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Waks M, Lagore RL, Auerbach E, Grant A, Sadeghi-Tarakameh A, DelaBarre L, Jungst S, Tavaf N, Lattanzi R, Giannakopoulos I, Moeller S, Wu X, Yacoub E, Vizioli L, Schmidt S, Metzger GJ, Eryaman Y, Adriany G, Uğurbil K. RF coil design strategies for improving SNR at the ultrahigh magnetic field of 10.5 Tesla. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.23.595628. [PMID: 38826245 PMCID: PMC11142186 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.23.595628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Purpose To develop multichannel transmit and receive arrays towards capturing the ultimate-intrinsic-SNR (uiSNR) at 10.5 Tesla (T) and to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of whole-brain, high-resolution human brain imaging at this high field strength. Methods A dual row 16-channel self-decoupled transmit (Tx) array was converted to a 16Tx/Rx transceiver using custom transmit/receive switches. A 64-channel receive-only (64Rx) array was built to fit into the 16Tx/Rx array. Electromagnetic modeling and experiments were employed to define safe operation limits of the resulting 16Tx/80Rx array and obtain FDA approval for human use. Results The 64Rx array alone captured approximately 50% of the central uiSNR at 10.5T while the identical 7T 64Rx array captured ∼76% of uiSNR at this lower field strength. The 16Tx/80Rx configuration brought the fraction of uiSNR captured at 10.5T to levels comparable to the performance of the 64Rx array at 7T. SNR data obtained at the two field strengths with these arrays displayed dependent increases over a large central region. Whole-brain high resolution T 2 * and T 1 weighted anatomical and gradient-recalled echo EPI BOLD fMRI images were obtained at 10.5T for the first time with such an advanced array, illustrating the promise of >10T fields in studying the human brain. Conclusion We demonstrated the ability to approach the uiSNR at 10.5T over the human brain with a novel, high channel count array, achieving large SNR gains over 7T, currently the most commonly employed ultrahigh field platform, and demonstrate high resolution and high contrast anatomical and functional imaging at 10.5T.
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Dudysheva N, Mauconduit F, Abdeddaim R, Gapais PF, Hosseinnezhadian S, Dubois M, Amadon A, Boulant N, Hertz-Pannier L, Vignaud A. The restricted SAR protocol: A method to assess MRI coil prototypes in an unconditionally safe manner. Magn Reson Med 2024; 91:1723-1734. [PMID: 38084471 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29962] [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: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Testing an RF coil prototype on subjects involves laborious verifications to ensure its safety. In particular, it requires preliminary electromagnetic simulations and their validations on phantoms to accurately predict the specific absorption rate (SAR). For coil design validation with a simpler safety procedure, the restricted SAR (rS) mode is proposed, enabling representative first experiments in vivo. The goal of the developed approach is to accelerate the transition of a custom coil system from prototype to clinical use. METHODS The restricted specific absorption rate (SAR) (rS) mode imposes a radical limitation on the transmitted RF power based on a worst-case scenario of local RF power absorption. The limitations used are independent of the SAR spatial distribution, making this approach unconditionally safe. The developed rS protocol contains the sequences required for coil evaluation and satisfies the imposed rS conditions. It provides a quantitative characterization of the coil transmission and reception profiles and a qualitative evaluation of the anatomical images. Protocol validation was performed on commercial and pre-industrial prototype coils on a small cohort of healthy volunteers. RESULTS The proposed rS protocol enables coil evaluation within an acquisition time compatible with common clinical protocol duration. The total time of all evaluation steps does not exceed 17 min. At the same time, the global SAR remains 100 times less than the International Electrotechnical Commission safety limit for played sequences. CONCLUSION The rS protocol allows characterizing and comparing coil prototypes on volunteers without extensive electromagnetic calculations and phantom validations in an unconditionally safe way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Dudysheva
- Paris-Saclay University, CEA, CNRS, BAOBAB, NeuroSpin, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Multiwave Imaging, Marseille, France
| | - Franck Mauconduit
- Paris-Saclay University, CEA, CNRS, BAOBAB, NeuroSpin, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Redha Abdeddaim
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, Institut Fresnel, Institut Marseille Imaging, Marseille, France
| | | | | | | | - Alexis Amadon
- Paris-Saclay University, CEA, CNRS, BAOBAB, NeuroSpin, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Nicolas Boulant
- Paris-Saclay University, CEA, CNRS, BAOBAB, NeuroSpin, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Lucie Hertz-Pannier
- Paris-Saclay University, CEA, CNRS, BAOBAB, NeuroSpin, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Alexandre Vignaud
- Paris-Saclay University, CEA, CNRS, BAOBAB, NeuroSpin, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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3
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Sadeghi-Tarakameh A, DelaBarre L, Zulkarnain NIH, Harel N, Eryaman Y. Implant-friendly MRI of deep brain stimulation electrodes at 7 T. Magn Reson Med 2023; 90:2627-2642. [PMID: 37533196 PMCID: PMC10543551 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29825] [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: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to present a strategy to calculate the implant-friendly (IF) excitation modes-which mitigate the RF heating at the contacts of deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes-of multichannel RF coils at 7 T. METHODS An induced RF current on an implantable electrode generates a scattered magnetic field whose left-handed circularly polarizing component (B 1 + $$ B{1}^{+} $$ ) is approximated using aB 1 + $$ B{1}^{+} $$ -mapping technique and subsequently used as a gauge for the electrode's induced current. Using this approach, the relative induced currents resulting from each channel of a multichannel RF coil on the DBS electrode were calculated. The IF modes of the corresponding multichannel coil were determined by calculating the null space of the relative induced currents. The proposed strategy was tested and validated for unilateral and bilateral commercial DBS electrodes (directional lead; Infinity DBS system, Abbott Laboratories) placed inside a uniform phantom by performing heating and imaging studies on a 7T MRI scanner using a 16-channel transceive RF coil. RESULTS Neither individual IF modes nor shim solutions obtained from IF modes induced significant temperature increase when used for a high-power turbo spin-echo sequence. In contrast, shimming with the scanner's toolbox (i.e., based on per-channelB 1 + $$ B{1}^{+} $$ fields) resulted in a more than 2°C temperature increase for the same amount of input power. CONCLUSION A strategy for calculating the IF modes of a multichannel RF coil is presented. This strategy was validated using a 16-channel RF coil at 7 T for unilateral and bilateral commercial DBS electrodes inside a uniform phantom.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lance DelaBarre
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Noam Harel
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Yigitcan Eryaman
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Rios NL, Gilbert KM, Papp D, Cereza G, Foias A, Rangaprakash D, May MW, Guerin B, Wald LL, Keil B, Stockmann JP, Barry RL, Cohen-Adad J. An 8-channel Tx dipole and 20-channel Rx loop coil array for MRI of the cervical spinal cord at 7 Tesla. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2023; 36:e5002. [PMID: 37439129 PMCID: PMC10733907 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.5002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The quality of cervical spinal cord images can be improved by the use of tailored radiofrequency (RF) coil solutions for ultrahigh field imaging; however, very few commercial and research 7-T RF coils currently exist for the spinal cord, and in particular, those with parallel transmission (pTx) capabilities. This work presents the design, testing, and validation of a pTx/Rx coil for the human neck and cervical/upper thoracic spinal cord. The pTx portion is composed of eight dipoles to ensure high homogeneity over this large region of the spinal cord. The Rx portion is made up of twenty semiadaptable overlapping loops to produce high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) across the patient population. The coil housing is designed to facilitate patient positioning and comfort, while also being tight fitting to ensure high sensitivity. We demonstrate RF shimming capabilities to optimize B1 + uniformity, power efficiency, and/or specific absorption rate efficiency. B1 + homogeneity, SNR, and g-factor were evaluated in adult volunteers and demonstrated excellent performance from the occipital lobe down to the T4-T5 level. We compared the proposed coil with two state-of-the-art head and head/neck coils, confirming its superiority in the cervical and upper thoracic regions of the spinal cord. This coil solution therefore provides a convincing platform for producing the high image quality necessary for clinical and research scanning of the upper spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nibardo Lopez Rios
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Kyle M. Gilbert
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Daniel Papp
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Gaspard Cereza
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Alexandru Foias
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - D. Rangaprakash
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Markus W. May
- Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- High Field and Hybrid MR Imaging, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Bastien Guerin
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lawrence L. Wald
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Sciences & Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Boris Keil
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen, Giessen, Germany
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Marburg, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jason P. Stockmann
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert L. Barry
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Sciences & Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Julien Cohen-Adad
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Functional Neuroimaging Unit, CRIUGM, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Mila – Quebec AI Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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5
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Rios NL, Gilbert KM, Papp D, Cereza G, Foias A, Rangaprakash D, May MW, Guerin B, Wald LL, Keil B, Stockmann JP, Barry RL, Cohen-Adad J. 8-channel Tx dipole and 20-channel Rx loop coil array for MRI of the cervical spinal cord at 7 Tesla. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.08.527664. [PMID: 36798276 PMCID: PMC9934596 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.08.527664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The quality of cervical spinal cord images can be improved by the use of tailored radiofrequency coil solutions for ultra-high field imaging; however, very few commercial and research 7 Tesla radiofrequency coils currently exist for the spinal cord, and in particular those with parallel transmit capabilities. This work presents the design, testing and validation of a pTx/Rx coil for the human neck and cervical/upper-thoracic spinal cord. The pTx portion is composed of 8 dipoles to ensure high homogeneity over this large region of the spinal cord. The Rx portion is made of 20 semi-adaptable overlapping loops to produce high Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) across the patient population. The coil housing is designed to facilitate patient positioning and comfort, while being tight fitting to ensure high sensitivity. We demonstrate RF shimming capabilities to optimize B 1 + uniformity, power efficiency and/or specific absorption rate (SAR) efficiency. B 1 + homogeneity, SNR and g-factor was evaluated in adult volunteers and demonstrated excellent performance from the occipital lobe down to the T4-T5 level. We compared the proposed coil with two state-of-the-art head and head/neck coils, confirming its superiority in the cervical and upper-thoracic regions of the spinal cord. This coil solution therefore provides a convincing platform for producing the high image quality necessary for clinical and research scanning of the upper spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nibardo Lopez Rios
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Kyle M. Gilbert
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Daniel Papp
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gaspard Cereza
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Alexandru Foias
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - D. Rangaprakash
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Markus W. May
- Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- High Field and Hybrid MR Imaging, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Bastien Guerin
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lawrence L. Wald
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Sciences & Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Boris Keil
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen, Giessen, Germany
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Marburg, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jason P. Stockmann
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert L. Barry
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Sciences & Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Julien Cohen-Adad
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Functional Neuroimaging Unit, CRIUGM, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Mila – Quebec AI Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Williams SN, McElhinney P, Gunamony S. Ultra-high field MRI: parallel-transmit arrays and RF pulse design. Phys Med Biol 2023; 68. [PMID: 36410046 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/aca4b7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
This paper reviews the field of multiple or parallel radiofrequency (RF) transmission for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Currently the use of ultra-high field (UHF) MRI at 7 tesla and above is gaining popularity, yet faces challenges with non-uniformity of the RF field and higher RF power deposition. Since its introduction in the early 2000s, parallel transmission (pTx) has been recognized as a powerful tool for accelerating spatially selective RF pulses and combating the challenges associated with RF inhomogeneity at UHF. We provide a survey of the types of dedicated RF coils used commonly for pTx and the important modeling of the coil behavior by electromagnetic (EM) field simulations. We also discuss the additional safety considerations involved with pTx such as the specific absorption rate (SAR) and how to manage them. We then describe the application of pTx with RF pulse design, including a practical guide to popular methods. Finally, we conclude with a description of the current and future prospects for pTx, particularly its potential for routine clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney N Williams
- Imaging Centre of Excellence, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Paul McElhinney
- Imaging Centre of Excellence, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Shajan Gunamony
- Imaging Centre of Excellence, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.,MR CoilTech Limited, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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7
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Gudino N, Littin S. Advancements in Gradient System Performance for Clinical and Research MRI. J Magn Reson Imaging 2023; 57:57-70. [PMID: 36073722 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.28421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), spatial field gradients are applied along each axis to encode the location of the nuclear spin in the frequency domain. During recent years, the development of new gradient technologies has been focused on the generation of stronger and faster gradient fields for imaging with higher spatial and temporal resolution. This benefits imaging methods, such as brain diffusion and functional MRI, and enables human imaging at ultra-high field MRI. In addition to improving gradient performance, new technologies have been presented to minimize peripheral nerve stimulation and gradient-related acoustic noise, both generated by the rapid switching of strong gradient fields. This review will provide a general background on the gradient system and update on the state-of-the-art gradient technology. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 5 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Gudino
- MRI Engineering Core, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sebastian Littin
- Medical Physics, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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8
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Zheng M, Gao Y, Quan Z, Zhang X. The design and evaluation of single-channel loopole coils at 7T MRI. Phys Med Biol 2022; 67. [DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ac8fdf] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Objective. Improving the local uniformity of
B
1
+
field for awake monkey brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at ultra-high fields while facilitating convenient placement and fixation of MRI-compatible multimodal devices for neuroscience study, can eventually advance our understanding of the primate’s brain organization. Approach. A group of single-channel RF coils including conventional loop coils and loopole coils sharing the same size and shape were designed for comparison; their performance as the transmit coil was quantitatively evaluated through a series of numerical electromagnetic (EM) simulations, and further verified by using 7T MRI over a saline phantom and a monkey in vivo. Main results. Compared to conventional loop coils, the optimized loopole coil brought up to 23.5%
B
1
+
uniformity improvement for monkey brain imaging in EM simulations, and this performance was further verified over monkey brain imaging at 7T in vivo. Importantly, we have systematically explored the underlying mechanism regarding the relationship between loopole coils’ current density distribution and
B
1
+
uniformity, observing that it can be approximated as a sinusoidal curve. Significance. The proposed loopole coil design can improve the imaging quality in awake and behaving monkeys, thus benefiting advanced brain research at UHF.
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9
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Lu M, Sengupta S, Gore JC, Grissom WA, Yan X. High-Density MRI RF Arrays Using Mixed Dipole Antennas and Microstrip Transmission Line Resonators. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2022; 69:3243-3252. [PMID: 35404807 PMCID: PMC9587496 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2022.3166279] [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] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE High-density multi-coil arrays are desirable in MRI because they provide high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), enable highly accelerated parallel imaging, and provide more uniform transmit fields at high fields. For high-density arrays such as a head array with 16 elements in a row, popular dipole antennas and microstrip transmission line (also referred to as "MTL") resonators both have severe coupling issues. METHODS In this work, we show that dipoles and MTLs have naturally low coupling and propose a novel array configuration in which they are interleaved. We first show the electromagnetic (EM) coupling between a single dipole and a single MTL across different separations in bench tests. Then we validate and analyze this through EM simulations. Finally, we construct a 16-channel mixed dipole and MTL array and evaluate its performance on the bench and through MRI experiments. RESULTS Without any decoupling treatments, the worst coupling between a dipole and an MTL was only -15.8 dB when their center-to-center distance was 4.7 cm (versus -5.4 dB for two dipole antennas and -6.0 dB for two MTL resonators). Even in a dense 16-channel mixed array, the inter-element isolation among all elements was better than -14 dB. CONCLUSION This study reveals, analyzes, and validates a novel finding that the popular dipole antennas and MTL resonators used in ultrahigh field MRI have naturally low coupling. SIGNIFICANCE These findings will simplify the construction of high-density arrays, enable new applications, and benefit imaging performance in ultrahigh field MRI.
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10
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Avdievich NI, Nikulin AV, Ruhm L, Magill AW, Glang F, Henning A, Scheffler K. A 32-element loop/dipole hybrid array for human head imaging at 7 T. Magn Reson Med 2022; 88:1912-1926. [PMID: 35766426 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To improve whole-brain SNR at 7 Tesla, a novel 32-element hybrid human head array coil was developed, constructed, and tested. METHODS Our general design strategy is based on 2 major ideas: Firstly, following suggestions of previous works based on the ultimate intrinsic SNR theory, we combined loops and dipoles for improvement of SNR near the head center. Secondly, we minimized the total number of array elements by using a hybrid combination of transceive (TxRx) and receive (Rx) elements. The new hybrid array consisted of 8 folded-end TxRx-dipole antennas and 3 rows of 24 Rx-loops all placed in a single layer on the surface of a tight-fit helmet. RESULTS The developed array significantly improved SNR in vivo both near the center (∼20%) and at the periphery (∼20% to 80%) in comparison to a common commercial array coil with 8 transmit (Tx) and 32 Rx-elements. Whereas 24 loops alone delivered central SNR very similar to that of the commercial coil, the addition of complementary dipole structures provided further improvement. The new array also provided ∼15% higher Tx efficiency and better longitudinal coverage than that of the commercial array. CONCLUSION The developed array coil demonstrated advantages in combining complementary TxRx and Rx resonant structures, that is, TxRx-dipoles and Rx-loops all placed in a single layer at the same distance to the head. This strategy improved both SNR and Tx-performance, as well as simplified the total head coil design, making it more robust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai I Avdievich
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anton V Nikulin
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,Department for Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Loreen Ruhm
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Arthur W Magill
- Department for Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Felix Glang
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anke Henning
- Advanced Imaging Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Klaus Scheffler
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,Department for Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Woo MK, DelaBarre L, Waks M, Lagore R, Radder J, Jungst S, Kang CK, Ugurbil K, Adriany G. A Monopole and Dipole Hybrid Antenna Array for Human Brain Imaging at 10.5 Tesla. IEEE ANTENNAS AND WIRELESS PROPAGATION LETTERS 2022; 21:1857-1861. [PMID: 37020750 PMCID: PMC10072856 DOI: 10.1109/lawp.2022.3183206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
In this letter, we evaluate antenna designs for ultra-high frequency and field (UHF) human brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 10.5 tesla (T). Although MRI at such UHF is expected to provide major signal-to-noise gains, the frequency of interest, 447 MHz, presents us with challenges regarding improved B1 + efficiency, image homogeneity, specific absorption rate (SAR), and antenna element decoupling for array configurations. To address these challenges, we propose the use of both monopole and dipole antennas in a novel hybrid configuration, which we refer to as a mono-dipole hybrid antenna (MDH) array. Compared to an 8-channel dipole antenna array of the same dimensions, the 8-channel MDH array showed an improvement in decoupling between adjacent array channels, as well as ~18% higher B1 + and SAR efficiency near the central region of the phantom based on simulation and experiment. However, the performances of the MDH and dipole antenna arrays were overall similar when evaluating a human model in terms of peak B1 + efficiency, 10 g SAR, and SAR efficiency. Finally, the concept of an MDH array showed an advantage in improved decoupling, SAR, and B1 + near the superior region of the brain for human brain imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myung Kyun Woo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, University of Ulsan, Ulsan 44005, South Korea
| | - Lance DelaBarre
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Matt Waks
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Russell Lagore
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Jerahmie Radder
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Steve Jungst
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Chang-Ki Kang
- Department of Radiological Science, College of Health Science, Gachon University, Incheon 1342, South Korea
| | - Kamil Ugurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Gregor Adriany
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
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12
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May MW, Hansen SLJD, Mahmutovic M, Scholz A, Kutscha N, Guerin B, Stockmann JP, Barry RL, Kazemivalipour E, Gumbrecht R, Kimmlingen R, Adriany M, Chang Y, Triantafyllou C, Knake S, Wald LL, Keil B. A patient-friendly 16-channel transmit/64-channel receive coil array for combined head-neck MRI at 7 Tesla. Magn Reson Med 2022; 88:1419-1433. [PMID: 35605167 PMCID: PMC9675905 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To extend the coverage of brain coil arrays to the neck and cervical-spine region to enable combined head and neck imaging at 7 Tesla (T) ultra-high field MRI. METHODS The coil array structures of a 64-channel receive coil and a 16-channel transmit coil were merged into one anatomically shaped close-fitting housing. Transmit characteristics were evaluated in a B1+ -field mapping study and an electromagnetic model. Receive SNR and the encoding capability for accelerated imaging were evaluated and compared with a commercially available 7 T brain array coil. The performance of the head-neck array coil was demonstrated in human volunteers using high-resolution accelerated imaging. RESULTS In the brain, the SNR matches the commercially available 32-channel brain array and showed improvements in accelerated imaging capabilities. More importantly, the constructed coil array improved the SNR in the face area, neck area, and cervical spine by a factor of 1.5, 3.4, and 5.2, respectively, in regions not covered by 32-channel brain arrays at 7 T. The interelement coupling of the 16-channel transmit coil ranged from -14 to -44 dB (mean = -19 dB, adjacent elements <-18 dB). The parallel 16-channel transmit coil greatly facilitates B1+ field shaping required for large FOV neuroimaging at 7 T. CONCLUSION This new head-neck array coil is the first demonstration of a device of this nature used for combined full-brain, head-neck, and cervical-spine imaging at 7 T. The array coil is well suited to provide large FOV images, which potentially improves ultrahigh field neuroimaging applications for clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus W May
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Department of Life Science Engineering, Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sam-Luca J D Hansen
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Department of Life Science Engineering, Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, Giessen, Germany
| | - Mirsad Mahmutovic
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Department of Life Science Engineering, Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, Giessen, Germany
| | - Alina Scholz
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Department of Life Science Engineering, Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, Giessen, Germany
| | - Nicolas Kutscha
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Department of Life Science Engineering, Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, Giessen, Germany
| | - Bastien Guerin
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jason P Stockmann
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert L Barry
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ehsan Kazemivalipour
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | | | | - Yulin Chang
- Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Susanne Knake
- Department of Neurology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Lawrence L Wald
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Boris Keil
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Department of Life Science Engineering, Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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13
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Zhu Y, Lu M, Yan X. Resistor-free and one-board-fits-all ratio adjustable power splitter for add-on RF shimming in high field MRI. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2022; 338:107194. [PMID: 35316747 PMCID: PMC9050946 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2022.107194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Ratio adjustable power splitter (RAPS) circuits were recently proposed for add-on RF shimming. Previous RAPSs split the input RF signal with a Wilkinson splitter or 50-Ω-terminated hybrid coupler into two branches, delay these two signals with cable/microstrip line phase shifters, and recombine them with another hybrid coupler. They require resistors to provide high output isolation and a cable/microstrip line library to realize desired splitting ratios. Here we propose a novel resistor-free RAPS circuit in which the Wilkinson splitter/50-Ω-terminated hybrid is replaced with a resistor-free T-junction splitter. A novel sliding mechanism was employed to further combine the T-junction's output arms with subsequent phase shifters and realize a one-board-fits-all design. The resistor-free RAPS was theoretically analyzed, simulated, and validated on workbench and MRI experiments. The resistor-free RAPS's splitting ratio has a tan/cot dependence on the phase/length difference between the T-junction output arms. The ratio can be continuously adjusted to any value by sliding the input arm without additional cable/microstrip libraries, largely saving time and effort when determining the best RF weights in practice. The fabricated resistor-free RAPS has a compact size, excellent input impedance matching, and a low insertion loss. Potential safety concerns caused by unwanted power dissipation on RF resistors are eliminated. The simulation and MRI experiments demonstrated that the resistor-free RAPS functions well on a widely-used Tx coil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhu
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Ming Lu
- College of Nuclear Equipment and Nuclear Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Xinqiang Yan
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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14
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Wang B, Zhang B, Yu Z, Ianniello C, Lakshmanan K, Paska J, Madelin G, Cloos M, Brown R. A radially interleaved sodium and proton coil array for brain MRI at 7 T. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2021; 34:e4608. [PMID: 34476861 PMCID: PMC9362999 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The objective of the current study was to design and build a dual-tuned coil array for simultaneous 23 Na/1 H MRI of the human brain at 7 T. Quality factor, experimental B1+ measurements, and electromagnetic simulations in prototypes showed that setups consisting of geometrically interleaved 1 H and 23 Na loops performed better than or similar to 1 H or 23 Na loops in isolation. Based on these preliminary findings, we built a transmit/receive eight-channel 23 Na loop array that was geometrically interleaved with a transmit/receive eight-channel 1 H loop array. We assessed the performance of the manufactured array with mononuclear signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and B1+ measurements, along with multinuclear magnetic resonance fingerprinting maps and images. The 23 Na array within the developed dual-tuned device provided more than 50% gain in peripheral SNR and similar B1+ uniformity and coverage as a reference birdcage coil of similar size. The 1 H array provided good B1+ uniformity in the brain, excluding the cerebellum and brain stem. The integrated 23 Na and 1 H arrays were used to demonstrate truly simultaneous quantitative 1 H mapping and 23 Na imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bili Wang
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Bei Zhang
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Advanced Imaging Research Center, Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Zidan Yu
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Carlotta Ianniello
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Karthik Lakshmanan
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jan Paska
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Guillaume Madelin
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Martijn Cloos
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ryan Brown
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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15
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Sadeghi-Tarakameh A, Jungst S, Lanagan M, DelaBarre L, Wu X, Adriany G, Metzger GJ, Van de Moortele PF, Ugurbil K, Atalar E, Eryaman Y. A nine-channel transmit/receive array for spine imaging at 10.5 T: Introduction to a nonuniform dielectric substrate antenna. Magn Reson Med 2021; 87:2074-2088. [PMID: 34825735 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to introduce a new antenna element with improved transmit performance, named the nonuniform dielectric substrate (NODES) antenna, for building transmit arrays at ultrahigh-field. METHODS We optimized a dipole antenna at 10.5 Tesla by maximizing the B 1 + -SAR efficiency in a phantom for a human spine target. The optimization parameters included permittivity variation in the substrate, substrate thickness, antenna length, and conductor geometry. We conducted electromagnetic simulations as well as phantom experiments to compare the transmit/receive performance of the proposed NODES antenna design with existing coil elements from the literature. RESULTS Single NODES element showed up to 18% and 30% higher B 1 + -SAR efficiency than the fractionated dipole and loop elements, respectively. The new element is substantially shorter than a commonly used dipole, which enables z-stacked array formation; it is additionally capable of providing a relatively uniform current distribution along its conductors. The nine-channel transmit/receive NODES array achieved 7.5% higher B 1 + homogeneity than a loop array with the same number of elements. Excitation with the NODES array resulted in 33% lower peak 10g-averaged SAR and required 34% lower input power than the loop array for the target anatomy of the spine. CONCLUSION In this study, we introduced a new RF coil element: the NODES antenna. NODES antenna outperformed the widely used loop and dipole elements and may provide improved transmit/receive performance for future ultrahigh field MRI applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Sadeghi-Tarakameh
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Steve Jungst
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Mike Lanagan
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lance DelaBarre
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Xiaoping Wu
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gregor Adriany
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gregory J Metzger
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Kamil Ugurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ergin Atalar
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Yigitcan Eryaman
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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16
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A 16-Channel Dipole Antenna Array for Human Head Magnetic Resonance Imaging at 10.5 Tesla. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21217250. [PMID: 34770558 PMCID: PMC8587099 DOI: 10.3390/s21217250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
For ultra-high field and frequency (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the associated short wavelengths in biological tissues leads to penetration and homogeneity issues at 10.5 tesla (T) and require antenna transmit arrays for efficiently generated 447 MHz B1+ fields (defined as the transmit radiofrequency (RF) magnetic field generated by RF coils). Previously, we evaluated a 16-channel combined loop + dipole antenna (LD) 10.5 T head array. While the LD array configuration did not achieve the desired B1+ efficiency, it showed an improvement of the specific absorption rate (SAR) efficiency compared to the separate 8-channel loop and separate 8-channel dipole antenna arrays at 10.5 T. Here we compare a 16-channel dipole antenna array with a 16-channel LD array of the same dimensions to evaluate B1+ efficiency, 10 g SAR, and SAR efficiency. The 16-channel dipole antenna array achieved a 24% increase in B1+ efficiency in the electromagnetic simulation and MR experiment compared to the LD array, as measured in the central region of a phantom. Based on the simulation results with a human model, we estimate that a 16-channel dipole antenna array for human brain imaging can increase B1+ efficiency by 15% with similar SAR efficiency compared to a 16-channel LD head array.
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17
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Avdievich NI, Solomakha G, Ruhm L, Henning A, Scheffler K. 9.4 T double-tuned 13 C/ 1 H human head array using a combination of surface loops and dipole antennas. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2021; 34:e4577. [PMID: 34169590 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
MRI at ultra-high field (UHF, ≥7 T) provides a natural strategy for improving the quality of X-nucleus magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging due to the intrinsic benefit of increased signal-to-noise ratio. Considering that RF coils require both local transmission and reception at UHF, the designs of double-tuned coils, which often consist of several layers of transmit and receive resonant elements, become quite complex. A few years ago, a new type of RF coil, ie a dipole antenna, was developed and used for human body and head imaging at UHF. Due to the mechanical and electrical simplicity of dipole antennas, combining an X-nucleus surface loop array with 1 H dipoles can substantially simplify the design of a double-tuned UHF human head array coil. Recently, we developed a novel bent folded-end dipole transceiver array for human head imaging at 9.4 T. The new eight-element dipole array demonstrated full brain coverage, and transmit efficiency comparable to that of the substantially more complex 16-element surface loop array. In this work, we developed, constructed and evaluated a double-tuned 13 C/1 H human head 9.4 T array consisting of eight 13 C transceiver surface loops and eight 1 H transceiver bent folded-end dipole antennas all placed in a single layer. We showed that interaction between loops and dipoles can be minimized by placing four 1 H traps into each 13 C loop. The presented double-tuned RF array coil substantially simplifies the design as compared with the common double-tuned surface loop arrays. At the same time, the coil demonstrated an improved 1 H longitudinal coverage and good transmit efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai I Avdievich
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Georgiy Solomakha
- Department of Physics and Engineering, ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Loreen Ruhm
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anke Henning
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
- Advanced Imaging Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Klaus Scheffler
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
- Department for Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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18
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Evaluation of 8-Channel Radiative Antenna Arrays for Human Head Imaging at 10.5 Tesla. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21186000. [PMID: 34577210 PMCID: PMC8469352 DOI: 10.3390/s21186000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
For human head magnetic resonance imaging at 10.5 tesla (T), we built an 8-channel transceiver dipole antenna array and evaluated the influence of coaxial feed cables. The influence of coaxial feed cables was evaluated in simulation and compared against a physically constructed array in terms of transmit magnetic field (B1+) and specific absorption rate (SAR) efficiency. A substantial drop (23.1% in simulation and 20.7% in experiment) in B1+ efficiency was observed with a tight coaxial feed cable setup. For the investigation of the feed location, the center-fed dipole antenna array was compared to two 8-channel end-fed arrays: monopole and sleeve antenna arrays. The simulation results with a phantom indicate that these arrays achieved ~24% higher SAR efficiency compared to the dipole antenna array. For a human head model, we observed 30.8% lower SAR efficiency with the 8-channel monopole antenna array compared to the phantom. Importantly, our simulation with the human model indicates that the sleeve antenna arrays can achieve 23.8% and 21% higher SAR efficiency compared to the dipole and monopole antenna arrays, respectively. Finally, we obtained high-resolution human cadaver images at 10.5 T with the 8-channel sleeve antenna array.
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19
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Woo MK, Delabarre L, Waks M, Lee J, Lagore RL, Jungst S, Grant A, Eryaman Y, Ugurbil K, Adriany G. Comparison of 16-Channel Asymmetric Sleeve Antenna and Dipole Antenna Transceiver Arrays at 10.5 Tesla MRI. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING 2021; 40:1147-1156. [PMID: 33360987 PMCID: PMC8078892 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2020.3047354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Multi-element transmit arrays with low peak 10 g specific absorption rate (SAR) and high SAR efficiency (defined as ( [Formula: see text]SAR [Formula: see text] are essential for ultra-high field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications. Recently, the adaptation of dipole antennas used as MRI coil elements in multi-channel arrays has provided the community with a technological solution capable of producing uniform images and low SAR efficiency at these high field strengths. However, human head-sized arrays consisting of dipole elements have a practical limitation to the number of channels that can be used due to radiofrequency (RF) coupling between the antenna elements, as well as, the coaxial cables necessary to connect them. Here we suggest an asymmetric sleeve antenna as an alternative to the dipole antenna. When used in an array as MRI coil elements, the asymmetric sleeve antenna can generate reduced peak 10 g SAR and improved SAR efficiency. To demonstrate the advantages of an array consisting of our suggested design, we compared various performance metrics produced by 16-channel arrays of asymmetric sleeve antennas and dipole antennas with the same dimensions. Comparison data were produced on a phantom in electromagnetic (EM) simulations and verified with experiments at 10.5 Tesla (T). The results produced by the 16-channel asymmetric sleeve antenna array demonstrated 28 % lower peak 10 g SAR and 18.6 % higher SAR efficiency when compared to the 16-channel dipole antenna array.
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20
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Zhang B, Adriany G, Delabarre L, Radder J, Lagore R, Rutt B, Yang QX, Ugurbil K, Lattanzi R. Effect of radiofrequency shield diameter on signal-to-noise ratio at ultra-high field MRI. Magn Reson Med 2021; 85:3522-3530. [PMID: 33464649 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE In this work, we investigated how the position of the radiofrequency (RF) shield can affect the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a receive RF coil. Our aim was to obtain physical insight for the design of a 10.5T 32-channel head coil, subject to the constraints on the diameter of the RF shield imposed by the head gradient coil geometry. METHOD We used full-wave numerical simulations to investigate how the SNR of an RF receive coil depends on the diameter of the RF shield at ultra-high magnetic field (UHF) strengths (≥7T). RESULTS Our simulations showed that there is an SNR-optimal RF shield size at UHF strength, whereas at low field the SNR monotonically increases with the shield diameter. For a 32-channel head coil at 10.5T, an optimally sized RF shield could act as a cylindrical waveguide and increase the SNR in the brain by 27% compared to moving the shield as far as possible from the coil. Our results also showed that a separate transmit array between the RF shield and the receive array could considerably reduce SNR even if they are decoupled. CONCLUSION At sufficiently high magnetic field strength, the design of local RF coils should be optimized together with the design of the RF shield to benefit from both near field and resonant modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Zhang
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.,Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.,Advanced Imaging Research Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Gregor Adriany
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Lance Delabarre
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jerahmie Radder
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Russell Lagore
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Brian Rutt
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Qing X Yang
- Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kamil Ugurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Riccardo Lattanzi
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.,Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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21
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Sadeghi-Tarakameh A, Adriany G, Metzger GJ, Lagore RL, Jungst S, DelaBarre L, Van de Moortele PF, Ugurbil K, Atalar E, Eryaman Y. Improving radiofrequency power and specific absorption rate management with bumped transmit elements in ultra-high field MRI. Magn Reson Med 2020; 84:3485-3493. [PMID: 32767392 PMCID: PMC7722062 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE In this study, we investigate a strategy to reduce the local specific absorption rate (SAR) while keeping B 1 + constant inside the region of interest (ROI) at the ultra-high field (B0 ≥ 7T) MRI. METHODS Locally raising the resonance structure under the discontinuity (i.e., creating a bump) increases the distance between the accumulated charges and the tissue. As a result, it reduces the electric field and local SAR generated by these charges inside the tissue. The B 1 + at a point that is sufficiently far from the coil, however, is not affected by this modification. In this study, three different resonant elements (i.e., loop coil, snake antenna, and fractionated dipole [FD]) are investigated. For experimental validation, a bumped FD is further investigated at 10.5T. After the validation, the transmit performances of eight-channel arrays of each element are compared through electromagnetic (EM) simulations. RESULTS Introducing a bump reduced the peak 10g-averaged SAR by 21, 26, 23% for the loop and snake antenna at 7T, and FD at 10.5T, respectively. In addition, eight-channel bumped FD array at 10.5T had a 27% lower peak 10g-averaged SAR in a realistic human body simulation (i.e., prostate imaging) compared to an eight-channel FD array. CONCLUSION In this study, we investigated a simple design strategy based on adding bumps to a resonant element to reduce the local SAR while maintaining B 1 + inside an ROI. As an example, we modified an FD and performed EM simulations and phantom experiments with a 10.5T scanner. Results show that the peak 10g-averaged SAR can be reduced more than 25%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Sadeghi-Tarakameh
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Ankara, Turkey
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gregor Adriany
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gregory J. Metzger
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Russell L. Lagore
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Steve Jungst
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Lance DelaBarre
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Kamil Ugurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ergin Atalar
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Yigitcan Eryaman
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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22
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Woo MK, DelaBarre L, Lee BY, Waks M, Lagore RL, Radder J, Eryaman Y, Ugurbil K, Adriany G. Evaluation of a 16-channel transceiver loop + dipole antenna array for human head imaging at 10.5 tesla. IEEE ACCESS : PRACTICAL INNOVATIONS, OPEN SOLUTIONS 2020; 8:203555-203563. [PMID: 33747679 PMCID: PMC7978235 DOI: 10.1109/access.2020.3036598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
We evaluated a 16-channel loop + dipole (LD) transceiver antenna array with improved specific absorption rate (SAR) efficiency for 10.5 Tesla (T) human head imaging apsplications. Three different array designs with equal inner dimensions were considered: an 8-channel dipole antenna, an 8-channel loop, and a 16-channel LD antenna arrays. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and B1 + efficiency (in units of μT per √W) were simulated and measured in 10.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) experiments. For the safety validation, 10 g SAR and SAR efficiency (defined as the B1 + over √ (peak 10 g SAR)) were calculated through simulation. Finally, high resolution porcine brain images were acquired with the 16-channel LD antenna array, including a fast turbo-spin echo (TSE) sequence incorporating B1 shimming techniques. Both the simulation and experiments demonstrated that the combined 16-channel LD antenna array showed similar B1 + efficiency compared to the 8-channel dipole antenna and the 8-channel loop arrays in a circular polarized (CP) mode. In a central 2 mm × 2 mm region of the phantom, however, the 16-channel LD antenna array showed an improvement in peak 10 g SAR of 27.5 % and 32.5 % over the 8-channel dipole antenna and the 8-channel loop arrays, respectively. We conclude that the proposed 16-channel head LD antenna array design is capable of achieving ~7% higher SAR efficiency at 10.5 T compared to either the 8-channel loop-only or the 8-channel dipole-only antenna arrays of the same dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myung Kyun Woo
- Center for Magnetic Resonance and Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Lance DelaBarre
- Center for Magnetic Resonance and Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Byeong-Yeul Lee
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Integrated Research Facility (IRF), Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Matt Waks
- Center for Magnetic Resonance and Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Russell Luke Lagore
- Center for Magnetic Resonance and Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jerahmie Radder
- Center for Magnetic Resonance and Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Yigitcan Eryaman
- Center for Magnetic Resonance and Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Kamil Ugurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance and Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gregor Adriany
- Center for Magnetic Resonance and Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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23
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Kazemivalipour E, Sadeghi-Tarakameh A, Atalar E. Eigenmode analysis of the scattering matrix for the design of MRI transmit array coils. Magn Reson Med 2020; 85:1727-1741. [PMID: 33034125 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To obtain efficient operation modes of transmit array (TxArray) coils using a general design technique based on the eigenmode analysis of the scattering matrix. METHODS We introduce the concept of modal reflected power and excitation eigenmodes, which are calculated as the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of SH S, where the superscript H denotes the Hermitian transpose. We formulate the normalized reflected power, which is the ratio of the total reflected power to the total incident power of TxArray coils for a given excitation signal as the weighted sum of the modal reflected power. By minimizing the modal reflected power of TxArray coils, we increase the excitation space with a low total reflection. The algorithm was tested on 4 dual-row TxArray coils with 8 to 32 channels. RESULTS By minimizing the modal reflected power, we designed an 8-element TxArray coil to have a low reflection for 7 out of 8 dimensions of the excitation space. Similarly, the minimization of the modal reflected power of a 16-element TxArray coil enabled us to enlarge the dimension of the excitation space by 50% compared with commonly employed design techniques. Moreover, we demonstrated that the low total reflected power for some critical excitation modes, such as the circularly polarized mode, can be achieved for all TxArray coils even with a high level of coupling. CONCLUSION Eigenmode analysis is an efficient method that intuitively provides a quantitative and compact representation of the coil's power transmission capabilities. This method also provides insight into the excitation modes with low reflection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Kazemivalipour
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Alireza Sadeghi-Tarakameh
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ergin Atalar
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
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24
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Brizi D, Fontana N, Costa F, Tiberi G, Galante A, Alecci M, Monorchio A. Design of Distributed Spiral Resonators for the Decoupling of MRI Double-Tuned RF Coils. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2020; 67:2806-2816. [PMID: 32031927 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2020.2971843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A systematic analytical approach to design Spiral Resonators (SRs), acting as distributed magnetic traps (DMTs), for the decoupling of concentric Double-Tuned (DT) RF coils suitable for Ultra-High Field (7 T) MRI is presented. METHODS The design is based on small planar SRs placed in between the two RF loops (used for signal detection of the two nuclei of interest). We developed a general framework based on a fully analytical approach to estimate the mutual coupling between the RF coils and to provide design guidelines for the geometry and number of SRs to be employed. Starting from the full-analytical estimations of the SRs geometry, electromagnetic simulations for improving and validating the performance can be carried out. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION We applied the method to a test case of a DT RF coil consisting of two concentric and coplanar loops used for 7 T MRI, tuned at the Larmor frequencies of the proton (1H, 298 MHz) and sodium (23Na, 79 MHz) nuclei, respectively. We performed numerical simulations and experimental measurements on fabricated prototypes, which both demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed design procedure. SIGNIFICANCE The decoupling is achieved by printing the SRs on the same dielectric substrate of the RF coils thus allowing a drastic simplification of the fabrication procedure. It is worth noting that there are no physical connections between the decoupling SRs and the 1H/23Na RF coils, thus providing a mechanically robust experimental set-up, and improving the transceiver design with respect to other traditional decoupling techniques.
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25
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Avdievich NI, Ruhm L, Dorst J, Scheffler K, Korzowski A, Henning A. Double‐tuned
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H human head array with high performance at both frequencies for spectroscopic imaging at 9.4T. Magn Reson Med 2020; 84:1076-1089. [DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai I. Avdievich
- High‐Field MR Center Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
| | - Loreen Ruhm
- High‐Field MR Center Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
| | - Johanna Dorst
- High‐Field MR Center Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
| | - Klaus Scheffler
- High‐Field MR Center Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
- Department for Biomedical Magnetic Resonance University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Andreas Korzowski
- Department for Medical Physics in Radiology German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg Germany
| | - Anke Henning
- High‐Field MR Center Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
- Advanced Imaging Research Center University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas Texas
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26
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Abstract
Purpose: We proposed and developed a new microstrip transmission line radiofrequency (RF) coil for a positron emission tomography (PET) insert for MRI, which has low electrical interactions with PET shield boxes. We performed imaging experiments using a single-channel and a four-channel proposed RF coils for proof-of-concept. Methods: A conventional microstrip coil consists of a microstrip conductor, a ground conductor, and a dielectric between the two conductors. We proposed a microstrip coil for the PET insert that replaced the conventional single-layer ground conductor with the RF shield of the PET insert. A dielectric material, which could otherwise attenuate gamma photons radiated from the PET imaging tracer, was not used. As proof-of-concept, we compared conventional and the proposed single-channel coils. To study multichannel performance, we further developed a four-channel proposed RF coil. Since the MRI system had a single-channel transmission port, an interfacing four-way RF power division circuit was designed. The coils were implemented as both RF transmitters and receivers in a cylindrical frame of diameter 150 mm. Coil bench performances were tested with a network analyzer (Rohde & Schwarz, Germany), and a homogeneous phantom study was conducted for gradient echo imaging and RF field (B1) mapping in a 3T clinical MRI system (Verio, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). Results: For all coils, the power reflection coefficient was below −30 dB, and the transmission coefficients in the four-channel configuration were near or below −20 dB. The comparative single-channel coil study showed good similarity between the conventional and proposed coils. The gradient echo image of the four-channel coil showed expected flashing image intensity near the coils and no phase distortion was visible. Transmit B1 field map resembled the image performance. Conclusion: The proposed PET-microstrip coil performed similarly to the conventional microstrip transmission line coil and is promising for the development of a compact coil-PET system capable of simultaneous PET/MRI analysis with an existing MRI system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Shahadat Hossain Akram
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
| | - Takayuki Obata
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
| | - Taiga Yamaya
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
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27
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Connell IRO, Menon RS. Shape Optimization of an Electric Dipole Array for 7 Tesla Neuroimaging. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING 2019; 38:2177-2187. [PMID: 30908199 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2019.2906507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Radio-frequency (RF) arrays constructed using electric dipoles have potential benefits for transmit and receive applications using the ultra-high field (UHF) MRI. This paper examines some of the implementation barriers regarding dipole RF arrays for human head imaging at 7 T. The dipole array was constructed with conformal, meandered dipoles with dimensions selected utilizing an evolutionary-based optimization routine to shape-optimize the dipole structure. Coupling matrix synthesis (CMS) was utilized to decouple the dipole array. Mean and worst-case transmission between nearest-neighbour dipoles was -17.2 and -15.5 dB, respectively (±2.4 dB). Transmit efficiencies of 24.6 nT/V for the entire brain and 26.0 nT/V across the axial slice were observed. The total and peak 10-g SAR, normalized to 1 Watt accepted input power per channel, was 0.163 and 0.601 W/kg, respectively. Maximum and mean noise correlations were -17 dB and -32 dB, respectively. The use of both CMS and a novel shape optimization routine to design a dipole array translated into sufficient transmit uniformity with a simultaneous reduction in 10-g SAR in comparison to a non-optimized dipole array of the same geometry. As a receiver, the dipole array maintained high orthogonality between elements, resulting in strong parallel imaging performance.
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28
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Kim KN, Hernandez D, Seo JH, Noh Y, Han Y, Ryu YC, Chung JY. Quantitative assessment of phased array coils with different numbers of receiving channels in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and spatial noise variation in magnetic resonance imaging. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219407. [PMID: 31276549 PMCID: PMC6611621 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuroimaging of humans using 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been conducted using phased array (PA) coils with different numbers of receiving channels. PA coils with a high number of channels may offer parallel imaging (PI) with a high reduction (R)-factor, which is enabled via under-sampling and coil geometry (g) factor, increasing the radiofrequency signal sensitivity provided by a small coil. The goals of this study were to assess and validate the coil performance of PA coils with different numbers of receiver (Rx)-channels in and to propose the coil selection guidelines by visualizing 7T brain images. The combined magnetic flux density (||B1||) distributions of four configurations of PA coils—4-, 8-, 12-, and 16-channel Rx-only mode under the local transmit (Tx) mode of birdcage coils—were evaluated using electromagnetic (EM) calculations. These four configurations of PA coils and a local Tx coil were designed and built for a 7T MRI experiment. For 7T brain imaging experiments, all PA coils with (w/) and without (w/o) R-factors were compared in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spatial noise variation (SNV). EM simulation results clearly demonstrated that PA coils with a high number of Rx channels showed more homogeneously distributed ||B1|| fields than a PA coils with a low number of Rx coils. The results of this study demonstrate that a collection of smaller surface coils can contribute to high RF signal sensitivity in terms of the anatomical coverage of the brain and may facilitate PI. With further improvement in coil technology, researchers and clinicians will be provided with PA coils with different numbers of channels, which can ensure the optimum SNR and PI benefits for 7T brain MR imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoung-Nam Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Gachon University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Daniel Hernandez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Gachon University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Jeung-Hoon Seo
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Young Noh
- Department of Neurology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea
| | - Yeji Han
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Gachon University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Yeun Chul Ryu
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Jun-Young Chung
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon, Korea
- * E-mail:
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29
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Clément J, Gruetter R, Ipek Ö. A combined 32-channel receive-loops/8-channel transmit-dipoles coil array for whole-brain MR imaging at 7T. Magn Reson Med 2019; 82:1229-1241. [PMID: 31081176 PMCID: PMC6618274 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.27808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Multichannel receive arrays provide high SNR and parallel‐imaging capabilities, while transmit‐only dipole arrays have been shown to achieve a large coverage of the whole‐brain including the cerebellum. The aim of this study was to develop and characterize the performances of a 32‐channel receive‐only loop array combined with an 8‐channel dipole coil array at 7T for the first time. Methods The 8Tx‐dipoles/32Rx‐loops coil array was characterized by the SNR, g‐factors, noise correlation matrix, accelerated image quality, and B1+ maps, and compared with a commercial 1Tx‐birdcage/32Rx‐loops array. Simulated and measured B1+ maps were shown for the 8Tx‐dipoles/32Rx‐loops coil array and compared with the 8Tx/Rx dipole array. Results The in‐house built 32‐channel receive coil demonstrated a large longitudinal coverage of the brain, particularly the upper neck area. G‐factors and accelerated MR acquisitions demonstrated robust performances up to R = 4 in 2D, and R = 8 (4 × 2) in 3D. A 83% increase in SNR was measured over the cerebellum with the in‐house built 8Tx/32Rx coil array compared to the commercial 1Tx/32Rx, while similar performances were obtained in the cerebral cortex. Conclusions The combined 32‐channel receive/8‐channel transmit coil array demonstrated high transmit‐receive performances compared to the commercial receive array at 7T, notably in the cerebellum. We conclude that in combination with parallel transmit capabilities, this coil is particularly suitable for whole‐brain MR studies at 7T.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémie Clément
- LIFMET, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rolf Gruetter
- LIFMET, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Radiology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Radiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Özlem Ipek
- CIBM-AIT, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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30
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Avdievich NI, Giapitzakis IA, Bause J, Shajan G, Scheffler K, Henning A. Double-row 18-loop transceive-32-loop receive tight-fit array provides for whole-brain coverage, high transmit performance, and SNR improvement near the brain center at 9.4T. Magn Reson Med 2018; 81:3392-3405. [PMID: 30506725 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.27602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To improve the transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) performance of a human head array and provide whole-brain coverage at 9.4T, a novel 32-element array design was developed, constructed, and tested. METHODS The array consists of 18 transceiver (TxRx) surface loops and 14 Rx-only vertical loops all placed in a single layer. The new design combines benefits of both TxRx and transmit-only-receive-only (ToRo) designs. The general idea of the design is that the total number of array elements (both TxRx and Rx) should not exceed the number of required Rx elements. First, the necessary number of TxRx loops is placed around the object tightly to optimize the Tx performance. The rest of the elements are loops, which are used only for reception. We also compared the performance of the new array with that of a state-of-the-art ToRo array consisting of 16 Tx-only loops and 31 Rx-only loops. RESULTS The new array provides whole-brain coverage, ~1.5 times greater Tx efficiency and 1.3 times higher SNR near the brain center as compared to the ToRo array, while the latter delivers higher (up to 1.5 times) peripheral SNR. CONCLUSION In general, the new approach of constructing a single-layer array consisting of both TxRx- and Rx-only elements simplifies the array construction by minimizing the total number of elements and makes the entire design more robust and, therefore, safe. Overall, our work provides a recipe for a Tx- and Rx-efficient head array coil suitable for parallel transmission and reception as well as whole-brain imaging at UHF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai I Avdievich
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ioannis-Angelos Giapitzakis
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,Graduate School of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jonas Bause
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,Graduate School of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gunamony Shajan
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Klaus Scheffler
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,Department for Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anke Henning
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
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31
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Avdievich NI, Giapitzakis IA, Pfrommer A, Shajan G, Scheffler K, Henning A. Decoupling of a double-row 16-element tight-fit transceiver phased array for human whole-brain imaging at 9.4 T. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2018; 31:e3964. [PMID: 29974989 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
One of the major challenges in constructing multi-channel and multi-row transmit (Tx) or transceiver (TxRx) arrays is the decoupling of the array's loop elements. Overlapping of the surface loops allows the decoupling of adjacent elements and also helps to improve the radiofrequency field profile by increasing the penetration depth and eliminating voids between the loops. This also simplifies the design by reducing the number of decoupling circuits. At the same time, overlapping may compromise decoupling by generating high resistive (electric) coupling near the overlap, which cannot be compensated for by common decoupling techniques. Previously, based on analytical modeling, we demonstrated that electric coupling has strong frequency and loading dependence, and, at 9.4 T, both the magnetic and electric coupling between two heavily loaded loops can be compensated at the same time simply by overlapping the loops. As a result, excellent decoupling was obtained between adjacent loops of an eight-loop single-row (1 × 8) human head tight-fit TxRx array. In this work, we designed and constructed a 9.4-T (400-MHz) 16-loop double-row (2 × 8) overlapped TxRx head array based on the results of the analytical and numerical electromagnetic modeling. We demonstrated that, simply by the optimal overlap of array loops, a very good decoupling can be obtained without additional decoupling strategies. The constructed TxRx array provides whole-brain coverage and approximately 1.5 times greater Tx efficiency relative to a transmit-only/receive-only (ToRo) array, which consists of a larger Tx-only array and a nested tight-fit 31-loop receive (Rx)-only array. At the same time, the ToRo array provides greater peripheral signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and better Rx parallel performance in the head-feet direction. Overall, our work provides a recipe for a simple, robust and very Tx-efficient design suitable for parallel transmission and whole-brain imaging at ultra-high fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai I Avdievich
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute of Physics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Ioannis A Giapitzakis
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate School of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Pfrommer
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gunamony Shajan
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Klaus Scheffler
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Department for Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anke Henning
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute of Physics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany
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32
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Garwood M, Uğurbil K. RF pulse methods for use with surface coils: Frequency-modulated pulses and parallel transmission. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2018; 291:84-93. [PMID: 29705035 PMCID: PMC5943143 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2018.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The first use of a surface coil to obtain a 31P NMR spectrum from an intact rat by Ackerman and colleagues initiated a revolution in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS). Today, we take it for granted that one can detect signals in regions external to an RF coil; at the time, however, this concept was most unusual. In the approximately four decade long period since its introduction, this simple idea gave birth to an increasing number of innovations that has led to transformative changes in the way we collect data in an in vivo magnetic resonance experiment, particularly with MRI of humans. These innovations include spatial localization and/or encoding based on the non-uniform B1 field generated by the surface coil, leading to new spectroscopic localization methods, image acceleration, and unique RF pulses that deal with B1 inhomogeneities and even reduce power deposition. Without the surface coil, many of the major technological advances that define the extraordinary success of MRI in clinical diagnosis and in biomedical research, as exemplified by projects like the Human Connectome Project, would not have been possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Garwood
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research and Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA.
| | - Kamil Uğurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research and Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
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33
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Uğurbil K. Imaging at ultrahigh magnetic fields: History, challenges, and solutions. Neuroimage 2018; 168:7-32. [PMID: 28698108 PMCID: PMC5758441 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Following early efforts in applying nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study biological processes in intact systems, and particularly since the introduction of 4 T human scanners circa 1990, rapid progress was made in imaging and spectroscopy studies of humans at 4 T and animal models at 9.4 T, leading 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 provided numerous technological solutions to challenges posed at these ultrahigh fields, and demonstrated the existence of significant advantages in signal-to-noise ratio and biological information content. Primary difference from lower fields is the deviation from the near field regime at the radiofrequencies (RF) corresponding to hydrogen resonance conditions. At such ultrahigh fields, the RF is characterized by attenuated traveling waves in the human body, which leads to image non-uniformities for a given sample-coil configuration because of destructive and constructive interferences. These non-uniformities were initially considered detrimental to progress of imaging at high field strengths. However, they are advantageous for parallel imaging in signal reception and 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, today 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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Affiliation(s)
- Kamil Uğurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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34
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Avdievich NI, Giapitzakis IA, Pfrommer A, Borbath T, Henning A. Combination of surface and 'vertical' loop elements improves receive performance of a human head transceiver array at 9.4 T. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2018; 31:e3878. [PMID: 29244225 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Revised: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Ultra-high-field (UHF, ≥7 T) human magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides undisputed advantages over low-field MRI (≤3 T), but its development remains challenging because of numerous technical issues, including the low efficiency of transmit (Tx) radiofrequency (RF) coils caused by the increase in tissue power deposition with frequency. Tight-fit human head transceiver (TxRx) arrays improve Tx efficiency in comparison with Tx-only arrays, which are larger in order to fit multi-channel receive (Rx)-only arrays inside. A drawback of the TxRx design is that the number of elements in an array is limited by the number of available high-power RF Tx channels (commonly 8 or 16), which is not sufficient for optimal Rx performance. In this work, as a proof of concept, we developed a method for increasing the number of Rx elements in a human head TxRx surface loop array without the need to move the loops away from a sample, which compromises the array Tx performance. We designed and constructed a prototype 16-channel tight-fit array, which consists of eight TxRx surface loops placed on a cylindrical holder circumscribing a head, and eight Rx-only vertical loops positioned along the central axis (parallel to the magnetic field B0 ) of each TxRx loop, perpendicular to its surface. We demonstrated both experimentally and numerically that the addition of the vertical loops has no measurable effect on the Tx efficiency of the array. An increase in the maximum local specific absorption rate (SAR), evaluated using two human head voxel models (Duke and Ella), measured 3.4% or less. At the same time, the 16-element array provided 30% improvement of central signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in vivo relative to a surface loop eight-element array. The novel array design also demonstrated an improvement in the parallel Rx performance in the transversal plane. Thus, using this method, both the Rx and Tx performance of the human head array can be optimized simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- N I Avdievich
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute of Physics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - I A Giapitzakis
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate School of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Tübingen, Germany
| | - A Pfrommer
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - T Borbath
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - A Henning
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute of Physics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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35
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O'Reilly TPA, Ruytenberg T, Webb AG. Modular transmit/receive arrays using very-high permittivity dielectric resonator antennas. Magn Reson Med 2017. [PMID: 28635034 PMCID: PMC5811774 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Dielectric resonator antenna (DRAs) are compact structures that exhibit low coupling between adjacent elements and therefore can be used as MRI transmit arrays. In this study, we use very high permittivity materials to construct modular flexible transceive arrays of a variable numbers of elements for operation at 7T. METHODS DRAs were constructed using rectangular blocks of ceramic (lead zirconate titanate, εr = 1070) with the transverse electric (TE)01 mode tuned to 298 MHz. Finite-difference time-domain simulations were used to determine the B1 and specific absorption rate distributions. B1+ maps were acquired in a phantom to validate the simulations. Performance was compared to an equally sized surface coil. In vivo images were acquired of the wrist (four elements), ankle (seven elements), and calf muscle (16 elements). RESULTS Coupling between DRAs spaced 5 mm apart on a phantom was -18.2 dB compared to -9.1 dB for equivalently spaced surface coils. DRAs showed a higher B1+ intensity close to the antenna but a lower penetration depth compared to the surface coil. CONCLUSION DRAs show very low coupling compared to equally sized surface coils and can be used in transceive arrays without requiring decoupling networks. The penetration depth of the current DRA geometry means they are ideally suited to imaging of extremities. Magn Reson Med 79:1781-1788, 2018. © 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas P A O'Reilly
- C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Ruytenberg
- C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew G Webb
- C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Papoutsis K, Li L, Near J, Payne S, Jezzard P. A purpose-built neck coil for black-blood DANTE-prepared carotid artery imaging at 7T. Magn Reson Imaging 2017; 40:53-61. [PMID: 28438710 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2017.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Atherosclerotic plaques in the bifurcation of the carotid arteries can pose a significant health risk due to possible plaque rupture and subsequent stroke. The assessment of plaques, and evaluation of the risk they pose, can be performed with Black-Blood (BB) vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging. However, resolution at standard clinical field strengths (up to 3T) is limited, hampering reliable assessment and diagnosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the benefits of 7T MRI using a BB application that has been successful at clinical field strengths. Therefore, for BB imaging, each sequence was preceded with 'Delay Alternating with Nutation for Tailored Excitation' (DANTE) preparation pulses for blood signal suppression. A coil comprising a 4-channel Tx array was designed and built to provide the required excitation coverage for the DANTE train; and a 4-channel Rx array was constructed to target the carotid bifurcation. Human and phantom results showed satisfactory blood suppression and comparable SNR and CNR to 3T, therefore demonstrating the feasibility of the application at 7T. However, the imposed SAR restrictions led to long scan times and subsequent motion artifacts. Thus, more accurate local SAR supervision schemes are required which could lead to a further improvement of BB DANTE vessel wall imaging at 7T.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Papoutsis
- FMRIB Centre, Dept of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Dept of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; MR Solutions Ltd, Guildford, UK.
| | - Linqing Li
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, NIMH, NIH, USA
| | - Jamie Near
- Centre d'Imagerie Cérébrale, Douglas Mental Health University, Montreal, Canada; Dept of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Stephen Payne
- Dept of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Peter Jezzard
- FMRIB Centre, Dept of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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37
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Ertürk MA, Wu X, Eryaman Y, Van de Moortele PF, Auerbach EJ, Lagore RL, DelaBarre L, Vaughan JT, Uğurbil K, Adriany G, Metzger GJ. Toward imaging the body at 10.5 tesla. Magn Reson Med 2016; 77:434-443. [PMID: 27770469 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Revised: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To explore the potential of performing body imaging at 10.5 Tesla (T) compared with 7.0T through evaluating the transmit/receive performance of similarly configured dipole antenna arrays. METHODS Fractionated dipole antenna elements for 10.5T body imaging were designed and evaluated using numerical simulations. Transmit performance of antenna arrays inside the prostate, kidneys and heart were investigated and compared with those at 7.0T using both phase-only radiofrequency (RF) shimming and multi-spoke pulses. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) comparisons were also performed. A 10-channel antenna array was constructed to image the abdomen of a swine at 10.5T. Numerical methods were validated with phantom studies at both field strengths. RESULTS Similar power efficiencies were observed inside target organs with phase-only shimming, but RF nonuniformity was significantly higher at 10.5T. Spokes RF pulses allowed similar transmit performance with accompanying local specific absorption rate increases of 25-90% compared with 7.0T. Relative SNR gains inside the target anatomies were calculated to be >two-fold higher at 10.5T, and 2.2-fold SNR gain was measured in a phantom. Gradient echo and fast spin echo imaging demonstrated the feasibility of body imaging at 10.5T with the designed array. CONCLUSION While comparable power efficiencies can be achieved using dipole antenna arrays with static shimming at 10.5T; increasing RF nonuniformities underscore the need for efficient, robust, and safe parallel transmission methods. Magn Reson Med 77:434-443, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Arcan Ertürk
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Xiaoping Wu
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Yiğitcan Eryaman
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Edward J Auerbach
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Russell L Lagore
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Lance DelaBarre
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - J Thomas Vaughan
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering in The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Kâmil Uğurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gregor Adriany
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gregory J Metzger
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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38
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Connell IRO, Menon RS. General Coupling Matrix Synthesis for Decoupling MRI RF Arrays. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING 2016; 35:2229-2242. [PMID: 27093549 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2016.2553844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Multi-channel radio-frequency (RF) arrays, composed of multiple resonant coils, provide significant benefits for MRI during both signal reception (receive) and excitation (transmit). Demonstration of increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and acceleration factors during parallel acquisitions has lead to the development of receive arrays. Conversely, transmit arrays have demonstrated considerable potential for mitigating excitation inhomogeneity arising at ultra-high magnetic field strengths ( ≥ 7 T) , present due to wave-like interactions inside the sample. Due to geometric constraints, the design of both receive and transmit arrays requires the resonating coils to be closely spaced. Significant overlap in the near-field distributions from each coil results in coupling. Without an adequate decoupling strategy applied between individual elements in an RF array, the MRI performance of the array can be significantly degraded. This work presents a method to design decoupling networks for arbitrarily large RF arrays based on direct synthesis of a coupling matrix. Reflection coefficients are fitted to transfer polynomials with transmission coefficients simultaneously minimized through a nonlinear optimization. The method demonstrates the design of nth-order distributed filters and lumped element networks that compensate for all first-order and cross-coupling terms arising in an RF array suitable for MRI. The synthesis results are computed for 4-, 8-, and 32-channel RF arrays. Monte Carlo analyses and experimental results for two RF array constructions demonstrate the robustness of this approach.
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39
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Yan X, Cao Z, Grissom WA. Experimental implementation of array-compressed parallel transmission at 7 tesla. Magn Reson Med 2016; 75:2545-52. [PMID: 27080331 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Revised: 03/12/2016] [Accepted: 03/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To implement and validate a hardware-based array-compressed parallel transmission (acpTx) system. METHODS In array-compressed parallel transmission, a small number of transmit channels drive a larger number of transmit coils, which are connected via an array compression network that implements optimized coil-to-channel combinations. A two channel-to-eight coil array compression network was developed using power splitters, attenuators and phase shifters, and a simulation was performed to investigate the effects of coil coupling on power dissipation in a simplified network. An eight coil transmit array was constructed using induced current elimination decoupling, and the coil and network were validated in benchtop measurements, B1+ mapping scans, and an accelerated spiral excitation experiment. RESULTS The developed attenuators came within 0.08 dB of the desired attenuations, and reflection coefficients were -22 dB or better. The simulation demonstrated that up to 3× more power was dissipated in the network when coils were poorly isolated (-9.6 dB), versus well-isolated (-31 dB). Compared to split circularly-polarized coil combinations, the additional degrees of freedom provided by the array compression network led to 54% lower squared excitation error in the spiral experiment. CONCLUSION Array-compressed parallel transmission was successfully implemented in a hardware system. Further work is needed to develop remote network tuning and to minimize network power dissipation. Magn Reson Med 75:2545-2552, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinqiang Yan
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Radiology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Zhipeng Cao
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - William A Grissom
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Radiology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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40
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Brunner DO, Pruessmann KP. SVD analysis of Array transmission and reception and its use for bootstrapping calibration. Magn Reson Med 2016; 76:1730-1740. [DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Revised: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David O. Brunner
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich; Gloriastrasse 35 8092 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Klaas P. Pruessmann
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich; Gloriastrasse 35 8092 Zurich Switzerland
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41
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Gilbert KM, Gati JS, Barker K, Everling S, Menon RS. Optimized parallel transmit and receive radiofrequency coil for ultrahigh-field MRI of monkeys. Neuroimage 2016; 125:153-161. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.10.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Revised: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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42
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Avdievich NI, Giapitzakis IA, Henning A. Novel splittable N-Tx/2N-Rx transceiver phased array to optimize both signal-to-noise ratio and transmit efficiency at 9.4T. Magn Reson Med 2015; 76:1621-1628. [DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai I. Avdievich
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics; Tübingen Germany
| | | | - Anke Henning
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics; Tübingen Germany
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, UZH and ETH Zurich; Zurich Switzerland
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43
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Yan X, Xue R, Zhang X. Closely-spaced double-row microstrip RF arrays for parallel MR imaging at ultrahigh fields. APPLIED MAGNETIC RESONANCE 2015; 46:1239-1248. [PMID: 26508810 PMCID: PMC4617305 DOI: 10.1007/s00723-015-0712-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Radiofrequency (RF) coil arrays with high count of elements, e.g., closely-spaced multi-row arrays, exhibit superior parallel imaging performance in MRI. However, it is technically challenging and time-consuming to build multi-row arrays due to complex coupling issues. This paper presents a novel and simple method for closely-spaced multi-row RF array designs. Induced current elimination (ICE) decoupling method has shown the capability of reducing coupling between microstrip elements from different rows. In this study, its capability for decoupling array elements from the same row was investigated and validated by bench tests, with an isolation improvement from -8.9 dB to -20.7 dB. Based on this feature, a closely-spaced double-row microstrip array with 16 elements was built at 7T. S21 between any two elements of the 16-channel closely-spaced was better than -14 dB. In addition, its feasibility and performance was validated by MRI experiments. No significant image reconstruction- related noise amplifications were observed for parallel imaging even when reduced factor (R) achieves 4. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed design might be a simple and efficient approach in fabricating closely-spaced multi-row RF arrays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinqiang Yan
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Radiation and Nuclear Energy Technology, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Radiographic Techniques and Equipment, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Rong Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MRI Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xiaoliang Zhang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
- UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
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44
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Yan X, Wei L, Xue R, Zhang X. Hybrid monopole/loop coil array for human head MR imaging at 7T. APPLIED MAGNETIC RESONANCE 2015; 46:541-550. [PMID: 26120252 PMCID: PMC4479412 DOI: 10.1007/s00723-015-0656-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The monopole coil and loop coil have orthogonal radiofrequency (RF) fields and thus are intrinsically decoupled electromagnetically if they are laid out appropriately. In this study, we proposed a hybrid monopole/loop technique which could combine the advantages of both loop arrays and monopole arrays. To investigate this technique, a hybrid RF coil array containing 4 monopole channels and 4 loop channels was developed for human head MR imaging at 7T. In vivo MR imaging and g-factor results using monopole-only channels, loop-only channels and all channels of the hybrid array were acquired and evaluated. Compared with the monopole-only and loop-only channels, the proposed hybrid array has higher SNR and better parallel imaging performance. Sufficient electromagnetic decoupling and diverse RF magnetic field (B1) distributions of monopole channels and loop channels may contribute to this performance improvement. From experimental results, the hybrid monopole/loop array has low g-factor and excellent SNR at both periphery and center of the brain, which is valuable for human head imaging at ultrahigh fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinqiang Yan
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Radiation and Nuclear Energy Technology, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Radiographic Techniques and Equipment, Beijing 100049, China
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MRI Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Long Wei
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Radiation and Nuclear Energy Technology, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Radiographic Techniques and Equipment, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Rong Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MRI Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- China and Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing 100053, China
| | - Xiaoliang Zhang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
- UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
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45
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Eryaman Y, Guerin B, Akgun C, Herraiz JL, Martin A, Torrado-Carvajal A, Malpica N, Hernandez-Tamames JA, Schiavi E, Adalsteinsson E, Wald LL. Parallel transmit pulse design for patients with deep brain stimulation implants. Magn Reson Med 2015; 73:1896-903. [PMID: 24947104 PMCID: PMC4760103 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.25324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2014] [Revised: 05/25/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Specific absorption rate (SAR) amplification around active implantable medical devices during diagnostic MRI procedures poses a potential risk for patient safety. In this study, we present a parallel transmit (pTx) strategy that can be used to safely scan patients with deep brain stimulation (DBS) implants. METHODS We performed electromagnetic simulations at 3T using a uniform phantom and a multitissue realistic head model with a generic DBS implant. Our strategy is based on using implant-friendly modes, which are defined as the modes of an array that reduce the local SAR around the DBS lead tip. These modes are used in a spokes pulse design algorithm in order to produce highly uniform magnitude least-squares flip angle excitations. RESULTS Local SAR (1 g) at the lead tip is reduced below 0.1 W/kg compared with 31.2 W/kg, which is obtained by a simple quadrature birdcage excitation without any sort of SAR mitigation. For the multitissue realistic head model, peak 10 g local SAR and global SAR are obtained as 4.52 W/kg and 0.48 W/kg, respectively. A uniform axial flip angle is also obtained (NRMSE <3%). CONCLUSION Parallel transmit arrays can be used to generate implant-friendly modes and to reduce SAR around DBS implants while constraining peak local SAR and global SAR and maximizing flip angle homogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yigitcan Eryaman
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Dept. of Radiology, MGH, Charlestown, MA, United States
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid Spain
| | - Bastien Guerin
- A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Dept. of Radiology, MGH, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Can Akgun
- Invenshure,Minneapolis,United States
| | - Joaquin L. Herraiz
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid Spain
| | - Adrian Martin
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid Spain
- Dept. of Applied Mathematics. Rey Juan Carlos University. Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Angel Torrado-Carvajal
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid Spain
- Dept. of Electronic Technology. Rey Juan Carlos University. Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Norberto Malpica
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid Spain
- Dept. of Electronic Technology. Rey Juan Carlos University. Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan A. Hernandez-Tamames
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid Spain
- Dept. of Electronic Technology. Rey Juan Carlos University. Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Emanuele Schiavi
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid Spain
- Dept. of Applied Mathematics. Rey Juan Carlos University. Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Elfar Adalsteinsson
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid Spain
- Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Institute of Medical Engineering and Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lawrence L. Wald
- A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Dept. of Radiology, MGH, Charlestown, MA, United States
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States
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Connell IRO, Gilbert KM, Abou-Khousa MA, Menon RS. MRI RF array decoupling method with magnetic wall distributed filters. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING 2015; 34:825-835. [PMID: 25838388 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2014.2378695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Multi-channel radio-frequency (RF) transmit coil arrays have been developed to mitigate many of the RF challenges associated with ultra-high field ( ≥ 7T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These arrays can be used for parallel RF transmission to produce spatially tailored RF excitation over the field of view. However, the realization of such arrays remains a challenge due to significant reactive interaction between the array coils, i.e., mutual coupling. In this paper, a novel bandstop filter ("magnetic wall") is used in an MRI RF transmit array to decouple individual coils. The proposed decoupling method is inspired by periodic resonator designs commonly used in frequency selective surfaces and is used as a distributed RF filter to suppress the transmission of RF energy between coils in an array. The decoupling of the magnetic wall (MW) is analyzed in terms of equivalent circuits that include terms for both magnetic and electric coupling for an arbitrary number of MW resonant conductors. Both frequency-and time-domain full-wave simulations were performed to analyze a specific MW structure. The performance of the proposed method is experimentally validated for both first-order coupling and higher-order coupling with a three-coil 7T array setup. Analysis and measurements confirm that the rejection band of the MW can be tuned to provide high isolation in the presence of cross coupling between RF array coils.
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47
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Eryaman Y, Guerin B, Keil B, Mareyam A, Herraiz JL, Kosior RK, Martin A, Torrado-Carvajal A, Malpica N, Hernandez-Tamames JA, Schiavi E, Adalsteinsson E, Wald LL. SAR reduction in 7T C-spine imaging using a "dark modes" transmit array strategy. Magn Reson Med 2015; 73:1533-9. [PMID: 24753012 PMCID: PMC4761435 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.25246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2013] [Revised: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Local specific absorption rate (SAR) limits many applications of parallel transmit (pTx) in ultra high-field imaging. In this Note, we introduce the use of an array element, which is intentionally inefficient at generating spin excitation (a "dark mode") to attempt a partial cancellation of the electric field from those elements that do generate excitation. We show that adding dipole elements oriented orthogonal to their conventional orientation to a linear array of conventional loop elements can lower the local SAR hotspot in a C-spine array at 7 T. METHODS We model electromagnetic fields in a head/torso model to calculate SAR and excitation B1 (+) patterns generated by conventional loop arrays and loop arrays with added electric dipole elements. We utilize the dark modes that are generated by the intentional and inefficient orientation of dipole elements in order to reduce peak 10g local SAR while maintaining excitation fidelity. RESULTS For B1 (+) shimming in the spine, the addition of dipole elements did not significantly alter the B1 (+) spatial pattern but reduced local SAR by 36%. CONCLUSION The dipole elements provide a sufficiently complimentary B1 (+) and electric field pattern to the loop array that can be exploited by the radiofrequency shimming algorithm to reduce local SAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yigitcan Eryaman
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence to: Yigitcan Eryaman, Ph.D., Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139.
| | - Bastien Guerin
- A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Boris Keil
- A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Azma Mareyam
- A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joaquin L. Herraiz
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid, Spain
| | - Robert K. Kosior
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Adrian Martin
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Angel Torrado-Carvajal
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Electronic Technology, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Norberto Malpica
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Electronic Technology, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan A. Hernandez-Tamames
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Electronic Technology, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Emanuele Schiavi
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Elfar Adalsteinsson
- Madrid-MIT M+ Vision Consortium, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Institute of Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lawrence L. Wald
- A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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Hernandez D, Cho MH, Lee SY. Iterative multi-channel radio frequency pulse calibration with improving B1 field uniformity in high field MRI. Biomed Eng Online 2015; 14:15. [PMID: 25884219 PMCID: PMC4340295 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-015-0010-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In high field MRI capable of multi-channel radio frequency (RF) transmission, B1 shimming is a time-consuming job because conventional B1 shimming techniques require B1 mapping for each channel. After acquiring the complex-numbered B1 field maps, the optimal amplitude and phase of the driving RF pulse are determined for each channel to maximize the B1 field uniformity in conventional B1 shimming. However, time-consuming B1 shimming procedures at the pre-scan may not be tolerated in the clinical imaging in which patient throughput is one of the important factors. Methods To avoid the time-consuming B1 mapping, the first spin echo and the stimulated echo were repeatedly acquired in the slice-selective stimulated echo sequence without imaging gradients. A cost function of the amplitudes and phases of the driving RF pulse for every channel was defined in a way that the ratio between the spin echo and stimulated echo amplitudes rapidly converged to √ 2. The amplitude and phase of the driving RF pulse were iteratively modified over the repeating RF pulse sequence so that the cost function was minimized. Results From the finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) electromagnetic field simulations with a human body model placed in a birdcage coil operating at 3 T, it was observed that the RF pulse calibration with iterative cost function minimization can give improvement of B1 field uniformity as well as flip-angle calibration. The experiments at 3 T also showed improvement of RF field uniformity in the phantom imaging studies. Conclusions Since the proposed RF pulse calibration is not based on B1 mapping, the RF pulse calibration time could be much shorter than the B1-mapping based methods. The proposed method is expected to be a practical substitute for the B1-mapping-based B1 shimming methods when long pre-scan time is not tolerable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hernandez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 446-701, Korea.
| | - Min Hyoung Cho
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 446-701, Korea.
| | - Soo Yeol Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 446-701, Korea.
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Yan X, Pedersen JO, Wei L, Zhang X, Xue R. Multichannel Double-Row Transmission Line Array for Human MR Imaging at Ultrahigh Fields. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2015; 62:1652-9. [PMID: 25706499 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2015.2401976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In microstrip transmission line (MTL) transmit/receive (transceive) arrays used for ultrahigh field MRI, the array length is often constrained by the required resonant frequency, limiting the image coverage. The purpose of this study is to increase the imaging coverage and also improve its parallel imaging capability by utilizing a double-row design. METHODS A 16-channel double-row MTL transceive array was designed, constructed, and tested for human head imaging at 7 T. Array elements between two rows were decoupled by using the induced current elimination or magnetic wall decoupling technique. In vivo human head images were acquired, and g-factor results were calculated to evaluate the performance of this double-row array. RESULTS Testing results showed that all coil elements were well decoupled with a better than -18 dB transmission coefficient between any two elements. The double-row array improves the imaging quality of the lower portion of the human head, and has low g-factors even at high acceleration rates. CONCLUSION Compared with a regular single-row MTL array, the double-row array demonstrated a larger imaging coverage along the z-direction with improved parallel imaging capability. SIGNIFICANCE The proposed technique is particularly suitable for the design of large-sized transceive arrays with large channel counts, which ultimately benefits the imaging performance in human MRI.
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Analysis of intensity and sensitivity of single- and multiple-channel RF head coilsin 3.0-T MRI system. J Anal Sci Technol 2014. [DOI: 10.1186/s40543-014-0025-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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