 10, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Chair of Medical Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Lin L, Liu P, Sun G, Wang J, Liang D, Zheng H, Jin Z, Wang Y. Bi-ventricular assessment with cardiovascular magnetic resonance at 5 Tesla: A pilot study. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:913707. [PMID: 36172590 PMCID: PMC9510665 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.913707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging at ultra-high fields (UHF) such as 7T has encountered many challenges such as faster T2* relaxation, stronger B0 and B1+ field inhomogeneities and additional safety concerns due to increased specific absorption rate (SAR) and peripheral nervous stimulation (PNS). Recently, a new line of 5T whole body MRI system has become available, and this study aims at evaluating the performance and benefits of this new UHF system for CMR imaging. Methods Gradient echo (GRE) CINE imaging was performed on healthy volunteers at both 5 and 3T, and was compared to balanced steady-state-free-procession (bSSFP) CINE imaging at 3T as reference. Higher spatial resolution GRE CINE scans were additionally performed at 5T. All scans at both fields were performed with ECG-gating and breath-holding. Image quality was blindly evaluated by two radiologists, and the cardiac functional parameters (e.g., EDV/ESV/mass/EF) of the left and right ventricles were measured for statistical analyses using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Bland-Altman analysis. Results Compared to 3T GRE CINE imaging, 5T GRE CINE imaging achieved comparable or improved image quality with significantly superior SNR and CNR, and it has also demonstrated excellent capability for high resolution (1.0 × 1.0 × 6.0 mm3) imaging. Functional assessments from 5T GRE CINE images were highly similar with the 3T bSSFP CINE reference. Conclusions This pilot study has presented the initial evaluation of CMR CINE imaging at 5T UHF, which yielded superior image quality and accurate functional quantification when compared to 3T counterparts. Along with reliable ECG gating, the new 5T UHF system has the potential to achieve well-balanced performance for CMR applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Peijun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Gan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Department of Medical Science Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Dong Liang
- Lauterbur Research Center for Biomedical Imaging, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, China Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hairong Zheng
- Lauterbur Research Center for Biomedical Imaging, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, China Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhengyu Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yining Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Yining Wang
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Brablik J, Ladrova M, Vilimek D, Kolarik J, Kahankova R, Hanzlikova P, Nedoma J, Behbehani K, Fajkus M, Vojtisek L, Martinek R. A Comparison of Alternative Approaches to MR Cardiac Triggering: A Pilot Study at 3 Tesla. IEEE J Biomed Health Inform 2022; 26:2594-2605. [PMID: 35085098 DOI: 10.1109/jbhi.2022.3146707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This pilot comparative study evaluates the usability of the alternative approaches to magnetic resonance (MR) cardiac triggering based on ballistocardiography (BCG): fiber-optic sensor (O-BCG) and pneumatic sensor (P-BCG). The comparison includes both the objective and subjective assessment of the proposed sensors in comparison with a gold standard of ECG-based triggering. The objective evaluation included several image quality assessment (IQA) parameters, whereas the subjective analysis was performed by 10 experts rating the diagnostic quality (scale 1 - 3, 1 corresponding to the best image quality and 3 the worst one). Moreover, for each examination, we provided the examination time and comfort rating (scale 1 - 3). The study was performed on 10 healthy subjects. All data were acquired on a 3 T SIEMENS MAGNETOM Prisma. In image quality analysis, all approaches reached comparable results, with ECG slightly outperforming the BCG-based methods, especially according to the objective metrics. The subjective evaluation proved the best quality of ECG (average score of 1.68) and higher performance of P-BCG (1.97) than O-BCG (2.03). In terms of the comfort rating and total examination time, the ECG method achieved the worst results, i.e. the highest score and the longest examination time: 2.6 and 10:49 s, respectively. The BCG-based alternatives achieved comparable results (P-BCG 1.5 and 8:06 s; OBCG 1.9, 9:08 s). This study confirmed that the proposed BCG-based alternative approaches to MR cardiac triggering offer comparable quality of resulting images with the benefits of reduced examination time and increased patient comfort.
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Platt T, Ladd ME, Paech D. 7 Tesla and Beyond: Advanced Methods and Clinical Applications in Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Invest Radiol 2021; 56:705-725. [PMID: 34510098 PMCID: PMC8505159 DOI: 10.1097/rli.0000000000000820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Ultrahigh magnetic fields offer significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio, and several magnetic resonance applications additionally benefit from a higher contrast-to-noise ratio, with static magnetic field strengths of B0 ≥ 7 T currently being referred to as ultrahigh fields (UHFs). The advantages of UHF can be used to resolve structures more precisely or to visualize physiological/pathophysiological effects that would be difficult or even impossible to detect at lower field strengths. However, with these advantages also come challenges, such as inhomogeneities applying standard radiofrequency excitation techniques, higher energy deposition in the human body, and enhanced B0 field inhomogeneities. The advantages but also the challenges of UHF as well as promising advanced methodological developments and clinical applications that particularly benefit from UHF are discussed in this review article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Platt
- From the Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
| | - Mark E. Ladd
- From the Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
- Faculty of Physics and Astronomy
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg
- Erwin L. Hahn Institute for MRI, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen
| | - Daniel Paech
- Division of Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg
- Clinic for Neuroradiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Abstract
Especially after the launch of 7 T, the ultrahigh magnetic field (UHF) imaging community achieved critically important strides in our understanding of the physics of radiofrequency interactions in the human body, which in turn has led to solutions for the challenges posed by such UHFs. As a result, the originally obtained poor image quality has progressed to the high-quality and high-resolution images obtained at 7 T and now at 10.5 T in the human torso. Despite these tremendous advances, work still remains to further improve the image quality and fully capitalize on the potential advantages UHF has to offer.
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Willemink MJ, Varga-Szemes A, Schoepf UJ, Codari M, Nieman K, Fleischmann D, Mastrodicasa D. Emerging methods for the characterization of ischemic heart disease: ultrafast Doppler angiography, micro-CT, photon-counting CT, novel MRI and PET techniques, and artificial intelligence. Eur Radiol Exp 2021; 5:12. [PMID: 33763754 PMCID: PMC7991013 DOI: 10.1186/s41747-021-00207-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
After an ischemic event, disruptive changes in the healthy myocardium may gradually develop and may ultimately turn into fibrotic scar. While these structural changes have been described by conventional imaging modalities mostly on a macroscopic scale-i.e., late gadolinium enhancement at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-in recent years, novel imaging methods have shown the potential to unveil an even more detailed picture of the postischemic myocardial phenomena. These new methods may bring advances in the understanding of ischemic heart disease with potential major changes in the current clinical practice. In this review article, we provide an overview of the emerging methods for the non-invasive characterization of ischemic heart disease, including coronary ultrafast Doppler angiography, photon-counting computed tomography (CT), micro-CT (for preclinical studies), low-field and ultrahigh-field MRI, and 11C-methionine positron emission tomography. In addition, we discuss new opportunities brought by artificial intelligence, while addressing promising future scenarios and the challenges for the application of artificial intelligence in the field of cardiac imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Willemink
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Akos Varga-Szemes
- Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - U Joseph Schoepf
- Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Marina Codari
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Koen Nieman
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Dominik Fleischmann
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Domenico Mastrodicasa
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA.
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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Ladrova M, Martinek R, Nedoma J, Hanzlikova P, Nelson MD, Kahankova R, Brablik J, Kolarik J. Monitoring and Synchronization of Cardiac and Respiratory Traces in Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Review. IEEE Rev Biomed Eng 2021; 15:200-221. [PMID: 33513108 DOI: 10.1109/rbme.2021.3055550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Synchronization of human vital signs, namely the cardiac cycle and respiratory excursions, is necessary during magnetic resonance imaging of the cardiovascular system and the abdominal cavity to achieve optimal image quality with minimized artifacts. This review summarizes techniques currently available in clinical practice, as well as methods under development, outlines the benefits and disadvantages of each approach, and offers some unique solutions for consideration.
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Ibrahim ESH, Arpinar VE, Muftuler LT, Stojanovska J, Nencka AS, Koch KM. Cardiac functional magnetic resonance imaging at 7T: Image quality optimization and ultra-high field capabilities. World J Radiol 2020; 12:231-246. [PMID: 33240463 PMCID: PMC7653183 DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v12.i10.231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND 7T cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) introduces several advantages, as well as some limitations, compared to lower-field imaging. The capabilities of ultra-high field (UHF) MRI have not been fully exploited in cardiac functional imaging.
AIM To optimize 7T cardiac MRI functional imaging without the need for conducting B1 shimming or subject-specific tuning, which improves scan efficiency. In this study, we provide results from phantom and in vivo scans using a multi-channel transceiver modular coil.
METHODS We investigated the effects of adding a dielectric pad at different locations next to the imaged region of interest on improving image quality in subjects with different body habitus. We also investigated the effects of adjusting the imaging flip angle in cine and tagging sequences on improving image quality, B1 field homogeneity, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), blood-myocardium contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and tagging persistence throughout the cardiac cycle.
RESULTS The results showed the capability of achieving improved image quality with high spatial resolution (0.75 mm × 0.75 mm × 2 mm), high temporal resolution (20 ms), and increased tagging persistence (for up to 1200 ms cardiac cycle duration) at 7T cardiac MRI after adjusting scan set-up and imaging parameters. Adjusting the imaging flip angle was essential for achieving optimal SNR and myocardium-to-blood CNR. Placing a dielectric pad at the anterior left position of the chest resulted in improved B1 homogeneity compared to other positions, especially in subjects with small chest size.
CONCLUSION Improved regional and global cardiac functional imaging can be achieved at 7T MRI through simple scan set-up adjustment and imaging parameter optimization, which would allow for more streamlined and efficient UHF cardiac MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- El-Sayed H Ibrahim
- Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
| | - V Emre Arpinar
- Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
| | - L Tugan Muftuler
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
| | - Jadranka Stojanovska
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Andrew S Nencka
- Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
| | - Kevin M Koch
- Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
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11
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Ibrahim ESH, Arpinar VE, Muftuler LT, Stojanovska J, Nencka AS, Koch KM. Cardiac functional magnetic resonance imaging at 7T: Image quality optimization and ultra-high field capabilities. World J Radiol 2020. [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v12.i10.229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
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12
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Boehmert L, Kuehne A, Waiczies H, Wenz D, Eigentler TW, Funk S, Knobelsdorff‐Brenkenhoff F, Schulz‐Menger J, Nagel AM, Seeliger E, Niendorf T. Cardiorenal sodium MRI at 7.0 Tesla using a 4/4 channel
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Na radiofrequency antenna array. Magn Reson Med 2019; 82:2343-2356. [DOI: 10.1002/mrm.27880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Boehmert
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.) Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association Berlin Germany
| | | | | | - Daniel Wenz
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.) Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association Berlin Germany
| | - Thomas Wilhelm Eigentler
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.) Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association Berlin Germany
| | - Stephanie Funk
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Helios Clinics Berlin‐Buch Berlin Germany
| | - Florian Knobelsdorff‐Brenkenhoff
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Helios Clinics Berlin‐Buch Berlin Germany
- Clinic Agatharied, Dept. of Cardiology Academic Teaching Hospital of the Ludwig‐Maximilians‐University Munich Hausham Germany
| | - Jeanette Schulz‐Menger
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Helios Clinics Berlin‐Buch Berlin Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research) partner site Berlin Germany
| | - Armin M. Nagel
- Institute of Radiology University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich‐Alexander‐Universität Erlangen‐Nürnberg (FAU) Erlangen Germany
- Division of Medical Physics in Radiology German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) Heidelberg Germany
- Institute of Medical Physics University of Erlangen, Friedrich‐Alexander‐Universität Erlangen‐Nürnberg (FAU) Erlangen Germany
| | - Erdmann Seeliger
- Institute of Vegetative Physiology Charité University Medicine Berlin Germany
| | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.) Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association Berlin Germany
- MRI.TOOLS GmbH Berlin Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research) partner site Berlin Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin Germany
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Erturk MA, Li X, Van de Moortele PF, Ugurbil K, Metzger GJ. Evolution of UHF Body Imaging in the Human Torso at 7T: Technology, Applications, and Future Directions. Top Magn Reson Imaging 2019; 28:101-124. [PMID: 31188271 PMCID: PMC6587233 DOI: 10.1097/rmr.0000000000000202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
The potential value of ultrahigh field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy to biomedical research and in clinical applications drives the development of technologies to overcome its many challenges. The increased difficulties of imaging the human torso compared with the head include its overall size, the dimensions and location of its anatomic targets, the increased prevalence and magnitude of physiologic effects, the limited availability of tailored RF coils, and the necessary transmit chain hardware. Tackling these issues involves addressing notoriously inhomogeneous transmit B1 (B1) fields, limitations in peak B1, larger spatial variations of the static magnetic field B0, and patient safety issues related to implants and local RF power deposition. However, as research institutions and vendors continue to innovate, the potential gains are beginning to be realized. Solutions overcoming the unique challenges associated with imaging the human torso are reviewed as are current studies capitalizing on the benefits of UHF in several anatomies and applications. As the field progresses, strategies associated with the RF system architecture, calibration methods, RF pulse optimization, and power monitoring need to be further integrated into the MRI systems making what are currently complex processes more streamlined. Meanwhile, the UHF MRI community must seize the opportunity to build upon what have been so far proof of principle and feasibility studies and begin to further explore the true impact in both research and the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Arcan Erturk
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
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Niendorf T, Schulz-Menger J, Paul K, Huelnhagen T, Ferrari VA, Hodge R. High Field Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Case for Ultrahigh Field Cardiac Magnetic Resonance. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2019; 10:CIRCIMAGING.116.005460. [PMID: 28611118 DOI: 10.1161/circimaging.116.005460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thoralf Niendorf
- From the Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (T.N., K.P., T.H., R.H.); DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin (T.N., J.S.-M.); Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (J.S.-M.); Department for Cardiology and Nephrology, HELIOS Clinic Berlin-Buch, Germany (J.S.-M.); and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (V.A.F.).
| | - Jeanette Schulz-Menger
- From the Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (T.N., K.P., T.H., R.H.); DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin (T.N., J.S.-M.); Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (J.S.-M.); Department for Cardiology and Nephrology, HELIOS Clinic Berlin-Buch, Germany (J.S.-M.); and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (V.A.F.)
| | - Katharina Paul
- From the Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (T.N., K.P., T.H., R.H.); DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin (T.N., J.S.-M.); Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (J.S.-M.); Department for Cardiology and Nephrology, HELIOS Clinic Berlin-Buch, Germany (J.S.-M.); and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (V.A.F.)
| | - Till Huelnhagen
- From the Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (T.N., K.P., T.H., R.H.); DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin (T.N., J.S.-M.); Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (J.S.-M.); Department for Cardiology and Nephrology, HELIOS Clinic Berlin-Buch, Germany (J.S.-M.); and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (V.A.F.)
| | - Victor A Ferrari
- From the Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (T.N., K.P., T.H., R.H.); DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin (T.N., J.S.-M.); Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (J.S.-M.); Department for Cardiology and Nephrology, HELIOS Clinic Berlin-Buch, Germany (J.S.-M.); and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (V.A.F.)
| | - Russell Hodge
- From the Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (T.N., K.P., T.H., R.H.); DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin (T.N., J.S.-M.); Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (J.S.-M.); Department for Cardiology and Nephrology, HELIOS Clinic Berlin-Buch, Germany (J.S.-M.); and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (V.A.F.)
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15
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Guensch DP, Fischer K, Jung C, Hurni S, Winkler BM, Jung B, Vogt AP, Eberle B. Relationship between myocardial oxygenation and blood pressure: Experimental validation using oxygenation-sensitive cardiovascular magnetic resonance. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0210098. [PMID: 30650118 PMCID: PMC6334913 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The relationship between mean arterial pressure (MAP) and coronary blood flow is well described. There is autoregulation within a MAP range of 60 to 140 mmHg providing near constant coronary blood flow. Outside these limits flow becomes pressure-dependent. So far, response of myocardial oxygenation to changes in pressure and flow has been more difficult to assess. While established techniques mostly require invasive approaches, Oxygenation-Sensitive (OS) Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) is a technique that can non-invasively assess changes in myocardial tissue oxygenation. The purpose of this study was to follow myocardial oxygenation over a wide range of blood pressure variation within and outside known coronary autoregulatory limits using OS-CMR, and to relate these data to coronary hemodynamics. Methods Ten anaesthetized swine (German Large White) underwent left-sided thoracotomy and attachment of a perivascular flow probe to the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery for continuous measurement of blood flow (QLAD). Thereafter, animals were transferred into a 3T MRI scanner. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was varied in 10–15 mmHg steps by administering alpha1-receptor agents phenylephrine or urapidil. For each MAP level, OS-CMR images as well as arterial and coronary sinus blood gas samples were obtained simultaneously during brief periods of apnea. Relative changes (Δ) of coronary sinus oxygen saturation (ScsO2), oxygen delivery (DO2) and demand (MVO2), extraction ratio (O2ER) and excess (Ω) from respective reference levels at a MAP of 70 mmHg were determined and were compared to %change in OS-signal intensity (OS-SI) in simultaneously acquired OS-CMR images. Results QLAD response indicated autoregulation between MAP levels of 52 mmHg (lower limit) and127 mmHg (upper limit). OS-CMR revealed a global myocardial oxygenation deficit occurring below the lower autoregulation limit, with the nadir of OS-SI at -9.0%. With MAP values surpassing 70 mmHg, relative OS-SI increased to a maximum of +10.6%. Consistent with this, ΔScsO2, ΔDO2, ΔMVO2, ΔO2ER and ΔΩ responses indicated increasing mismatch of oxygenation balance outside the autoregulated zone. Changes in global OS-CMR were significantly correlated with all of these parameters (p≤0.02) except with ΔMVO2. Conclusion OS-CMR offers a novel and non-invasive route to evaluate the effects of blood pressure variations, as well as of cardiovascular drugs and interventions, on global and regional myocardial oxygenation, as demonstrated in a porcine model. OS-CMR identified mismatch of O2 supply and demand below the lower limit of coronary autoregulation. Vasopressor induced acute hypertension did not compromise myocardial oxygenation in healthy hearts despite increased cardiac workload and O2 demand. The clinical usefulness of OS-CMR remains to be established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik P. Guensch
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Institute for Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Kady Fischer
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Institute for Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Christof Jung
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Hurni
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Bernhard M. Winkler
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Bernd Jung
- Institute for Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andreas P. Vogt
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Balthasar Eberle
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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16
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Goebel J, Nensa F, Schemuth HP, Maderwald S, Schlosser T, Orzada S, Rietsch S, Quick HH, Nassenstein K. Feasibility of aortic valve planimetry at 7 T ultrahigh field MRI: Comparison to aortic valve MRI at 3 T and 1.5 T. Eur J Radiol Open 2018; 5:159-164. [PMID: 30225274 PMCID: PMC6138940 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejro.2018.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction This study examined the feasibility of aortic valve planimetry at 7 T ultrahigh field MRI in intraindividual comparison to 3 T and 1.5 T MRI. Material and methods Aortic valves of eleven healthy volunteers (mean age, 26.4 years) were examined on a 7 T, 3 T, and 1.5 T MR system using FLASH and TrueFISP sequences. Two experienced radiologists evaluated overall image quality, the presence of artefacts, tissue contrast ratios, identifiability, and image details of the aortic valve opening area (AVOA). Furthermore, AVOA was quantified twice by reader 1 and once by reader 2. Correlation analysis between artefact severity and employed magnetic field strength was performed by modified Fisher’s exact-test. Paired t-test was used to analyse for AVOA differences, and Bland-Altman plots were used to analyse AVOA intra-rater and inter-rater variability. Results Aortic valve imaging at 7 T, 3 T, and 1.5 T with using FLASH was less hampered by artefacts than TrueFISP imaging at 3 T and 1.5 T. Tissue contrast and image details were rated best at 7 T. AVOA was measured slightly smaller at 7 T compared to 3 T (TrueFISP, p-value = 0.057; FLASH, p-value = 0.016) and 1.5 T (TrueFISP, p-value = 0.029; FLASH, p-value = 0.018). Intra-rater and inter-rater variability of AVOA tended to be slightly smaller at 7 T than at 3 T and 1.5 T. Conclusion Aortic valve planimetry at 7 T ultrahigh field MRI is technically feasible and in healthy volunteers offers an improved tissue contrast and a slightly better reproducibility than MR planimetry at 1.5 T and 3 T.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Goebel
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Felix Nensa
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Haemi P Schemuth
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Stefan Maderwald
- Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Thomas Schlosser
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Stephan Orzada
- Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Stefan Rietsch
- Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Harald H Quick
- Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,High Field and Hybrid MR Imaging, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Kai Nassenstein
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
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An 8-channel Tx/Rx dipole array combined with 16 Rx loops for high-resolution functional cardiac imaging at 7 T. MAGNETIC RESONANCE MATERIALS IN PHYSICS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2017; 31:7-18. [PMID: 29177772 PMCID: PMC5813068 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-017-0665-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 09/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Objective To demonstrate imaging performance for cardiac MR imaging at 7 T using a coil array of 8 transmit/receive dipole antennas and 16 receive loops. Materials and methods An 8-channel dipole array was extended by adding 16 receive-only loops. Average power constraints were determined by electromagnetic simulations. Cine imaging was performed on eight healthy subjects. Geometrical factor (g-factor) maps were calculated to assess acceleration performance. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-scaled images were reconstructed for different combinations of receive channels, to demonstrate the SNR benefits of combining loops and dipoles. Results The overall image quality of the cardiac functional images was rated a 2.6 on a 4-point scale by two experienced radiologists. Imaging results at different acceleration factors demonstrate that acceleration factors up to 6 could be obtained while keeping the average g-factor below 1.27. SNR maps demonstrate that combining loops and dipoles provides a more than 50% enhancement of the SNR in the heart, compared to a situation where only loops or dipoles are used. Conclusion This work demonstrates the performance of a combined loop/dipole array for cardiac imaging at 7 T. With this array, acceleration factors of 6 are possible without increasing the average g-factor in the heart beyond 1.27. Combining loops and dipoles in receive mode enhances the SNR compared to receiving with loops or dipoles only. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s10334-017-0665-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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18
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Weingärtner S, Zimmer F, Metzger GJ, Uğurbil K, Van de Moortele PF, Akçakaya M. Motion-robust cardiac B1+ mapping at 3T using interleaved bloch-siegert shifts. Magn Reson Med 2017; 78:670-677. [PMID: 27599782 PMCID: PMC5340643 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2016] [Revised: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To develop and evaluate a robust motion-insensitive Bloch-Siegert shift based B1+ mapping method in the heart. METHODS Cardiac Bloch-Siegert B1+ mapping was performed with interleaved positive and negative off-resonance shifts and diastolic spoiled gradient echo imaging in 12 heartbeats. Numerical simulations were performed to study the impact of respiratory motion. The method was compared with three-dimensional (3D) actual flip angle imaging (AFI) and two-dimensional (2D) saturated double angle method (SDAM) in phantom scans. Cardiac B1+ maps of three different views were acquired in six healthy volunteers using Bloch-Siegert and SDAM during breath-hold and free breathing. In vivo maps were evaluated for inter-view consistency using the correlation coefficients of the B1+ profiles along the lines of intersection between the views. RESULTS For the Bloch-Siegert sequence, numerical simulations indicated high similarity between breath-hold and free breathing scans, and phantom results indicated low deviation from the 3D AFI reference (normalized root mean square error [NRMSE] = 2.0%). Increased deviation was observed with 2D SDAM (NRMSE = 5.0%) due to underestimation caused by imperfect excitation slice profiles. Breath-hold and free breathing Bloch-Siegert in vivo B1+ maps were visually comparable with no significant difference in the inter-view consistency (P > 0.36). SDAM showed strongly impaired B1+ map quality during free breathing. Inter-view consistency was significantly lower than with the Bloch-Siegert method (breath-hold: P = 0.014, free breathing: P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION The proposed interleaved Bloch-Siegert sequence enables cardiac B1+ mapping with improved inter-view consistency and high resilience to respiratory motion. Magn Reson Med 78:670-677, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Weingärtner
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Fabian Zimmer
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Gregory J Metzger
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Kâmil Uğurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Mehmet Akçakaya
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Niendorf T, Paul K, Oezerdem C, Graessl A, Klix S, Huelnhagen T, Hezel F, Rieger J, Waiczies H, Frahm J, Nagel AM, Oberacker E, Winter L. W(h)ither human cardiac and body magnetic resonance at ultrahigh fields? technical advances, practical considerations, applications, and clinical opportunities. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2016; 29:1173-97. [PMID: 25706103 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2014] [Revised: 12/26/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to document and review advances and groundbreaking progress in cardiac and body MR at ultrahigh fields (UHF, B0 ≥ 7.0 T) with the goal to attract talent, clinical adopters, collaborations and resources to the biomedical and diagnostic imaging communities. This review surveys traits, advantages and challenges of cardiac and body MR at 7.0 T. The considerations run the gamut from technical advances to clinical opportunities. Key concepts, emerging technologies, practical considerations, frontier applications and future directions of UHF body and cardiac MR are provided. Examples of UHF cardiac and body imaging strategies are demonstrated. Their added value over the kindred counterparts at lower fields is explored along with an outline of research promises. The achievements of cardiac and body UHF-MR are powerful motivators and enablers, since extra speed, signal and imaging capabilities may be invested to overcome the fundamental constraints that continue to hamper traditional cardiac and body MR applications. If practical obstacles, concomitant physics effects and technical impediments can be overcome in equal measure, sophisticated cardiac and body UHF-MR will help to open the door to new MRI and MRS approaches for basic research and clinical science, with the lessons learned at 7.0 T being transferred into broad clinical use including diagnostics and therapy guiding at lower fields. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Paul
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Celal Oezerdem
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Graessl
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sabrina Klix
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Till Huelnhagen
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Hezel
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Jens Frahm
- Biomedizinische NMR Forschungs GmbH, am Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Armin M Nagel
- Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eva Oberacker
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lukas Winter
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
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Prothmann M, von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff F, Töpper A, Dieringer MA, Shahid E, Graessl A, Rieger J, Lysiak D, Thalhammer C, Huelnhagen T, Kellman P, Niendorf T, Schulz-Menger J. High Spatial Resolution Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance at 7.0 Tesla in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy - First Experiences: Lesson Learned from 7.0 Tesla. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0148066. [PMID: 26863618 PMCID: PMC4749213 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) provides valuable information in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) based on myocardial tissue differentiation and the detection of small morphological details. CMR at 7.0T improves spatial resolution versus today's clinical protocols. This capability is as yet untapped in HCM patients. We aimed to examine the feasibility of CMR at 7.0T in HCM patients and to demonstrate its capability for the visualization of subtle morphological details. METHODS We screened 131 patients with HCM. 13 patients (9 males, 56 ±31 years) and 13 healthy age- and gender-matched subjects (9 males, 55 ±31years) underwent CMR at 7.0T and 3.0T (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). For the assessment of cardiac function and morphology, 2D CINE imaging was performed (voxel size at 7.0T: (1.4x1.4x2.5) mm3 and (1.4x1.4x4.0) mm3; at 3.0T: (1.8x1.8x6.0) mm3). Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was performed at 3.0T for detection of fibrosis. RESULTS All scans were successful and evaluable. At 3.0T, quantification of the left ventricle (LV) showed similar results in short axis view vs. the biplane approach (LVEDV, LVESV, LVMASS, LVEF) (p = 0.286; p = 0.534; p = 0.155; p = 0.131). The LV-parameters obtained at 7.0T where in accordance with the 3.0T data (pLVEDV = 0.110; pLVESV = 0.091; pLVMASS = 0.131; pLVEF = 0.182). LGE was detectable in 12/13 (92%) of the HCM patients. High spatial resolution CINE imaging at 7.0T revealed hyperintense regions, identifying myocardial crypts in 7/13 (54%) of the HCM patients. All crypts were located in the LGE-positive regions. The crypts were not detectable at 3.0T using a clinical protocol. CONCLUSIONS CMR at 7.0T is feasible in patients with HCM. High spatial resolution gradient echo 2D CINE imaging at 7.0T allowed the detection of subtle morphological details in regions of extended hypertrophy and LGE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Prothmann
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, and HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, and HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Agnieszka Töpper
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, and HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias A. Dieringer
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, and HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Etham Shahid
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, and HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Graessl
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Darius Lysiak
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- MRI.TOOLS GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - C. Thalhammer
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Till Huelnhagen
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Kellman
- National Institutes of Health / NHLBI, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- MRI.TOOLS GmbH, Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin, Germany
| | - Jeanette Schulz-Menger
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, and HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Niendorf T, Pohlmann A, Reimann HM, Waiczies H, Peper E, Huelnhagen T, Seeliger E, Schreiber A, Kettritz R, Strobel K, Ku MC, Waiczies S. Advancing Cardiovascular, Neurovascular, and Renal Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Small Rodents Using Cryogenic Radiofrequency Coil Technology. Front Pharmacol 2015; 6:255. [PMID: 26617515 PMCID: PMC4642111 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2015.00255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Research in pathologies of the brain, heart and kidney have gained immensely from the plethora of studies that have helped shape new methods in magnetic resonance (MR) for characterizing preclinical disease models. Methodical probing into preclinical animal models by MR is invaluable since it allows a careful interpretation and extrapolation of data derived from these models to human disease. In this review we will focus on the applications of cryogenic radiofrequency (RF) coils in small animal MR as a means of boosting image quality (e.g., by supporting MR microscopy) and making data acquisition more efficient (e.g., by reducing measuring time); both being important constituents for thorough investigational studies on animal models of disease. This review attempts to make the (bio)medical imaging, molecular medicine, and pharmaceutical communities aware of this productive ferment and its outstanding significance for anatomical and functional MR in small rodents. The goal is to inspire a more intense interdisciplinary collaboration across the fields to further advance and progress non-invasive MR methods that ultimately support thorough (patho)physiological characterization of animal disease models. In this review, current and potential future applications for the RF coil technology in cardiovascular, neurovascular, and renal disease will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz AssociationBerlin, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular ResearchBerlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Pohlmann
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz AssociationBerlin, Germany
| | - Henning M. Reimann
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz AssociationBerlin, Germany
| | | | - Eva Peper
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz AssociationBerlin, Germany
| | - Till Huelnhagen
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz AssociationBerlin, Germany
| | - Erdmann Seeliger
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Institute of Physiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlin, Germany
| | - Adrian Schreiber
- Clinic for Nephrology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité Medical Faculty and Experimental and Clinical Research CenterBerlin, Germany
| | - Ralph Kettritz
- Clinic for Nephrology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité Medical Faculty and Experimental and Clinical Research CenterBerlin, Germany
| | | | - Min-Chi Ku
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz AssociationBerlin, Germany
| | - Sonia Waiczies
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz AssociationBerlin, Germany
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Graessl A, Ruehle A, Waiczies H, Resetar A, Hoffmann SH, Rieger J, Wetterling F, Winter L, Nagel AM, Niendorf T. Sodium MRI of the human heart at 7.0 T: preliminary results. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2015; 28:967-975. [PMID: 26082025 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 05/10/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this work was to examine the feasibility of three-dimensional (3D) and whole heart coverage (23)Na cardiac MRI at 7.0 T including single-cardiac-phase and cinematic (cine) regimes. A four-channel transceiver RF coil array tailored for (23)Na MRI of the heart at 7.0 T (f = 78.5 MHz) is proposed. An integrated bow-tie antenna building block is used for (1)H MR to support shimming, localization and planning in a clinical workflow. Signal absorption rate simulations and assessment of RF power deposition were performed to meet the RF safety requirements. (23) Na cardiac MR was conducted in an in vivo feasibility study. 3D gradient echo (GRE) imaging in conjunction with Cartesian phase encoding (total acquisition time T(AQ) = 6 min 16 s) and whole heart coverage imaging employing a density-adapted 3D radial acquisition technique (T(AQ) = 18 min 20 s) were used. For 3D GRE-based (23)Na MRI, acquisition of standard views of the heart using a nominal in-plane resolution of (5.0 × 5.0) mm(2) and a slice thickness of 15 mm were feasible. For whole heart coverage 3D density-adapted radial (23)Na acquisitions a nominal isotropic spatial resolution of 6 mm was accomplished. This improvement versus 3D conventional GRE acquisitions reduced partial volume effects along the slice direction and enabled retrospective image reconstruction of standard or arbitrary views of the heart. Sodium cine imaging capabilities were achieved with the proposed RF coil configuration in conjunction with 3D radial acquisitions and cardiac gating. Cardiac-gated reconstruction provided an enhancement in blood-myocardium contrast of 20% versus the same data reconstructed without cardiac gating. The proposed transceiver array enables (23)Na MR of the human heart at 7.0 T within clinical acceptable scan times. This capability is in positive alignment with the needs of explorations that are designed to examine the potential of (23)Na MRI for the assessment of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Graessl
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anjuli Ruehle
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Ana Resetar
- Division of Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan H Hoffmann
- Division of Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | | | - Lukas Winter
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Armin M Nagel
- Division of Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
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Oezerdem C, Winter L, Graessl A, Paul K, Els A, Weinberger O, Rieger J, Kuehne A, Dieringer M, Hezel F, Voit D, Frahm J, Niendorf T. 16-channel bow tie antenna transceiver array for cardiac MR at 7.0 tesla. Magn Reson Med 2015; 75:2553-65. [PMID: 26183320 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.25840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Revised: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/20/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To design, evaluate, and apply a bow tie antenna transceiver radiofrequency (RF) coil array tailored for cardiac MRI at 7.0 Tesla (T). METHODS The radiofrequency (RF) coil array comprises 16 building blocks each containing a bow tie shaped λ/2-dipole antenna. Numerical simulations were used for transmission field homogenization and RF safety validation. RF characteristics were examined in a phantom study. The array's suitability for high spatial resolution two-dimensional (2D) CINE imaging and for real time imaging of the heart was examined in a volunteer study. RESULTS The arrays transmission fields and RF characteristics are suitable for cardiac MRI at 7.0T. The coil performance afforded a spatial resolution as good as (0.8 × 0.8 × 2.5) mm(3) for segmented 2D CINE MRI at 7.0T which is by a factor of 12 superior versus standardized protocols used in clinical practice at 1.5T. The proposed transceiver array supports 1D acceleration factors of up to R = 6 without impairing image quality significantly. CONCLUSION The 16-channel bow tie antenna transceiver array supports accelerated and high spatial resolution cardiac MRI. The array is compatible with multichannel transmission and provides a technological basis for future clinical assessment of parallel transmission techniques at 7.0 Tesla. Magn Reson Med 75:2553-2565, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celal Oezerdem
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lukas Winter
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Graessl
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Paul
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antje Els
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver Weinberger
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Matthias Dieringer
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Hezel
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dirk Voit
- Biomedizinische NMR Forschungs GmbH am Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jens Frahm
- Biomedizinische NMR Forschungs GmbH am Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, Germany.,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin, Germany
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Prothmann M, Shahid E, Toepper A, von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff F, Graessl A, Rieger J, Lysiak DG, Thalhammer C, Huelnhagen T, Niendorf T, Schulz-Menger J. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance at 7.0 Tesla in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - a pilot study. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2015. [PMCID: PMC4328544 DOI: 10.1186/1532-429x-17-s1-q108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Klix S, Els A, Paul K, Graessl A, Oezerdem C, Weinberger O, Winter L, Thalhammer C, Huelnhagen T, Rieger J, Mehling H, Schulz-Menger J, Niendorf T. On the subjective acceptance during cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging at 7.0 Tesla. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0117095. [PMID: 25621491 PMCID: PMC4306482 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study examines the subjective acceptance during UHF-CMR in a cohort of healthy volunteers who underwent a cardiac MR examination at 7.0T. METHODS Within a period of two-and-a-half years (January 2012 to June 2014) a total of 165 healthy volunteers (41 female, 124 male) without any known history of cardiac disease underwent UHF-CMR. For the assessment of the subjective acceptance a questionnaire was used to examine the participants experience prior, during and after the UHF-CMR examination. For this purpose, subjects were asked to respond to the questionnaire in an exit interview held immediately after the completion of the UHF-CMR examination under supervision of a study nurse to ensure accurate understanding of the questions. All questions were answered with "yes" or "no" including space for additional comments. RESULTS Transient muscular contraction was documented in 12.7% of the questionnaires. Muscular contraction was reported to occur only during periods of scanning with the magnetic field gradients being rapidly switched. Dizziness during the study was reported by 12.7% of the subjects. Taste of metal was reported by 10.1% of the study population. Light flashes were reported by 3.6% of the entire cohort. 13% of the subjects reported side effects/observations which were not explicitly listed in the questionnaire but covered by the question about other side effects. No severe side effects as vomiting or syncope after scanning occurred. No increase in heart rate was observed during the UHF-CMR exam versus the baseline clinical examination. CONCLUSIONS This study adds to the literature by detailing the subjective acceptance of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging examinations at a magnetic field strength of 7.0T. Cardiac MR examinations at 7.0T are well tolerated by healthy subjects. Broader observational and multi-center studies including patient cohorts with cardiac diseases are required to gain further insights into the subjective acceptance of UHF-CMR examinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Klix
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antje Els
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Paul
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Graessl
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Celal Oezerdem
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver Weinberger
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lukas Winter
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christof Thalhammer
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Till Huelnhagen
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Rieger
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Heidrun Mehling
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jeanette Schulz-Menger
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- HELIOS Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Dept. of Cardiology and Nephrology, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
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Aussenhofer SA, Webb AG. An eight-channel transmit/receive array of TE01 mode high permittivity ceramic resonators for human imaging at 7T. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2014; 243:122-129. [PMID: 24818565 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2014.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Revised: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 04/03/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
This study describes the design, construction and operation of a new type of transmit/receive array using ceramic resonators operating in a transverse electromagnetic (TE) mode. Single element function and performance at 298.1MHz (7T) are analyzed and compared to a lumped element design loop coil with comparable geometry. The results show that ceramic resonators working in the TE01δ mode configuration produce similar efficiency, defined as the transmit magnetic field (B1(+)) per square root of the specific absorption rate (SAR), to conventional surface coils. An array consisting of eight ceramic elements was then designed to operate in transmit/receive mode. This array was driven via power/phase splitters by two independent transmit channels and functional cardiac images were produced from a number of healthy volunteers.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Aussenhofer
- C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - A G Webb
- C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Klix S, Hezel F, Fuchs K, Ruff J, Dieringer MA, Niendorf T. Accelerated fast spin-echo magnetic resonance imaging of the heart using a self-calibrated split-echo approach. PLoS One 2014; 9:e94654. [PMID: 24728341 PMCID: PMC3984237 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2013] [Accepted: 03/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Design, validation and application of an accelerated fast spin-echo (FSE) variant that uses a split-echo approach for self-calibrated parallel imaging. Methods For self-calibrated, split-echo FSE (SCSE-FSE), extra displacement gradients were incorporated into FSE to decompose odd and even echo groups which were independently phase encoded to derive coil sensitivity maps, and to generate undersampled data (reduction factor up to R = 3). Reference and undersampled data were acquired simultaneously. SENSE reconstruction was employed. Results The feasibility of SCSE-FSE was demonstrated in phantom studies. Point spread function performance of SCSE-FSE was found to be competitive with traditional FSE variants. The immunity of SCSE-FSE for motion induced mis-registration between reference and undersampled data was shown using a dynamic left ventricular model and cardiac imaging. The applicability of black blood prepared SCSE-FSE for cardiac imaging was demonstrated in healthy volunteers including accelerated multi-slice per breath-hold imaging and accelerated high spatial resolution imaging. Conclusion SCSE-FSE obviates the need of external reference scans for SENSE reconstructed parallel imaging with FSE. SCSE-FSE reduces the risk for mis-registration between reference scans and accelerated acquisitions. SCSE-FSE is feasible for imaging of the heart and of large cardiac vessels but also meets the needs of brain, abdominal and liver imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Klix
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Hezel
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Fuchs
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Ruff
- Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Matthias A. Dieringer
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
Since the introduction of 4 T human systems in three academic laboratories circa 1990, rapid progress in imaging and spectroscopy studies in humans at 4 T and animal model systems at 9.4 T have led to the introduction of 7 T and higher magnetic fields for human investigation at about the turn of the century. Work conducted on these platforms has demonstrated the existence of significant advantages in SNR and biological information content at these ultrahigh fields, as well as the presence of numerous challenges. Primary difference from lower fields is the deviation from the near field regime; at the frequencies corresponding to hydrogen resonance conditions at ultrahigh fields, the RF is characterized by attenuated traveling waves in the human body, which leads to image nonuniformities for a given sample-coil configuration because of interferences. These nonuniformities were considered detrimental to the progress of imaging at high field strengths. However, they are advantageous for parallel imaging for signal reception and parallel transmission, two critical technologies that account, to a large extend, for the success of ultrahigh fields. With these technologies, and improvements in instrumentation and imaging methods, ultrahigh fields have provided unprecedented gains in imaging of brain function and anatomy, and started to make inroads into investigation of the human torso and extremities. As extensive as they are, these gains still constitute a prelude to what is to come given the increasingly larger effort committed to ultrahigh field research and development of ever better instrumentation and techniques.
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Niendorf T, Schulz-Menger J. [Cardiovascular ultrahigh field magnetic resonance imaging : challenges, technical solutions and opportunities]. Radiologe 2014; 53:422-8. [PMID: 23613023 DOI: 10.1007/s00117-012-2348-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
CLINICAL/METHODICAL ISSUE This involves high spatial resolution cardiac imaging with ultrahigh magnetic fields (7 T) and clinically acceptable image quality. STANDARD RADIOLOGICAL METHODS Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at a field strength of 1.5 T using a spatial resolution of (2 × 2 × 6-8) mm(3). METHODICAL INNOVATIONS Cardiac MRI at ultrahigh field strength makes use of multitransmit/receive radiofrequency (RF) technology and development of novel technology that utilizes the traits of ultrahigh field MRI. PERFORMANCE Enhanced spatial resolution which is superior by a factor of 6-10 to what can be achieved by current clinical cardiac MRI. The relative spatial resolution (pixels per anatomical structure) comes close to what can be accomplished by current cardiac MRI in small rodents. ACHIEVEMENTS Feasibility studies demonstrate the gain in spatial resolution at 7.0 T due to the sensitivity advantage inherent to ultrahigh magnetic fields. PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS Please stay tuned and please put further weight behind the solution of the remaining technical problems of cardiac MRI at 7.0 T.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrück Centrum für Molekulare Medizin, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125, Berlin, Deutschland.
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Rodgers CT, Piechnik SK, DelaBarre LJ, Van de Moortele PF, Snyder CJ, Neubauer S, Robson MD, Vaughan JT. Inversion recovery at 7 T in the human myocardium: measurement of T(1), inversion efficiency and B(1) (+). Magn Reson Med 2013; 70:1038-46. [PMID: 23197329 PMCID: PMC4134266 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.24548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2012] [Revised: 09/17/2012] [Accepted: 10/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
At clinical MRI field strengths (1.5 and 3 T), quantitative maps of the longitudinal relaxation time T1 of the myocardium reveal diseased tissue without requiring contrast agents. Cardiac T1 maps can be measured by Look-Locker inversion recovery sequences such as ShMOLLI at 1.5 and 3 T. Cardiovascular MRI at a field strength of 7 T has recently become feasible, but doubts have remained as to whether magnetization inversion is possible in the heart due to subject heating and technical limitations. This work extends the repertoire of 7 T cardiovascular MRI by implementing an adiabatic inversion pulse optimized for use in the heart at 7 T. A "ShMOLLI+IE" adaptation of the ShMOLLI pulse sequence has been introduced together with new postprocessing that accounts for the possibility of incomplete magnetization inversion. These methods were validated in phantoms and then used in a study of six healthy volunteers to determine the degree of magnetization inversion and the T1 of normal myocardium at 7 T within a 22-heartbeat breathhold. Using a scanner with 16 × 1 kW radiofrequency outputs, inversion efficiencies ranging from -0.79 to -0.83 (intrasegment means; perfect 180° would give -1) were attainable across the myocardium. The myocardial T1 was 1925 ± 48 ms (mean ± standard deviation).
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T. Rodgers
- Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Stefan K. Piechnik
- Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Lance J. DelaBarre
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 Sixth Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | | | - Carl J. Snyder
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 Sixth Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Stefan Neubauer
- Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Matthew D. Robson
- Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - J. Thomas Vaughan
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 Sixth Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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Schmitter S, DelaBarre L, Wu X, Greiser A, Wang D, Auerbach EJ, Vaughan JT, Uğurbil K, Van de Moortele PF. Cardiac imaging at 7 Tesla: Single- and two-spoke radiofrequency pulse design with 16-channel parallel excitation. Magn Reson Med 2013; 70:1210-9. [PMID: 24038314 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.24935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2013] [Revised: 07/05/2013] [Accepted: 08/04/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Higher signal to noise ratio (SNR) and improved contrast have been demonstrated at ultra-high magnetic fields (≥7 Tesla [T]) in multiple targets, often with multi-channel transmit methods to address the deleterious impact on tissue contrast due to spatial variations in B1 (+) profiles. When imaging the heart at 7T, however, respiratory and cardiac motion, as well as B0 inhomogeneity, greatly increase the methodological challenge. In this study we compare two-spoke parallel transmit (pTX) RF pulses with static B1 (+) shimming in cardiac imaging at 7T. METHODS Using a 16-channel pTX system, slice-selective two-spoke pTX pulses and static B1 (+) shimming were applied in cardiac CINE imaging. B1 (+) and B0 mapping required modified cardiac triggered sequences. Excitation homogeneity and RF energy were compared in different imaging orientations. RESULTS Two-spoke pulses provide higher excitation homogeneity than B1 (+) shimming, especially in the more challenging posterior region of the heart. The peak value of channel-wise RF energy was reduced, allowing for a higher flip angle, hence increased tissue contrast. Image quality with two-spoke excitation proved to be stable throughout the entire cardiac cycle. CONCLUSION Two-spoke pTX excitation has been successfully demonstrated in the human heart at 7T, with improved image quality and reduced RF pulse energy when compared with B1 (+) shimming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Schmitter
- University of Minnesota, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Graessl A, Renz W, Hezel F, Dieringer MA, Winter L, Oezerdem C, Rieger J, Kellman P, Santoro D, Lindel TD, Frauenrath T, Pfeiffer H, Niendorf T. Modular 32-channel transceiver coil array for cardiac MRI at 7.0T. Magn Reson Med 2013; 72:276-90. [PMID: 23904404 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.24903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2013] [Revised: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 07/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To design and evaluate a modular transceiver coil array with 32 independent channels for cardiac MRI at 7.0T. METHODS The modular coil array comprises eight independent building blocks, each containing four transceiver loop elements. Numerical simulations were used for B1 (+) field homogenization and radiofrequency (RF) safety validation. RF characteristics were examined in a phantom study. The array's suitability for accelerated high spatial resolution two-dimensional (2D) FLASH CINE imaging of the heart was examined in a volunteer study. RESULTS Transmission field adjustments and RF characteristics were found to be suitable for the volunteer study. The signal-to-noise intrinsic to 7.0T together with the coil performance afforded a spatial resolution of 1.1 × 1.1 × 2.5 mm(3) for 2D CINE FLASH MRI, which is by a factor of 6 superior to standardized CINE protocols used in clinical practice at 1.5T. The 32-channel transceiver array supports one-dimensional acceleration factors of up to R = 4 without impairing image quality significantly. CONCLUSION The modular 32-channel transceiver cardiac array supports accelerated and high spatial resolution cardiac MRI. The array is compatible with multichannel transmission and provides a technological basis for future clinical assessment of parallel transmission techniques at 7.0T.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Graessl
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
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Souto M, Masip LR, Couto M, Suárez-Cuenca JJ, Martínez A, Tahoces PG, Carreira JM, Croisille P. Quantification of Right and Left Ventricular Function in Cardiac MR Imaging: Comparison of Semiautomatic and Manual Segmentation Algorithms. Diagnostics (Basel) 2013; 3:271-82. [PMID: 26835680 PMCID: PMC4665532 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics3020271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2013] [Revised: 03/21/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a semiautomatic segmentation method for the anatomical and functional assessment of both ventricles from cardiac cine magnetic resonance (MR) examinations, reducing user interaction to a “mouse-click”. Fifty-two patients with cardiovascular diseases were examined using a 1.5-T MR imaging unit. Several parameters of both ventricles, such as end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV) and ejection fraction (EF), were quantified by an experienced operator using the conventional method based on manually-defined contours, as the standard of reference; and a novel semiautomatic segmentation method based on edge detection, iterative thresholding and region growing techniques, for evaluation purposes. No statistically significant differences were found between the two measurement values obtained for each parameter (p > 0.05). Correlation to estimate right ventricular function was good (r > 0.8) and turned out to be excellent (r > 0.9) for the left ventricle (LV). Bland-Altman plots revealed acceptable limits of agreement between the two methods (95%). Our study findings indicate that the proposed technique allows a fast and accurate assessment of both ventricles. However, further improvements are needed to equal results achieved for the right ventricle (RV) using the conventional methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Souto
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital Complex of Santiago (CHUS), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15706, Spain; E-Mail:
- Department of Radiology, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15706, Spain; E-Mails: (L.R.M.); (M.C.); (J.J.S.-C.)
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +34-609-857-136; Fax: +34-981-547-164
| | - Lambert Raul Masip
- Department of Radiology, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15706, Spain; E-Mails: (L.R.M.); (M.C.); (J.J.S.-C.)
| | - Miguel Couto
- Department of Radiology, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15706, Spain; E-Mails: (L.R.M.); (M.C.); (J.J.S.-C.)
| | - Jorge Juan Suárez-Cuenca
- Department of Radiology, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15706, Spain; E-Mails: (L.R.M.); (M.C.); (J.J.S.-C.)
| | - Amparo Martínez
- Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Complex of Santiago (CHUS), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15706, Spain; E-Mail:
| | - Pablo G. Tahoces
- Department of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15706, Spain; E-Mail:
| | - Jose Martin Carreira
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital Complex of Santiago (CHUS), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15706, Spain; E-Mail:
- Department of Radiology, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña 15706, Spain; E-Mails: (L.R.M.); (M.C.); (J.J.S.-C.)
| | - Pierre Croisille
- Department of Radiology, Hôpital Nord/Centre Hospital Universitaire (CHU) Saint-Etienne, Université de Lyon, Saint-Etienne 42000, France; E-Mail:
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Niendorf T, Graessl A, Thalhammer C, Dieringer MA, Kraus O, Santoro D, Fuchs K, Hezel F, Waiczies S, Ittermann B, Winter L. Progress and promises of human cardiac magnetic resonance at ultrahigh fields: a physics perspective. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2013; 229:208-22. [PMID: 23290625 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2012.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2012] [Revised: 11/16/2012] [Accepted: 11/16/2012] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
A growing number of reports eloquently speak about explorations into cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) at ultrahigh magnetic fields (B0≥7.0 T). Realizing the progress, promises and challenges of ultrahigh field (UHF) CMR this perspective outlines current trends in enabling MR technology tailored for cardiac MR in the short wavelength regime. For this purpose many channel radiofrequency (RF) technology concepts are outlined. Basic principles of mapping and shimming of transmission fields including RF power deposition considerations are presented. Explorations motivated by the safe operation of UHF-CMR even in the presence of conductive implants are described together with the physics, numerical simulations and experiments, all of which detailing antenna effects and RF heating induced by intracoronary stents at 7.0 T. Early applications of CMR at 7.0 T and their clinical implications for explorations into cardiovascular diseases are explored including assessment of cardiac function, myocardial tissue characterization, MR angiography of large and small vessels as well as heteronuclear MR of the heart and the skin. A concluding section ventures a glance beyond the horizon and explores future directions. The goal here is not to be comprehensive but to inspire the biomedical and diagnostic imaging communities to throw further weight behind the solution of the many remaining unsolved problems and technical obstacles of UHF-CMR with the goal to transfer MR physics driven methodological advancements into extra clinical value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
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von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff F, Tkachenko V, Winter L, Rieger J, Thalhammer C, Hezel F, Graessl A, Dieringer MA, Niendorf T, Schulz-Menger J. Assessment of the right ventricle with cardiovascular magnetic resonance at 7 Tesla. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2013; 15:23. [PMID: 23497030 PMCID: PMC3621368 DOI: 10.1186/1532-429x-15-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2012] [Accepted: 03/06/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Functional and morphologic assessment of the right ventricle (RV) is of clinical importance. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) at 1.5T has become gold standard for RV chamber quantification and assessment of even small wall motion abnormalities, but tissue analysis is still hampered by limited spatial resolution. CMR at 7T promises increased resolution, but is technically challenging. We examined the feasibility of cine imaging at 7T to assess the RV. METHODS Nine healthy volunteers underwent CMR at 7T using a 16-element TX/RX coil and acoustic cardiac gating. 1.5T served as gold standard. At 1.5T, steady-state free-precession (SSFP) cine imaging with voxel size (1.2 x 1.2 x 6) mm3 was used; at 7T, fast gradient echo (FGRE) with voxel size (1.2 x 1.2 x 6) mm3 and (1.3 x 1.3 x 4) mm3 were applied. RV dimensions (RVEDV, RVESV), RV mass (RVM) and RV function (RVEF) were quantified in transverse slices. Overall image quality, image contrast and image homogeneity were assessed in transverse and sagittal views. RESULTS All scans provided diagnostic image quality. Overall image quality and image contrast of transverse RV views were rated equally for SSFP at 1.5T and FGRE at 7T with voxel size (1.3 x 1.3 x 4)mm3. FGRE at 7T provided significantly lower image homogeneity compared to SSFP at 1.5T. RVEDV, RVESV, RVEF and RVM did not differ significantly and agreed close between SSFP at 1.5T and FGRE at 7T (p=0.5850; p=0.5462; p=0.2789; p=0.0743). FGRE at 7T with voxel size (1.3 x 1.3 x 4) mm3 tended to overestimate RV volumes compared to SSFP at 1.5T (mean difference of RVEDV 8.2 ± 9.3 ml) and to FGRE at 7T with voxel size (1.2 x 1.2 x 6) mm3 (mean difference of RVEDV 9.3 ± 8.6 ml). CONCLUSIONS FGRE cine imaging of the RV at 7T was feasible and provided good image quality. RV dimensions and function were comparable to SSFP at 1.5T as gold standard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Valeriy Tkachenko
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lukas Winter
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Rieger
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christof Thalhammer
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Hezel
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Graessl
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias A Dieringer
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jeanette Schulz-Menger
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
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von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff F, Schulz-Menger J. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in ischemic heart disease. J Magn Reson Imaging 2012; 36:20-38. [PMID: 22696124 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.23580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ischemic heart disease is the most frequent etiology for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Early detection and accurate monitoring are essential to guide optimal patient treatment and assess the individual's prognosis. In this regard, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), which entered the arena of noninvasive cardiovascular imaging over the past two decades, became a very important imaging modality, mainly due to its unique versatility. CMR has proven accuracy and is a robust technique for the assessment of myocardial function both at rest and during stress. It also allows stress perfusion analysis with high spatial and temporal resolution, and provides a means by which to differentiate tissue such as distinguishing between reversibly and irreversibly injured myocardium. In particular, the latter aspect is a unique benefit of CMR compared with other noninvasive imaging modalities such as echocardiography and nuclear medicine, and provides novel information concerning the presence, size, transmurality, and prognosis of myocardial infarction. This article is intended to provide the reader with an overview of the various applications of CMR for the assessment of ischemic heart disease from a clinical perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Medical University Berlin, Experimental Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation of the Charité and the Max-Delbrueck-Center, Berlin, Germany
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Thalhammer C, Renz W, Winter L, Hezel F, Rieger J, Pfeiffer H, Graessl A, Seifert F, Hoffmann W, von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff F, Tkachenko V, Schulz-Menger J, Kellman P, Niendorf T. Two-dimensional sixteen channel transmit/receive coil array for cardiac MRI at 7.0 T: design, evaluation, and application. J Magn Reson Imaging 2012; 36:847-57. [PMID: 22706727 PMCID: PMC3445730 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.23724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2012] [Accepted: 05/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To design, evaluate, and apply a 2D 16-channel transmit/receive (TX/RX) coil array tailored for cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 7.0 T. MATERIALS AND METHODS The cardiac coil array consists of two sections each using eight elements arranged in a 2 × 4 array. Radiofrequency (RF) safety was validated by specific absorption rate (SAR) simulations. Cardiac imaging was performed using 2D CINE FLASH imaging, T 2 mapping, and fat-water separation imaging. The characteristics of the coil array were analyzed including parallel imaging performance, left ventricular chamber quantification, and overall image quality. RESULTS RF characteristics were found to be appropriate for all subjects included in the study. The SAR values derived from the simulations fall well within the limits of legal guidelines. The baseline signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) advantage at 7.0 T was put to use to acquire 2D CINE images of the heart with a very high spatial resolution of (1 × 1 × 4) mm(3) . The proposed coil array supports 1D acceleration factors of up to R = 4 without significantly impairing image quality. CONCLUSION The 16-channel TX/RX coil has the capability to acquire high contrast and high spatial resolution images of the heart at 7.0 T.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christof Thalhammer
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Renz
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Lukas Winter
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Hezel
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Rieger
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- MRI.TOOLS GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Harald Pfeiffer
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Physikalische-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany
| | - Andreas Graessl
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Seifert
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Physikalische-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany
| | - Werner Hoffmann
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Physikalische-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany
| | - Florian von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- HELIOS Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Dept. of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), Charité - University Medicine Campus Berlin Buch, Berlin, Germany
| | - Valeriy Tkachenko
- HELIOS Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Dept. of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), Charité - University Medicine Campus Berlin Buch, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jeanette Schulz-Menger
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- HELIOS Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Dept. of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), Charité - University Medicine Campus Berlin Buch, Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Kellman
- Laboratory of Cardiac Energetics, National Institutes of Health/NHLBI, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- MRI.TOOLS GmbH, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), Charité - University Medicine Campus Berlin Buch, Berlin, Germany
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Comparison of three multichannel transmit/receive radiofrequency coil configurations for anatomic and functional cardiac MRI at 7.0T: implications for clinical imaging. Eur Radiol 2012; 22:2211-20. [PMID: 22653280 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-012-2487-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2012] [Revised: 04/06/2012] [Accepted: 04/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To implement, examine, and compare three multichannel transmit/receive coil configurations for cardiovascular MR (CMR) at 7T. METHODS Three radiofrequency transmit-receive (TX/RX) coils with 4-, 8-, and 16-coil elements were used. Ten healthy volunteers (seven males, age 28 ± 4 years) underwent CMR at 7T. For all three RX/TX coils, 2D CINE FLASH images of the heart were acquired. Cardiac chamber quantification, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) analysis, parallel imaging performance assessment, and image quality scoring were performed. RESULTS Mean total examination time was 29 ± 5 min. All images obtained with the 8- and 16-channel coils were diagnostic. No significant difference in ejection fraction (EF) (P > 0.09) or left ventricular mass (LVM) (P > 0.31) was observed between the coils. The 8- and 16-channel arrays yielded a higher mean SNR in the septum versus the 4-channel coil. The lowest geometry factors were found for the 16-channel coil (mean ± SD 2.3 ± 0.5 for R = 4). Image quality was rated significantly higher (P < 0.04) for the 16-channel coil versus the 8- and 4-channel coils. CONCLUSIONS All three coil configurations are suitable for CMR at 7.0T under routine circumstances. A larger number of coil elements enhances image quality and parallel imaging performance but does not impact the accuracy of cardiac chamber quantification. KEY POINTS • Cardiac chamber quantification using 7.0T magnetic resonance imaging is feasible. • Examination times for cardiac chamber quantification at 7.0T match current clinical practice. • Multichannel transceiver RF technology facilitates improved image quality and parallel imaging performance. • Increasing the number of RF channels does not influence cardiac chamber quantification.
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Umutlu L, Forsting M, Ladd ME. Ultrahigh-field magnetic resonance imaging: the clinical potential for anatomy, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment planning in neck and spine disease. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2012; 22:363-71, xii. [PMID: 22548937 DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2012.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
An increase of the magnetic field strength to ultrahigh-field yields advantageous as well as disadvantageous changes in physical effects. The beneficial increase in signal/noise ratio can be leveraged into higher spatiotemporal resolution, and an exacerbation of artifacts can impede ultrahigh-field imaging. With the successful introduction of intracranial and musculoskeletal imaging at 7 T, recent advances in coil design have created opportunities for further applications of ultrahigh-field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in other parts of the body. Initial studies in 7 T neck and spine MR imaging have revealed promising insights and new challenges, demanding further research and methodological optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lale Umutlu
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, D-45122 Essen, Germany.
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Moser E, Stahlberg F, Ladd ME, Trattnig S. 7-T MR--from research to clinical applications? NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2012; 25:695-716. [PMID: 22102481 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.1794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2010] [Revised: 08/25/2011] [Accepted: 08/31/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Over 20,000 MR systems are currently installed worldwide and, although the majority operate at magnetic fields of 1.5 T and below (i.e. about 70%), experience with 3-T (in high-field clinical diagnostic imaging and research) and 7-T (research only) human MR scanners points to a future in functional and metabolic MR diagnostics. Complementary to previous studies, this review attempts to provide an overview of ultrahigh-field MR research with special emphasis on emerging clinical applications at 7 T. We provide a short summary of the technical development and the current status of installed MR systems. The advantages and challenges of ultrahigh-field MRI and MRS are discussed with special emphasis on radiofrequency inhomogeneity, relaxation times, signal-to-noise improvements, susceptibility effects, chemical shifts, specific absorption rate and other safety issues. In terms of applications, we focus on the topics most likely to gain significantly from 7-T MR, i.e. brain imaging and spectroscopy and musculoskeletal imaging, but also body imaging, which is particularly challenging. Examples are given to demonstrate the advantages of susceptibility-weighted imaging, time-of-flight MR angiography, high-resolution functional MRI, (1)H and (31)P MRSI in the human brain, sodium and functional imaging of cartilage and the first results (and artefacts) using an eight-channel body array, suggesting future areas of research that should be intensified in order to fully explore the potential of 7-T MR systems for use in clinical diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewald Moser
- Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Gräßl A, Winter L, Thalhammer C, Renz W, Kellman P, Martin C, von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff F, Tkachenko V, Schulz-Menger J, Niendorf T. Design, evaluation and application of an eight channel transmit/receive coil array for cardiac MRI at 7.0 T. Eur J Radiol 2011; 82:752-9. [PMID: 21920683 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2011.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2011] [Accepted: 08/03/2011] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this work is to design, examine and apply an eight channel transmit/receive coil array tailored for cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at 7.0 T that provides image quality suitable for clinical use, patient comfort, and ease of use. The cardiac coil array was designed to consist of a planar posterior section and a modestly curved anterior section. For radio frequency (RF) safety validation, numerical computations of the electromagnetic field (EMF) and the specific absorption rate (SAR) distribution were conducted. In vivo cardiac imaging was performed using a 2D CINE FLASH technique. For signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) assessment reconstructed images were scaled in SNR units. The parallel imaging capabilities of the coil were examined using GRAPPA and SENSE reconstruction with reduction factors of up to R=4. The assessment of the RF characteristics yielded a maximum noise correlation of 0.33. The baseline SNR advantage at 7.0 T was put to use to acquire 2D CINE images of the heart with a spatial resolution of 1 mm × 1 mm × 4 mm. The coil array supports 1D acceleration factors of up to R=3 without impairing image quality significantly. For un-accelerated 2D CINE FLASH acquisitions the results revealed an SNR of approximately 140 for the left ventricular blood pool. Blood/myocardium contrast was found to be approximately 90 for un-accelerated 2D CINE FLASH acquisitions. The proposed 8 channel cardiac transceiver surface coil has the capability to acquire high contrast, high spatial and temporal resolution in vivo images of the heart at 7.0 T.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Gräßl
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Roessle-Strasse 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany.
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Umutlu L, Bitz AK, Maderwald S, Orzada S, Kinner S, Kraff O, Brote I, Ladd SC, Schroeder T, Forsting M, Antoch G, Ladd ME, Quick HH, Lauenstein TC. Contrast-enhanced ultra-high-field liver MRI: a feasibility trial. Eur J Radiol 2011; 82:760-7. [PMID: 21862273 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2011.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2011] [Accepted: 07/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced 7 T MRI of the liver using an eight-channel radiofrequency (RF) transmit/receive body-coil. 16 healthy subjects were examined on a 7 T MR system utilizing a custom-built eight-channel RF body-coil suitable for RF-shimming. The following data were acquired: (1) steady state free precession imaging, (2) T2w turbo spin echo imaging, (3) T1w in and opposed-phase imaging, (4) T1w 3D FLASH images pre-contrast and in arterial, portal-venous and venous phase and (5) a fat-saturated pre- and post-contrast 2D FLASH sequence. Visual evaluation of (1) the delineation of liver vasculature, (2) the overall image quality, and (3) artifact presence and consequent image impairment was performed. SNR of the liver parenchyma was measured for the contrast-enhanced 2D and 3D FLASH sequences. For statistical analysis, a Wilcoxon-Rank Test was used. Best delineation of non-enhanced liver vasculature and overall image quality was found for 2D FLASH MRI, with only slight improvement in vessel conspicuity after the application of contrast media. T2-weighted TSE imaging remained strongly impaired, falling short of diagnostic relevance and precluding a clinical application. Our results demonstrate the feasibility and diagnostic potential of dedicated contrast-enhanced 7 T liver MRI as well as the potential for non-contrast-enhanced angiographic application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lale Umutlu
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Germany.
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Martin C, Frauenrath T, Ozerdem C, Renz W, Niendorf T. Development and evaluation of a small and mobile Magneto Alert Sensor (MALSE) to support safety requirements for magnetic resonance imaging. Eur Radiol 2011; 21:2187-92. [PMID: 21647823 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-011-2153-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2011] [Revised: 04/15/2011] [Accepted: 04/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to (i) design a small and mobile Magnetic field ALert SEnsor (MALSE), (ii) to carefully evaluate its sensors to their consistency of activation/deactivation and sensitivity to magnetic fields, and (iii) to demonstrate the applicability of MALSE in 1.5 T, 3.0 T and 7.0 T MR fringe field environments. METHODS MALSE comprises a set of reed sensors, which activate in response to their exposure to a magnetic field. The activation/deactivation of reed sensors was examined by moving them in/out of the fringe field generated by 7TMR. RESULTS The consistency with which individual reed sensors would activate at the same field strength was found to be 100% for the setup used. All of the reed switches investigated required a substantial drop in ambient magnetic field strength before they deactivated. CONCLUSIONS MALSE is a simple concept for alerting MRI staff to a ferromagnetic object being brought into fringe magnetic fields which exceeds MALSEs activation magnetic field. MALSE can easily be attached to ferromagnetic objects within the vicinity of a scanner, thus creating a barrier for hazardous situations induced by ferromagnetic parts which should not enter the vicinity of an MR-system to occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conrad Martin
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
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Dieringer MA, Renz W, Lindel T, Seifert F, Frauenrath T, von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff F, Waiczies H, Hoffmann W, Rieger J, Pfeiffer H, Ittermann B, Schulz-Menger J, Niendorf T. Design and application of a four-channel transmit/receive surface coil for functional cardiac imaging at 7T. J Magn Reson Imaging 2011; 33:736-41. [DOI: 10.1002/jmri.22451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2010] [Accepted: 11/10/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Frauenrath T, Hezel F, Renz W, d'Orth TDG, Dieringer M, von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff F, Prothmann M, Menger JS, Niendorf T. Acoustic cardiac triggering: a practical solution for synchronization and gating of cardiovascular magnetic resonance at 7 Tesla. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2010; 12:67. [PMID: 21080933 PMCID: PMC2998500 DOI: 10.1186/1532-429x-12-67] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2010] [Accepted: 11/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To demonstrate the applicability of acoustic cardiac triggering (ACT) for imaging of the heart at ultrahigh magnetic fields (7.0 T) by comparing phonocardiogram, conventional vector electrocardiogram (ECG) and traditional pulse oximetry (POX) triggered 2D CINE acquisitions together with (i) a qualitative image quality analysis, (ii) an assessment of the left ventricular function parameter and (iii) an examination of trigger reliability and trigger detection variance derived from the signal waveforms. RESULTS ECG was susceptible to severe distortions at 7.0 T. POX and ACT provided waveforms free of interferences from electromagnetic fields or from magneto-hydrodynamic effects. Frequent R-wave mis-registration occurred in ECG-triggered acquisitions with a failure rate of up to 30% resulting in cardiac motion induced artifacts. ACT and POX triggering produced images free of cardiac motion artefacts. ECG showed a severe jitter in the R-wave detection. POX also showed a trigger jitter of approximately Δt = 72 ms which is equivalent to two cardiac phases. ACT showed a jitter of approximately Δt = 5 ms only. ECG waveforms revealed a standard deviation for the cardiac trigger offset larger than that observed for ACT or POX waveforms.Image quality assessment showed that ACT substantially improved image quality as compared to ECG (image quality score at end-diastole: ECG = 1.7 ± 0.5, ACT = 2.4 ± 0.5, p = 0.04) while the comparison between ECG vs. POX gated acquisitions showed no significant differences in image quality (image quality score: ECG = 1.7 ± 0.5, POX = 2.0 ± 0.5, p = 0.34). CONCLUSIONS The applicability of acoustic triggering for cardiac CINE imaging at 7.0 T was demonstrated. ACT's trigger reliability and fidelity are superior to that of ECG and POX. ACT promises to be beneficial for cardiovascular magnetic resonance at ultra-high field strengths including 7.0 T.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Frauenrath
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Hezel
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Renz
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Thibaut de Geyer d'Orth
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias Dieringer
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Medical University Berlin, Charité Campus Buch, HELIOS-Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Dept. of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Campus Buch, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Medical University Berlin, Charité Campus Buch, HELIOS-Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Dept. of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Campus Buch, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcel Prothmann
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Medical University Berlin, Charité Campus Buch, HELIOS-Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Dept. of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jeanette Schulz Menger
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Working Group on Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Medical University Berlin, Charité Campus Buch, HELIOS-Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Dept. of Cardiology and Nephrology, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Campus Buch, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Campus Buch, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany
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Niendorf T, Sodickson DK, Krombach GA, Schulz-Menger J. Toward cardiovascular MRI at 7 T: clinical needs, technical solutions and research promises. Eur Radiol 2010; 20:2806-16. [PMID: 20676653 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-010-1902-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2010] [Revised: 07/09/2010] [Accepted: 07/14/2010] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To consider potential clinical needs, technical solutions and research promises of ultrahigh-field strength cardiovascular MR (CMR). METHODS A literature review is given, surveying advantages and disadvantages of CMR at ultrahigh fields (UHF). Key concepts, emerging technologies, practical considerations and applications of UHF CMR are provided. Examples of UHF CMR imaging strategies and their added value are demonstrated, including the numerous unsolved problems. A concluding section explores future directions in UHF CMR. RESULTS UHF CMR can be regarded as one of the most challenging MRI applications. Image quality achievable at UHF is not always exclusively defined by signal-to-noise considerations. Some of the inherent advantages of UHF MRI are offset by practical challenges. But UHF CMR can boast advantages over its kindred lower field counterparts by trading the traits of high magnetic fields for increased temporal and/or spatial resolution. CONCLUSIONS CMR at ultrahigh-field strengths is a powerful motivator, since speed and signal may be invested to overcome the fundamental constraints that continue to hamper traditional CMR. If practical challenges can be overcome, UHF CMR will help to open the door to new approaches for basic science and clinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Roessle-Strasse 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany.
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