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Gemmete JJ. Vessel Wall Characterization Using Quantitative MR Imaging. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2024; 34:281-292. [PMID: 38604712 DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2024.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
MR imaging's exceptional capabilities in vascular imaging stem from its ability to visualize and quantify vessel wall features, such as plaque burden, composition, and biomechanical properties. The application of advanced MR imaging techniques, including two-dimensional and three-dimensional black-blood MR imaging, T1 and T2 relaxometry, diffusion-weighted imaging, and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging, wall shear stress, and arterial stiffness, empowers clinicians and researchers to explore the intricacies of vascular diseases. This array of techniques provides comprehensive insights into the development and progression of vascular pathologies, facilitating earlier diagnosis, targeted treatment, and improved patient outcomes in the management of vascular health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph J Gemmete
- Department of Radiology, Michigan Medicine, 1500 East Medican Center Drive, UH B1D 328, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
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Cardiovascular MRI in Thoracic Aortopathy: A Focused Review of Recent Literature Updates. CURRENT RADIOLOGY REPORTS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40134-017-0246-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Mooiweer R, Sbrizzi A, Raaijmakers AJ, van den Berg CA, Luijten PR, Hoogduin H. Combining a reduced field of excitation with SENSE-based parallel imaging for maximum imaging efficiency. Magn Reson Med 2017; 78:88-96. [PMID: 27633931 PMCID: PMC5484283 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To show that a combination of parallel imaging using sensitivity encoding (SENSE) and inner volume imaging (IVI) combines the known benefits of both techniques. SENSE with a reduced field of excitation (rFOX) is termed rSENSE. THEORY AND METHODS The noise level in SENSE reconstructions is reduced by removing voxels from the unfolding process that are rendered silent by using rFOX. The silent voxels need to be identified beforehand, this is done by using rFOX in the coil sensitivity maps. In vivo experiments were performed at 7 Tesla using a 32-channel receive coil. RESULTS Good image quality could be obtained in vivo with rSENSE at acceleration factors that are higher than could be obtained using SENSE or IVI alone. With rSENSE we were also able to accelerate scans using an rFOX that was purposely designed to be imperfect or incompatible at all with IVI. CONCLUSION rSENSE has been demonstrated in vivo with two-dimensionally selective radiofrequency pulses. Besides allowing additional scan acceleration, it offers a greater robustness and flexibility than IVI. The proposed method can be used with other field strengths, anatomies and other rFOX techniques. Magn Reson Med 78:88-96, 2017. © 2016 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 Non Commercial 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)
- Ronald Mooiweer
- Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Alessandro Sbrizzi
- Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Peter R. Luijten
- Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Hans Hoogduin
- Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
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Coristine AJ, Yerly J, Stuber M. A Cylindrical, Inner Volume Selecting 2D-T2-Prep Improves GRAPPA-Accelerated Image Quality in MRA of the Right Coronary Artery. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163618. [PMID: 27736866 PMCID: PMC5063575 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Two-dimensional (2D) spatially selective radiofrequency (RF) pulses may be used to excite restricted volumes. By incorporating a "pencil beam" 2D pulse into a T2-Prep, one may create a "2D-T2-Prep" that combines T2-weighting with an intrinsic outer volume suppression. This may particularly benefit parallel imaging techniques, where artefacts typically originate from residual foldover signal. By suppressing foldover signal with a 2D-T2-Prep, image quality may therefore improve. We present numerical simulations, phantom and in vivo validations to address this hypothesis. METHODS A 2D-T2-Prep and a conventional T2-Prep were used with GRAPPA-accelerated MRI (R = 1.6). The techniques were first compared in numerical phantoms, where per pixel maps of SNR (SNRmulti), noise, and g-factor were predicted for idealized sequences. Physical phantoms, with compartments doped to mimic blood, myocardium, fat, and coronary vasculature, were scanned with both T2-Preparation techniques to determine the actual SNRmulti and vessel sharpness. For in vivo experiments, the right coronary artery (RCA) was imaged in 10 healthy adults, using accelerations of R = 1,3, and 6, and vessel sharpness was measured for each. RESULTS In both simulations and phantom experiments, the 2D-T2-Prep improved SNR relative to the conventional T2-Prep, by an amount that depended on both the acceleration factor and the degree of outer volume suppression. For in vivo images of the RCA, vessel sharpness improved most at higher acceleration factors, demonstrating that the 2D-T2-Prep especially benefits accelerated coronary MRA. CONCLUSION Suppressing outer volume signal with a 2D-T2-Prep improves image quality particularly well in GRAPPA-accelerated acquisitions in simulations, phantoms, and volunteers, demonstrating that it should be considered when performing accelerated coronary MRA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Coristine
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital (CHUV) / University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, VD, Switzerland
- CardioVascular Magnetic Resonance (CVMR) research centre, Centre for BioMedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne, VD, Switzerland
| | - Jerome Yerly
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital (CHUV) / University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, VD, Switzerland
- CardioVascular Magnetic Resonance (CVMR) research centre, Centre for BioMedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne, VD, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Stuber
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital (CHUV) / University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, VD, Switzerland
- CardioVascular Magnetic Resonance (CVMR) research centre, Centre for BioMedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne, VD, Switzerland
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Reference Values for Cardiac and Aortic Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Healthy, Young Caucasian Adults. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164480. [PMID: 27732640 PMCID: PMC5061387 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Reference values for morphological and functional parameters of the cardiovascular system in early life are relevant since they may help to identify young adults who fall outside the physiological range of arterial and cardiac ageing. This study provides age and sex specific reference values for aortic wall characteristics, cardiac function parameters and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) in a population-based sample of healthy, young adults using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Materials and Methods In 131 randomly selected healthy, young adults aged between 25 and 35 years (mean age 31.8 years, 63 men) of the general-population based Atherosclerosis-Monitoring-and-Biomarker-measurements-In-The-YOuNg (AMBITYON) study, descending thoracic aortic dimensions and wall thickness, thoracic aortic PWV and cardiac function parameters were measured using a 3.0T MR-system. Age and sex specific reference values were generated using dedicated software. Differences in reference values between two age groups (25–30 and 30–35 years) and both sexes were tested. Results Aortic diameters and areas were higher in the older age group (all p<0.007). Moreover, aortic dimensions, left ventricular mass, left and right ventricular volumes and cardiac output were lower in women than in men (all p<0.001). For mean and maximum aortic wall thickness, left and right ejection fraction and aortic PWV we did not observe a significant age or sex effect. Conclusion This study provides age and sex specific reference values for cardiovascular MR parameters in healthy, young Caucasian adults. These may aid in MR guided pre-clinical identification of young adults who fall outside the physiological range of arterial and cardiac ageing.
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Malik SJ, Hajnal JV. Phase relaxed localized excitation pulses for inner volume fast spin echo imaging. Magn Reson Med 2016; 76:848-61. [PMID: 26451691 PMCID: PMC4988531 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.25996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2015] [Revised: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To design multidimensional spatially selective radiofrequency (RF) pulses for inner volume imaging (IVI) with three-dimensional (3D) fast spin echo (FSE) sequences. Enhanced background suppression is achieved by exploiting particular signal properties of FSE sequences. THEORY AND METHODS The CPMG condition dictates that echo amplitudes will rapidly decrease if a 90° phase difference between excitation and refocusing pulses is not present, and refocusing flip angles are not precisely 180°. This mechanism is proposed as a means for generating additional background suppression for spatially selective excitation, by biasing residual excitation errors toward violating the CPMG condition. 3D RF pulses were designed using this method with a 3D spherical spiral trajectory, under-sampled by factor 5.6 for an eight-channel PTx system, at 3 Tesla. RESULTS 3D-FSE IVI with pulse durations of approximately 12 ms was demonstrated in phantoms and for T2 -weighted brain imaging in vivo. Good image quality was obtained, with mean background suppression factors of 103 and 82 ± 6 in phantoms and in vivo, respectively. CONCLUSION Inner Volume Imaging with 3D-FSE has been demonstrated in vivo with tailored 3D-RF pulses. The proposed design methods are also applicable to 2D pulses. Magn Reson Med 76:848-861, 2016. © 2015 The Authors. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaihan J. Malik
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Division of Imaging Sciences, King's College LondonSt. Thomas' HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Joseph V. Hajnal
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Division of Imaging Sciences, King's College LondonSt. Thomas' HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
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Eikendal ALM, Blomberg BA, Haaring C, Saam T, van der Geest RJ, Visser F, Bots ML, den Ruijter HM, Hoefer IE, Leiner T. 3D black blood VISTA vessel wall cardiovascular magnetic resonance of the thoracic aorta wall in young, healthy adults: reproducibility and implications for efficacy trial sample sizes: a cross-sectional study. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2016; 18:20. [PMID: 27075677 PMCID: PMC4831203 DOI: 10.1186/s12968-016-0237-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pre-clinical detection of atherosclerosis enables personalized preventive strategies in asymptomatic individuals. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has evolved as an attractive imaging modality for studying atherosclerosis in vivo. Yet, the majority of aortic CMR studies and proposed sequences to date have been performed at 1.5 tesla using 2D BB techniques and a slice thickness of 4-5 mm. Here, we evaluate for the first time the reproducibility of an isotropic, T1-weighted, three-dimensional, black-blood, CMR VISTA sequence (3D-T1-BB-VISTA) for quantification of aortic wall characteristics in healthy, young adults. METHODS In 20 healthy, young adults (10 males, mean age 31.3 years) of the AMBITYON cohort study the descending thoracic aorta was imaged with a 3.0 T MR system using the 3D-T1-BB-VISTA sequence. The inter-scan, inter-rater and intra-rater reproducibility of aortic lumen, total vessel and wall area and mean and maximum wall thickness was evaluated using Bland-Altman analyses and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC). Based on these findings, sample sizes for detecting differences in aortic wall characteristics between groups were calculated. RESULTS For each studied parameter, the inter-scan, inter-rater and intra-rater reproducibility was excellent as indicated by narrow limits of agreement and high ICCs (ranging from 0.76 to 0.99). Sample sizes required to detect a 5% difference in aortic wall characteristics between two groups were 203, 126, 136, 68 and 153 per group for lumen area, total vessel area and vessel wall area and for mean and maximum vessel wall thickness, respectively. CONCLUSION The 3D-T1-BB-VISTA sequence provides excellent reproducibility for quantification of aortic wall characteristics and can detect small differences between groups with reasonable sample sizes. Hence, it may be a valuable tool for assessment of the subtle vascular wall changes of early atherosclerosis in asymptomatic populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anouk L. M. Eikendal
- />Department of Radiology (E01.132), University Medical Center, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Björn A. Blomberg
- />Department of Radiology (E01.132), University Medical Center, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Cees Haaring
- />Department of Radiology (E01.132), University Medical Center, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tobias Saam
- />Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Rob J. van der Geest
- />Division of Image Processing, Department of Radiology, 1-C2S Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Fredy Visser
- />Department of Radiology (E01.132), University Medical Center, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
- />Philips Healthcare, Veenpluis 4-6, 5684PC Best, The Netherlands
| | - Michiel L. Bots
- />Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Hester M. den Ruijter
- />Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Imo E. Hoefer
- />Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tim Leiner
- />Department of Radiology (E01.132), University Medical Center, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Isotropic 3D black blood MRI of abdominal aortic aneurysm wall and intraluminal thrombus. Magn Reson Imaging 2015; 34:18-25. [PMID: 26471514 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2015.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The aortic wall and intraluminal thrombus (ILT) have been increasingly studied as potential markers of progressive disease with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Our goal was to develop a high resolution, 3D black blood MR technique for AAA wall and ILT imaging within a clinically acceptable scan time. METHODS Twenty two patients with AAAs (maximal diameter 4.3±1.0cm), along with five healthy volunteers, were imaged at 3T with a 3D T1-weighted fast-spin-echo sequence using variable flip angle trains (SPACE) with a preparation pulse (DANTE) for suppressing blood signal. Volunteers and ten patients were also scanned with SPACE alone for comparison purposes. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) and the aortic wall/ILT to lumen contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were measured. Qualitative image scores (1-4 scale) assessing the inner lumen and outer wall boundaries of AAA were performed by two blinded reviewers. In patients with ILT, the ratio of ILT signal intensity (ILTSI) over psoas muscle SI (MuscleSI) was calculated, and the signal heterogeneity of ILT was quantified as standard deviation (SD) over the mean. RESULTS All subjects were imaged successfully with an average scan time of 7.8±0.7minutes. The DANTE preparation pulse for blood suppression substantially reduced flow artifacts in SPACE with lower lumen SNR (8.8 vs. 21.4, p<0.001) and improved the wall/ILT to lumen CNR (9.9 vs. 6.3, p<0.001) in patients. Qualitative assessment showed improved visualization of lumen boundaries (73% higher scores on average, p=0.01) and comparable visualization of outer wall boundary (p>0.05). ILT was present in ten patients, with relatively high signal and a wide SD (average ILTSI/MuscleSI 1.42±0.48 (range 0.75-2.11)) and with SD/mean of 27.7%±6.6% (range 19.6%-39.4%). CONCLUSION High resolution, 3D black blood MRI of AAAs can be achieved in a clinical accepted scan time with reduction of flow artifacts using the DANTE preparation pulse. Signal characteristics of ILT can be quantified and may be used for improved patient-specific risk stratification.
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