A parallel imaging approach to wide-field MR microscopy

Exploration of highly accelerated magnetic resonance elastography using high-density array coils

BACKGROUND

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) measures tissue mechanical properties by applying a shear wave and capturing its propagation using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). By using high density array coils, MRE images are acquired using single echo acquisition (SEA) and at high resolutions with significantly reduced scan times.

METHODS

Sixty-four channel uniplanar and 32×32 channel biplanar receive arrays are used to acquire MRE wave image sets from agar samples containing regions of varying stiffness. A mechanical actuator triggered by a stepped delay time introduces vibrations into the sample while a motion sensitizing gradient encodes micrometer displacements into the phase. SEA imaging is used to acquire each temporal offset in a single echo, while multiple echoes from the same array are employed for highly accelerated imaging at high resolutions. Additionally, stiffness variations as a function of temperature are studied by using a localized heat source above the sample. A custom insertable gradient coil is employed for phase compensation of SEA imaging with the biplanar array to allow imaging of multiple slices.

RESULTS

SEA MRE images show a mechanical shear wave propagating into and across agar samples. A set of 720 images was obtained in 720 echoes, plus a single reference scan for both harmonic and transient MRE. A set of 2,950 wave image frames was acquired from pairs of SEA images captured during heating, showing the change in mechanical wavelength with the change in agar properties. A set of 240 frames was acquired from two slices simultaneously using the biplanar array, with phase images processed into displacement maps. Combining the narrow sensitivity patterns and SNR advantage of the SEA array coil geometry allowed acquisition of a data set with a resolution of 156 µm × 125 µm × 1,000 µm in only 64 echoes, demonstrating high resolution and high acceleration factors.

CONCLUSIONS

MRE using high-density arrays offers the unique ability to acquire a single frame of a propagating mechanical vibration with each echo, which may be helpful in non-repeatable or destructive testing. Highly accelerated, high resolution MRE may be enabled by the use of large arrays of coils such as used for SEA, but at lower acceleration rates supporting the higher resolution than provided by SEA imaging.

In Vivo MR Microneurography of the Tibial and Common Peroneal Nerves

MR microneurography is a noninvasive technique that provides visualization of the microanatomy of peripheral nerves, otherwise available only with histopathology. The objective of this study was to present a protocol to visualize the microstructure of peripheral nerves in vivo, using a 3T MRI scanner with a clinical set of coils and sequences. The tibial and the common peroneal nerves of healthy volunteers were imaged above the medial malleolus and at the level of the fibular head, respectively. The acquired images provided details about the internal structure of peripheral nerves, with visualization of the fascicles, the interfascicular fat, the epineurium, and the perineurium. MR microneurography can be performed in a clinical setting with acceptable imaging times and can be a potentially powerful tool that complements standard MR neurography.

Massively parallel MRI detector arrays

Originally proposed as a method to increase sensitivity by extending the locally high-sensitivity of small surface coil elements to larger areas via reception, the term parallel imaging now includes the use of array coils to perform image encoding. This methodology has impacted clinical imaging to the point where many examinations are performed with an array comprising multiple smaller surface coil elements as the detector of the MR signal. This article reviews the theoretical and experimental basis for the trend towards higher channel counts relying on insights gained from modeling and experimental studies as well as the theoretical analysis of the so-called "ultimate" SNR and g-factor. We also review the methods for optimally combining array data and changes in RF methodology needed to construct massively parallel MRI detector arrays and show some examples of state-of-the-art for highly accelerated imaging with the resulting highly parallel arrays.

Radiofrequency microcoils for magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy

Small radiofrequency coils, often termed "microcoils", have found extensive use in many areas of magnetic resonance. Their advantageous properties include a very high intrinsic sensitivity, a high (several MHz) excitation and reception bandwidth, the fact that large arrays can fit within the homogeneous volume of the static magnetic field, and the very high resonance frequencies (several GHz) that can be achieved. This review concentrates on recent developments in the construction of single and multiple RF microcoil systems, and new types of experiments that can be performed using such assemblies.