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Boudreau M, Karakuzu A, Cohen-Adad J, Bozkurt E, Carr M, Castellaro M, Concha L, Doneva M, Dual SA, Ensworth A, Foias A, Fortier V, Gabr RE, Gilbert G, Glide-Hurst CK, Grech-Sollars M, Hu S, Jalnefjord O, Jovicich J, Keskin K, Koken P, Kolokotronis A, Kukran S, Lee NG, Levesque IR, Li B, Ma D, Mädler B, Maforo NG, Near J, Pasaye E, Ramirez-Manzanares A, Statton B, Stehning C, Tambalo S, Tian Y, Wang C, Weiss K, Zakariaei N, Zhang S, Zhao Z, Stikov N. Repeat it without me: Crowdsourcing the T 1 mapping common ground via the ISMRM reproducibility challenge. Magn Reson Med 2024; 92:1115-1127. [PMID: 38730562 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30111] [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] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE T1 mapping is a widely used quantitative MRI technique, but its tissue-specific values remain inconsistent across protocols, sites, and vendors. The ISMRM Reproducible Research and Quantitative MR study groups jointly launched a challenge to assess the reproducibility of a well-established inversion-recovery T1 mapping technique, using acquisition details from a seminal T1 mapping paper on a standardized phantom and in human brains. METHODS The challenge used the acquisition protocol from Barral et al. (2010). Researchers collected T1 mapping data on the ISMRM/NIST phantom and/or in human brains. Data submission, pipeline development, and analysis were conducted using open-source platforms. Intersubmission and intrasubmission comparisons were performed. RESULTS Eighteen submissions (39 phantom and 56 human datasets) on scanners by three MRI vendors were collected at 3 T (except one, at 0.35 T). The mean coefficient of variation was 6.1% for intersubmission phantom measurements, and 2.9% for intrasubmission measurements. For humans, the intersubmission/intrasubmission coefficient of variation was 5.9/3.2% in the genu and 16/6.9% in the cortex. An interactive dashboard for data visualization was also developed: https://rrsg2020.dashboards.neurolibre.org. CONCLUSION The T1 intersubmission variability was twice as high as the intrasubmission variability in both phantoms and human brains, indicating that the acquisition details in the original paper were insufficient to reproduce a quantitative MRI protocol. This study reports the inherent uncertainty in T1 measures across independent research groups, bringing us one step closer to a practical clinical baseline of T1 variations in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Boudreau
- NeuroPoly Lab, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Agah Karakuzu
- NeuroPoly Lab, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Julien Cohen-Adad
- NeuroPoly Lab, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Unité de Neuroimagerie Fonctionnelle, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Mila-Quebec AI Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Ecem Bozkurt
- Magnetic Resonance Engineering Laboratory, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Madeline Carr
- Medical Physics, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia
- Department of Medical Physics, Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centers, Liverpool, Australia
| | - Marco Castellaro
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Luis Concha
- Institute of Neurobiology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | | | - Seraina A Dual
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Alex Ensworth
- Medical Physics Unit, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alexandru Foias
- NeuroPoly Lab, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Véronique Fortier
- Department of Medical Imaging, McGill University Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Radiology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Refaat E Gabr
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Carri K Glide-Hurst
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Matthew Grech-Sollars
- Center for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
- Lysholm Department of Neuroradiology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Siyuan Hu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Oscar Jalnefjord
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jorge Jovicich
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Kübra Keskin
- Magnetic Resonance Engineering Laboratory, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | - Anastasia Kolokotronis
- Medical Physics Unit, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Simran Kukran
- Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Radiotherapy and Imaging, Institute of Cancer Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Nam G Lee
- Magnetic Resonance Engineering Laboratory, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Ives R Levesque
- Medical Physics Unit, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Bochao Li
- Magnetic Resonance Engineering Laboratory, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Dan Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Nyasha G Maforo
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Physics and Biology in Medicine IDP, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jamie Near
- Douglas Brain Imaging Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erick Pasaye
- Institute of Neurobiology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | | | - Ben Statton
- Medical Research Council, London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Stefano Tambalo
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Ye Tian
- Magnetic Resonance Engineering Laboratory, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Chenyang Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology-CNS Service, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kilian Weiss
- Clinical Science, Philips Healthcare, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Niloufar Zakariaei
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Shuo Zhang
- Clinical Science, Philips Healthcare, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ziwei Zhao
- Magnetic Resonance Engineering Laboratory, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Nikola Stikov
- NeuroPoly Lab, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, North Macedonia
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Keenan KE, Jordanova KV, Ogier SE, Tamada D, Bruhwiler N, Starekova J, Riek J, McCracken PJ, Hernando D. Phantoms for Quantitative Body MRI: a review and discussion of the phantom value. MAGMA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024:10.1007/s10334-024-01181-8. [PMID: 38896407 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-024-01181-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
In this paper, we review the value of phantoms for body MRI in the context of their uses for quantitative MRI methods research, clinical trials, and clinical imaging. Certain uses of phantoms are common throughout the body MRI community, including measuring bias, assessing reproducibility, and training. In addition to these uses, phantoms in body MRI methods research are used for novel methods development and the design of motion compensation and mitigation techniques. For clinical trials, phantoms are an essential part of quality management strategies, facilitating the conduct of ethically sound, reliable, and regulatorily compliant clinical research of both novel MRI methods and therapeutic agents. In the clinic, phantoms are used for development of protocols, mitigation of cost, quality control, and radiotherapy. We briefly review phantoms developed for quantitative body MRI, and finally, we review open questions regarding the most effective use of a phantom for body MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn E Keenan
- Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA.
| | - Kalina V Jordanova
- Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA
| | - Stephen E Ogier
- Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | - Natalie Bruhwiler
- Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA
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Witherspoon VJ, Komlosh ME, Benjamini D, Özarslan E, Lavrik N, Basser PJ. Novel pore size-controlled, susceptibility matched, 3D-printed MRI phantoms. Magn Reson Med 2024; 91:2431-2442. [PMID: 38368618 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE We report the design concept and fabrication of MRI phantoms, containing blocks of aligned microcapillaires that can be stacked into larger arrays to construct diameter distribution phantoms or fractured, to create a "powder-averaged" emulsion of randomly oriented blocks for vetting or calibrating advanced MRI methods, that is, diffusion tensor imaging, AxCaliber MRI, MAP-MRI, and multiple pulsed field gradient or double diffusion-encoded microstructure imaging methods. The goal was to create a susceptibility-matched microscopically anisotropic but macroscopically isotropic phantom with a ground truth diameter that could be used to vet advanced diffusion methods for diameter determination in fibrous tissues. METHODS Two-photon polymerization, a novel three-dimensional printing method is used to fabricate blocks of capillaries. Double diffusion encoding methods were employed and analyzed to estimate the expected MRI diameter. RESULTS Susceptibility-matched microcapillary blocks or modules that can be assembled into large-scale MRI phantoms have been fabricated and measured using advanced diffusion methods, resulting in microscopic anisotropy and random orientation. CONCLUSION This phantom can vet and calibrate various advanced MRI methods and multiple pulsed field gradient or diffusion-encoded microstructure imaging methods. We demonstrated that two double diffusion encoding methods underestimated the ground truth diameter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Velencia J Witherspoon
- Section on Quantitative Imaging and Tissue Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Michal E Komlosh
- Section on Quantitative Imaging and Tissue Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Dan Benjamini
- Section on Quantitative Imaging and Tissue Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Multiscale Imaging and Integrative Biophysics Unit, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Evren Özarslan
- Spin Nord AB, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Nickolay Lavrik
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
| | - Peter J Basser
- Section on Quantitative Imaging and Tissue Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Fritz V, Eisele S, Martirosian P, Machann J, Schick F. A straightforward procedure to build a non-toxic relaxometry phantom with desired T1 and T2 times at 3T. MAGMA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024:10.1007/s10334-024-01166-7. [PMID: 38733487 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-024-01166-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To prepare and analyze soy-lecithin-agar gels for non-toxic relaxometry phantoms with tissue-like relaxation times at 3T. METHODS Phantoms mimicking the relaxation times of various tissues (gray and white matter, kidney cortex and medulla, spleen, muscle, liver) were built and tested with a clinical 3T whole-body MR scanner. Simple equations were derived to calculate the appropriate concentrations of soy lecithin and agar in aqueous solutions to achieve the desired relaxation times. Phantoms were tested for correspondence between measurements and calculated T1 and T2 values, reproducibility, spatial homogeneity, and temporal stability. T1 and T2 mapping techniques and a 3D T1-weighted sequence with high spatial resolution were applied. RESULTS Except for the liver relaxation phantom, all phantoms were successfully and reproducibly produced. Good agreement was found between the targeted and measured relaxation times. The percentage deviations from the targeted relaxation times were less than 3% for T1 and less than 6.5% for T2. In addition, the phantoms were homogeneous and had little to no air bubbles. However, the phantoms were unstable over time: after a storage period of 4 weeks, mold growth and also changes in relaxation times were detected in almost all phantoms. CONCLUSION Soy-lecithin-agar gels are a non-toxic material for the construction of relaxometry phantoms with tissue-like relaxation times. They are easy to prepare, inexpensive and allow independent adjustment of T1 and T2. However, there is still work to be done to improve the long-term stability of the phantoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Fritz
- Section of Experimental Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Centre Munich at the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Sabine Eisele
- Section of Experimental Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Petros Martirosian
- Section of Experimental Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Machann
- Section of Experimental Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Centre Munich at the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Fritz Schick
- Section of Experimental Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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Malyarenko D, Ono S, Lynch TJE, Swanson SD. Technical note: hydrogel-based mimics of prostate cancer with matched relaxation, diffusion and kurtosis for validating multi-parametric MRI. Med Phys 2024; 51:3590-3596. [PMID: 38128027 PMCID: PMC11138133 DOI: 10.1002/mp.16908] [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: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Protocol standardization and optimization for clinical translation of emerging quantitative multiparametric (mp)MRI biomarkers of high-risk prostate cancer requires imaging references that mimic realistic tissue value combinations for bias assessment in derived relaxation and diffusion parameters. PURPOSE This work aimed to develop a novel class of hydrogel-based synthetic materials with simultaneously controlled quantitative relaxation, diffusion, and kurtosis parameters that mimic in vivo prostate value combinations in the same spatial compartment and allow stable assemblies of adjacent structures. METHODS A set of materials with tunable T2, diffusion, and kurtosis were assembled to create quantitative biomimetic (mp)MRI references. T2 was controlled with variable agarose concentration, monoexponential diffusion by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and kurtosis by addition of lamellar vesicles. The materials were mechanically stabilized by UV cross-linked polyacrylamide gels (PAG) to allow biomimetic morphologies. The reference T2 were measured on a 3T scanner using multi-echo CPMG, and diffusion kurtosis-with multi-b DWI. RESULTS Agarose concentration controls T2 values which are nominally independent of PVP or vesicle concentration. For agarose PVP hydrogels, monoexponential diffusion values are a function of PVP concentration and independent of agarose concentration. Compared to free vesicles, for agarose-PAG combined with vesicles, diffusion was predominantly controlled by vesicles and PAG, while kurtosis was affected by agarose and vesicle concentration. Both hydrogel classes achieved image voxel parameter values (T2, Da, Ka) for relaxation (T2: 65-255 ms), apparent diffusion (Da: 0.8-1.7 μm2/ms), and kurtosis (Ka: 0.5-1.25) within the target literature ranges for normal prostate zones and cancer lesions. Relaxation and diffusion parameters remained stable for over 6 months for layered material assemblies. CONCLUSION A stable biomimetic mpMR reference based on hydrogels has been developed with a range of multi-compartment diffusion and relaxation parameter combinations observed in cancerous and healthy prostate tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariya Malyarenko
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Shigeto Ono
- Computerized Imaging Reference Systems (Sun Nuclear), Mirion Technologies Inc., Norfolk, VA 23513, USA
| | - Ted J. E. Lynch
- Computerized Imaging Reference Systems (Sun Nuclear), Mirion Technologies Inc., Norfolk, VA 23513, USA
| | - Scott D. Swanson
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Gatehouse PD, Captur G, Nielles-Vallespin S, Pennell DJ. Field camera input to virtual phantom (ViP) scanner acquisitions for quality assurance of derived MRI quantities: first implementation and proof-of-principle. MAGMA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 37:199-213. [PMID: 38127221 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-023-01136-5] [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: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Quality assurance (QA) of measurements derived from MRI can require complicated test phantoms. This work introduces a new QA concept using gradient and transmit RF recordings by a limited field camera (FC) to govern the previous Virtual Phantom (ViP) method. The purpose is to describe the first technical implementation of combined FC+ViP, and illustrate its performance in examples, including quantitative first-pass myocardial perfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS The new QA concept starts with a synthetic test object (STO) representing some arbitrary test input. Using recordings of the unmodified standard sequence by a gradient and RF waveform camera (FC), ViP calculates by Bloch simulation the continuous RF signal emitted by the STO during this sequence (hence FC+ViP). During nominally identical repetition of the sequence acquisition, ViP transmits the RF signal for scanner reception, reconstruction and any further parametric derivations by the unmodified standard scanner image reconstruction and analysis software. RESULTS The scanner outputs were compared against the input STOs. CONCLUSION First proof-of-principle was discussed and supported by correlation between scanner outputs and the input STO. The work makes no claim that its examples are valid QA methods. It concludes by proposing a new industrial standard for QA without the FC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter David Gatehouse
- Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, Chelsea, London, UK.
- National Heart and Lung Institute of Imperial College London, Cale Street, Chelsea, London, UK.
| | - Gabriella Captur
- University College London Institute of Cardiovascular Science, Torrington Place, Fitzrovia, London, UK
| | - Sonia Nielles-Vallespin
- Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, Chelsea, London, UK
- National Heart and Lung Institute of Imperial College London, Cale Street, Chelsea, London, UK
| | - Dudley John Pennell
- Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, Chelsea, London, UK
- National Heart and Lung Institute of Imperial College London, Cale Street, Chelsea, London, UK
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Jian CB, Wu YY, Lin MH, Gao HD, Chen CY, Leong SK, Tzou DLM, Hwang DW, Lee HM. A Facile NMR Method for Pre-MRI Evaluation of Trigger-Responsive T 1 Contrast Enhancement. SMALL METHODS 2024:e2301603. [PMID: 38459640 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202301603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
There is a growing interest in developing paramagnetic nanoparticles as responsive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents, which feature switchable T1 image contrast of water protons upon biochemical cues for better discerning diseases. However, performing an MRI is pragmatically limited by its cost and availability. Hence, a facile, routine method for measuring the T1 contrast is highly desired in early-stage development. This work presents a single-point inversion recovery (IR) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method that can rapidly evaluate T1 contrast change by employing a single, optimized IR pulse sequence that minimizes water signal for "off-state" nanoparticles and allows for sensitively measuring the signal change with "switch-on" T1 contrast. Using peptide-induced liposomal gadopentetic acid (Gd3+ -DTPA) release and redox-sensitive manganese oxide (MnO2 ) nanoparticles as a demonstration of generality, this method successfully evaluates the T1 shortening of water protons caused by liposomal Gd3+ -DTPA release and Mn2+ formation from MnO2 reduction. Furthermore, the NMR measurement is highly correlated to T1 -weighted MRI scans, suggesting its feasibility to predict the MRI results at the same field strength. This NMR method can be a low-cost, time-saving alternative for pre-MRI evaluation for a diversity of responsive T1 contrast systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Bang Jian
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Nano Science and Technology Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Yann Wu
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Huang Lin
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Hua-De Gao
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chong-Yan Chen
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Shwee Khuan Leong
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30093, Taiwan
| | - Der-Lii M Tzou
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Dennis W Hwang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Hsien-Ming Lee
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
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Wu C, Hormuth DA, Easley T, Pineda F, Karczmar GS, Yankeelov TE. Systematic evaluation of MRI-based characterization of tumor-associated vascular morphology and hemodynamics via a dynamic digital phantom. J Med Imaging (Bellingham) 2024; 11:024002. [PMID: 38463607 PMCID: PMC10921778 DOI: 10.1117/1.jmi.11.2.024002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Validation of quantitative imaging biomarkers is a challenging task, due to the difficulty in measuring the ground truth of the target biological process. A digital phantom-based framework is established to systematically validate the quantitative characterization of tumor-associated vascular morphology and hemodynamics based on dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). Approach A digital phantom is employed to provide a ground-truth vascular system within which 45 synthetic tumors are simulated. Morphological analysis is performed on high-spatial resolution DCE-MRI data (spatial/temporal resolution = 30 to 300 μ m / 60 s ) to determine the accuracy of locating the arterial inputs of tumor-associated vessels (TAVs). Hemodynamic analysis is then performed on the combination of high-spatial resolution and high-temporal resolution (spatial/temporal resolution = 60 to 300 μ m / 1 to 10 s) DCE-MRI data, determining the accuracy of estimating tumor-associated blood pressure, vascular extraction rate, interstitial pressure, and interstitial flow velocity. Results The observed effects of acquisition settings demonstrate that, when optimizing the DCE-MRI protocol for the morphological analysis, increasing the spatial resolution is helpful but not necessary, as the location and arterial input of TAVs can be recovered with high accuracy even with the lowest investigated spatial resolution. When optimizing the DCE-MRI protocol for hemodynamic analysis, increasing the spatial resolution of the images used for vessel segmentation is essential, and the spatial and temporal resolutions of the images used for the kinetic parameter fitting require simultaneous optimization. Conclusion An in silico validation framework was generated to systematically quantify the effects of image acquisition settings on the ability to accurately estimate tumor-associated characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengyue Wu
- University of Texas at Austin, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Austin, Texas, United States
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Imaging Physics, Houston, Texas, United States
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Breast Imaging, Houston, Texas, United States
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Biostatistics, Houston, Texas, United States
| | - David A. Hormuth
- University of Texas at Austin, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Austin, Texas, United States
- University of Texas at Austin, Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Ty Easley
- Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
| | - Federico Pineda
- University of Chicago, Department of Radiology, Chicago, Illinois, United States
| | - Gregory S. Karczmar
- University of Chicago, Department of Radiology, Chicago, Illinois, United States
| | - Thomas E. Yankeelov
- University of Texas at Austin, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Austin, Texas, United States
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Imaging Physics, Houston, Texas, United States
- University of Texas at Austin, Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Austin, Texas, United States
- University of Texas at Austin, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Austin, Texas, United States
- University of Texas at Austin, Department of Diagnostic Medicine, Austin, Texas, United States
- University of Texas at Austin, Department of Oncology, Austin, Texas, United States
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Manini C, Nemchyna O, Akansel S, Walczak L, Tautz L, Kolbitsch C, Falk V, Sündermann S, Kühne T, Schulz-Menger J, Hennemuth A. A simulation-based phantom model for generating synthetic mitral valve image data-application to MRI acquisition planning. Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg 2024; 19:553-569. [PMID: 37679657 PMCID: PMC10881710 DOI: 10.1007/s11548-023-03012-y] [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: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Numerical phantom methods are widely used in the development of medical imaging methods. They enable quantitative evaluation and direct comparison with controlled and known ground truth information. Cardiac magnetic resonance has the potential for a comprehensive evaluation of the mitral valve (MV). The goal of this work is the development of a numerical simulation framework that supports the investigation of MRI imaging strategies for the mitral valve. METHODS We present a pipeline for synthetic image generation based on the combination of individual anatomical 3D models with a position-based dynamics simulation of the mitral valve closure. The corresponding images are generated using modality-specific intensity models and spatiotemporal sampling concepts. We test the applicability in the context of MRI imaging strategies for the assessment of the mitral valve. Synthetic images are generated with different strategies regarding image orientation (SAX and rLAX) and spatial sampling density. RESULTS The suitability of the imaging strategy is evaluated by comparing MV segmentations against ground truth annotations. The generated synthetic images were compared to ones acquired with similar parameters, and the result is promising. The quantitative analysis of annotation results suggests that the rLAX sampling strategy is preferable for MV assessment, reaching accuracy values that are comparable to or even outperform literature values. CONCLUSION The proposed approach provides a valuable tool for the evaluation and optimization of cardiac valve image acquisition. Its application to the use case identifies the radial image sampling strategy as the most suitable for MV assessment through MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Manini
- Institute of Computer-Assisted Cardiovascular Medicine, Deutsches Herzzentrum Der Charité (DHZC), Berlin, Germany.
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Olena Nemchyna
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Deutsches Herzzentrum Der Charité (DHZC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Serdar Akansel
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Deutsches Herzzentrum Der Charité (DHZC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Walczak
- Institute of Computer-Assisted Cardiovascular Medicine, Deutsches Herzzentrum Der Charité (DHZC), Berlin, Germany
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Fraunhofer MEVIS, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Christoph Kolbitsch
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig and Berlin, Germany
| | - Volkmar Falk
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Deutsches Herzzentrum Der Charité (DHZC), Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simon Sündermann
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Deutsches Herzzentrum Der Charité (DHZC), Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Titus Kühne
- Institute of Computer-Assisted Cardiovascular Medicine, Deutsches Herzzentrum Der Charité (DHZC), Berlin, Germany
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jeanette Schulz-Menger
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Hennemuth
- Institute of Computer-Assisted Cardiovascular Medicine, Deutsches Herzzentrum Der Charité (DHZC), Berlin, Germany
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Fraunhofer MEVIS, Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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10
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Monga A, Singh D, de Moura HL, Zhang X, Zibetti MVW, Regatte RR. Emerging Trends in Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting for Quantitative Biomedical Imaging Applications: A Review. Bioengineering (Basel) 2024; 11:236. [PMID: 38534511 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11030236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) stands as a vital medical imaging technique, renowned for its ability to offer high-resolution images of the human body with remarkable soft-tissue contrast. This enables healthcare professionals to gain valuable insights into various aspects of the human body, including morphology, structural integrity, and physiological processes. Quantitative imaging provides compositional measurements of the human body, but, currently, either it takes a long scan time or is limited to low spatial resolutions. Undersampled k-space data acquisitions have significantly helped to reduce MRI scan time, while compressed sensing (CS) and deep learning (DL) reconstructions have mitigated the associated undersampling artifacts. Alternatively, magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) provides an efficient and versatile framework to acquire and quantify multiple tissue properties simultaneously from a single fast MRI scan. The MRF framework involves four key aspects: (1) pulse sequence design; (2) rapid (undersampled) data acquisition; (3) encoding of tissue properties in MR signal evolutions or fingerprints; and (4) simultaneous recovery of multiple quantitative spatial maps. This paper provides an extensive literature review of the MRF framework, addressing the trends associated with these four key aspects. There are specific challenges in MRF for all ranges of magnetic field strengths and all body parts, which can present opportunities for further investigation. We aim to review the best practices in each key aspect of MRF, as well as for different applications, such as cardiac, brain, and musculoskeletal imaging, among others. A comprehensive review of these applications will enable us to assess future trends and their implications for the translation of MRF into these biomedical imaging applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anmol Monga
- Center of Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Dilbag Singh
- Center of Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Hector L de Moura
- Center of Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Xiaoxia Zhang
- Center of Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Marcelo V W Zibetti
- Center of Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Ravinder R Regatte
- Center of Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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11
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Thomas KE, Lukaschuk E, Shanmuganathan M, Kitt JA, Popescu IA, Neubauer S, Piechnik SK, Ferreira VM. Misclassification of females and males in cardiovascular magnetic resonance parametric mapping: the importance of sex-specific normal ranges for diagnosis of health vs. disease. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2024; 25:339-346. [PMID: 37788638 PMCID: PMC10883727 DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/jead247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS Cardiovascular magnetic resonance parametric mapping enables non-invasive quantitative myocardial tissue characterization. Human myocardium has normal ranges of T1 and T2 values, deviation from which may indicate disease or change in physiology. Normal myocardial T1 and T2 values are affected by biological sex. Consequently, normal ranges created with insufficient numbers of each sex may result in sampling biases, misclassification of healthy values vs. disease, and even misdiagnoses. In this study, we investigated the impact of using male normal ranges for classifying female cases as normal or abnormal (and vice versa). METHODS AND RESULTS One hundred and forty-two healthy volunteers (male and female) were scanned on two Siemens 3T MR systems, providing averaged global myocardial T1 and T2 values on a per-subject basis. The Monte Carlo method was used to generate simulated normal ranges from these values to estimate the statistical accuracy of classifying healthy female or male cases correctly as 'normal' when using sex-specific vs. mixed-sex normal ranges. The normal male and female T1- and T2-mapping values were significantly different by sex, after adjusting for age and heart rate. CONCLUSION Using 15 healthy volunteers who are not sex specific to establish a normal range resulted in a typical misclassification of up to 36% of healthy females and 37% of healthy males as having abnormal T1 values and up to 16% of healthy females and 12% of healthy males as having abnormal T2 values. This paper highlights the potential adverse impact on diagnostic accuracy that can occur when local normal ranges contain insufficient numbers of both sexes. Sex-specific reference ranges should thus be routinely adopted in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine E Thomas
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Elena Lukaschuk
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Mayooran Shanmuganathan
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Jamie A Kitt
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Iulia A Popescu
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Stefan Neubauer
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Stefan K Piechnik
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Vanessa M Ferreira
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford, Level 0, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
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12
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Wülker C, Gessert NT, Doneva M, Kastryulin S, Ercan E, Nielsen T. Digital reference objects for evaluating algorithm performance in MR image formation. Magn Reson Imaging 2024; 105:67-74. [PMID: 37925111 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2023.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Digital Reference Objects (DROs) are mathematical phantoms that can serve as a basis for evaluating MR image quality (IQ) in an objective way. Their main purpose is to facilitate the establishment of fully automated and perfectly reproducible IQ metrics to objectively compare different algorithms in MR image formation in a standardized manner. They also allow to re-build parts of standard phantoms. METHODS We sample DROs directly in k-space, using analytical formulas for the continuous Fourier transform of primitive shapes. We demonstrate this DRO approach by applying a state-of-the-art CNN-based denoising algorithm that is robust to varying noise levels to noisy images of the resolution section of the well-known ACR phantom for IQ assessment, reconstructed from both measured and simulated k-space data. RESULTS Applying the CNN-based denoising algorithm to the measured and simulated version of the ACR phantom resolution section produced virtually identical results, as confirmed by visual and quantitative comparison. CONCLUSIONS DROs can help guide technology selection during the development of new algorithms in MR image formation, e.g., via deep learning. This could be an important step towards reproducible MR image formation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ece Ercan
- Philips Clinical Science, Best, Netherlands
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13
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Jalloul M, Miranda-Schaeubinger M, Noor AM, Stein JM, Amiruddin R, Derbew HM, Mango VL, Akinola A, Hart K, Weygand J, Pollack E, Mohammed S, Scheel JR, Shell J, Dako F, Mhatre P, Kulinski L, Otero HJ, Mollura DJ. MRI scarcity in low- and middle-income countries. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2023; 36:e5022. [PMID: 37574441 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.5022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Since the introduction of MRI as a sustainable diagnostic modality, global accessibility to its services has revealed a wide discrepancy between populations-leaving most of the population in LMICs without access to this important imaging modality. Several factors lead to the scarcity of MRI in LMICs; for example, inadequate infrastructure and the absence of a dedicated workforce are key factors in the scarcity observed. RAD-AID has contributed to the advancement of radiology globally by collaborating with our partners to make radiology more accessible for medically underserved communities. However, progress is slow and further investment is needed to ensure improved global access to MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Jalloul
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Abass M Noor
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- RAD-AID International, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joel M Stein
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Raisa Amiruddin
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Hermon Miliard Derbew
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- College of Health Science, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Victoria L Mango
- RAD-AID International, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Kelly Hart
- Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Erica Pollack
- RAD-AID International, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Sharon Mohammed
- RAD-AID International, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Bellevue Hospital Center NYCHHC, New York, New York, USA
| | - John R Scheel
- RAD-AID International, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jessica Shell
- RAD-AID International, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Cary, North Carolina, USA
| | - Farouk Dako
- RAD-AID International, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Pradnya Mhatre
- RAD-AID International, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Hansel J Otero
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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14
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Tipirneni-Sajja A, Brasher S, Shrestha U, Johnson H, Morin C, Satapathy SK. Quantitative MRI of diffuse liver diseases: techniques and tissue-mimicking phantoms. MAGMA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 36:529-551. [PMID: 36515810 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-022-01053-z] [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: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques are emerging as non-invasive alternatives to biopsy for assessment of diffuse liver diseases of iron overload, steatosis and fibrosis. For testing and validating the accuracy of these techniques, phantoms are often used as stand-ins to human tissue to mimic diffuse liver pathologies. However, currently, there is no standardization in the preparation of MRI-based liver phantoms for mimicking iron overload, steatosis, fibrosis or a combination of these pathologies as various sizes and types of materials are used to mimic the same liver disease. Liver phantoms that mimic specific MR features of diffuse liver diseases observed in vivo are important for testing and calibrating new MRI techniques and for evaluating signal models to accurately quantify these features. In this study, we review the liver morphology associated with these diffuse diseases, discuss the quantitative MR techniques for assessing these liver pathologies, and comprehensively examine published liver phantom studies and discuss their benefits and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaryani Tipirneni-Sajja
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA.
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
| | - Sarah Brasher
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Utsav Shrestha
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Hayden Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Cara Morin
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Sanjaya K Satapathy
- Northwell Health Center for Liver Diseases and Transplantation, Northshore University Hospital/Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
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15
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Slavkova KP, DiCarlo JC, Wadhwa V, Kumar S, Wu C, Virostko J, Yankeelov TE, Tamir JI. An untrained deep learning method for reconstructing dynamic MR images from accelerated model-based data. Magn Reson Med 2023; 89:1617-1633. [PMID: 36468624 PMCID: PMC9892348 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29547] [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: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To implement physics-based regularization as a stopping condition in tuning an untrained deep neural network for reconstructing MR images from accelerated data. METHODS The ConvDecoder (CD) neural network was trained with a physics-based regularization term incorporating the spoiled gradient echo equation that describes variable-flip angle data. Fully-sampled variable-flip angle k-space data were retrospectively accelerated by factors of R = {8, 12, 18, 36} and reconstructed with CD, CD with the proposed regularization (CD + r), locally low-rank (LR) reconstruction, and compressed sensing with L1-wavelet regularization (L1). Final images from CD + r training were evaluated at the "argmin" of the regularization loss; whereas the CD, LR, and L1 reconstructions were chosen optimally based on ground truth data. The performance measures used were the normalized RMS error, the concordance correlation coefficient, and the structural similarity index. RESULTS The CD + r reconstructions, chosen using the stopping condition, yielded structural similarity indexs that were similar to the CD (p = 0.47) and LR structural similarity indexs (p = 0.95) across R and that were significantly higher than the L1 structural similarity indexs (p = 0.04). The concordance correlation coefficient values for the CD + r T1 maps across all R and subjects were greater than those corresponding to the L1 (p = 0.15) and LR (p = 0.13) T1 maps, respectively. For R ≥ 12 (≤4.2 min scan time), L1 and LR T1 maps exhibit a loss of spatially refined details compared to CD + r. CONCLUSION The use of an untrained neural network together with a physics-based regularization loss shows promise as a measure for determining the optimal stopping point in training without relying on fully-sampled ground truth data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julie C. DiCarlo
- The Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
- Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Viraj Wadhwa
- Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Sidharth Kumar
- Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Chengyue Wu
- The Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
| | - John Virostko
- The Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
- Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
- Department of Oncology, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Thomas E. Yankeelov
- The Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
- Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
- Department of Oncology, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Jonathan I. Tamir
- The Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
- Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
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16
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Korte JC, Chin Z, Carr M, Holloway L, Franich R. Magnetic resonance biomarker assessment software (MR-BIAS): an automated open-source tool for the ISMRM/NIST system phantom. Phys Med Biol 2023; 68. [PMID: 36796102 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/acbcbb] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Objective.To provide an open-source software for repeatable and efficient quantification ofT1andT2relaxation times with the ISMRM/NIST system phantom. Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) biomarkers have the potential to improve disease detection, staging and monitoring of treatment response. Reference objects, such as the system phantom, play a major role in translating qMRI methods into the clinic. The currently available open-source software for ISMRM/NIST system phantom analysis, Phantom Viewer (PV), includes manual steps that are subject to variability.Approach.We developed the Magnetic Resonance BIomarker Assessment Software (MR-BIAS) to automatically extract system phantom relaxation times. The inter-observer variability (IOV) and time efficiency of MR-BIAS and PV was observed in six volunteers analysing three phantom datasets. The IOV was measured with the coefficient of variation (CV) of percent bias (%bias) inT1andT2with respect to NMR reference values. The accuracy of MR-BIAS was compared to a custom script from a published study of twelve phantom datasets. This included comparison of overall bias and %bias for variable inversion recovery (T1VIR), variable flip angle (T1VFA) and multiple spin-echo (T2MSE) relaxation models.Main results.MR-BIAS had a lower mean CV withT1VIR(0.03%) andT2MSE(0.05%) in comparison to PV withT1VIR(1.28%) andT2MSE(4.55%). The mean analysis duration was 9.7 times faster for MR-BIAS (0.8 min) than PV (7.6 min). There was no statistically significant difference in the overall bias, or the %bias for the majority of ROIs, as calculated by MR-BIAS or the custom script for all models.Significance.MR-BIAS has demonstrated repeatable and efficient analysis of the ISMRM/NIST system phantom, with comparable accuracy to previous studies. The software is freely available to the MRI community, providing a framework to automate required analysis tasks, with the flexibility to explore open questions and accelerate biomarker research.
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Affiliation(s)
- James C Korte
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Department of Physical Sciences, Melbourne, Australia.,The University of Melbourne, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Zachary Chin
- RMIT University, School of Science, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Madeline Carr
- University of Wollongong, Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, Wollongong, Australia.,Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres and Ingham Institute, Liverpool, Sydney, Australia.,GenesisCare, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lois Holloway
- University of Wollongong, Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, Wollongong, Australia.,Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres and Ingham Institute, Liverpool, Sydney, Australia
| | - Rick Franich
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Department of Physical Sciences, Melbourne, Australia.,RMIT University, School of Science, Melbourne, Australia
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17
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Geng R, Zhang Y, Rice J, Muehler MR, Starekova J, Rutkowski DR, Uboha NV, Pirasteh A, Roldán-Alzate A, Guidon A, Hernando D. Motion-robust, blood-suppressed, reduced-distortion diffusion MRI of the liver. Magn Reson Med 2023; 89:908-921. [PMID: 36404637 PMCID: PMC9792444 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate feasibility and reproducibility of liver diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI using cardiac-motion-robust, blood-suppressed, reduced-distortion techniques. METHODS DW-MRI data were acquired at 3T in an anatomically accurate liver phantom including controlled pulsatile motion, in eight healthy volunteers and four patients with known or suspected liver metastases. Standard monopolar and motion-robust (M1-nulled, and M1-optimized) DW gradient waveforms were each acquired with single-shot echo-planar imaging (ssEPI) and multishot EPI (msEPI). In the motion phantom, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was measured in the motion-affected volume. In healthy volunteers, ADC was measured in the left and right liver lobes separately to evaluate ADC reproducibility between the two lobes. Image distortions were quantified using the normalized cross-correlation coefficient, with an undistorted T2-weighted reference. RESULTS In the motion phantom, ADC mean and SD in motion-affected volumes substantially increased with increasing motion for monopolar waveforms. ADC remained stable in the presence of increasing motion when using motion-robust waveforms. M1-optimized waveforms suppressed slow flow signal present with M1-nulled waveforms. In healthy volunteers, monopolar waveforms generated significantly different ADC measurements between left and right liver lobes ( p = 0 . 0078 $$ p=0.0078 $$ , reproducibility coefficients (RPC) = 470 × 1 0 - 6 $$ 470\times 1{0}^{-6} $$ mm 2 $$ {}^2 $$ /s for monopolar-msEPI), while M1-optimized waveforms showed more reproducible ADC values ( p = 0 . 29 $$ p=0.29 $$ , RPC = 220 × 1 0 - 6 $$ \mathrm{RPC}=220\times 1{0}^{-6} $$ mm 2 $$ {}^2 $$ /s for M1-optimized-msEPI). In phantom and healthy volunteer studies, motion-robust acquisitions with msEPI showed significantly reduced image distortion ( p < 0 . 001 $$ p<0.001 $$ ) compared to ssEPI. Patient scans showed reduction of wormhole artifacts when combining M1-optimized waveforms with msEPI. CONCLUSION Synergistic effects of combined M1-optimized diffusion waveforms and msEPI acquisitions enable reproducible liver DWI with motion robustness, blood signal suppression, and reduced distortion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiqi Geng
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA,Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - Yuxin Zhang
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA,Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - James Rice
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA,Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Jitka Starekova
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - David R. Rutkowski
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA,Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - Nataliya V. Uboha
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA,UW Carbone Cancer Center, WI, USA
| | - Ali Pirasteh
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA,Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - Alejandro Roldán-Alzate
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA,Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Diego Hernando
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA,Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
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18
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Malyarenko D, Amouzandeh G, Pickup S, Zhou R, Manning HC, Gammon ST, Shoghi KI, Quirk JD, Sriram R, Larson P, Lewis MT, Pautler RG, Kinahan PE, Muzi M, Chenevert TL. Evaluation of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Repeatability and Reproducibility for Preclinical MRIs Using Standardized Procedures and a Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Phantom. Tomography 2023; 9:375-386. [PMID: 36828382 PMCID: PMC9964373 DOI: 10.3390/tomography9010030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Relevant to co-clinical trials, the goal of this work was to assess repeatability, reproducibility, and bias of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for preclinical MRIs using standardized procedures for comparison to performance of clinical MRIs. A temperature-controlled phantom provided an absolute reference standard to measure spatial uniformity of these performance metrics. Seven institutions participated in the study, wherein diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data were acquired over multiple days on 10 preclinical scanners, from 3 vendors, at 6 field strengths. Centralized versus site-based analysis was compared to illustrate incremental variance due to processing workflow. At magnet isocenter, short-term (intra-exam) and long-term (multiday) repeatability were excellent at within-system coefficient of variance, wCV [±CI] = 0.73% [0.54%, 1.12%] and 1.26% [0.94%, 1.89%], respectively. The cross-system reproducibility coefficient, RDC [±CI] = 0.188 [0.129, 0.343] µm2/ms, corresponded to 17% [12%, 31%] relative to the reference standard. Absolute bias at isocenter was low (within 4%) for 8 of 10 systems, whereas two high-bias (>10%) scanners were primary contributors to the relatively high RDC. Significant additional variance (>2%) due to site-specific analysis was observed for 2 of 10 systems. Base-level technical bias, repeatability, reproducibility, and spatial uniformity patterns were consistent with human MRIs (scaled for bore size). Well-calibrated preclinical MRI systems are capable of highly repeatable and reproducible ADC measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariya Malyarenko
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Ghoncheh Amouzandeh
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Neuro42, Inc., San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
| | - Stephen Pickup
- Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Rong Zhou
- Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Henry Charles Manning
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, The University of Texas MDACC, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Seth T. Gammon
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, The University of Texas MDACC, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kooresh I. Shoghi
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - James D. Quirk
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Renuka Sriram
- UCSF Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Peder Larson
- UCSF Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | | | | | - Paul E. Kinahan
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Mark Muzi
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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19
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Solomon E, Lemberskiy G, Baete S, Hu K, Malyarenko D, Swanson S, Shukla-Dave A, Russek SE, Zan E, Kim SG. Time-dependent diffusivity and kurtosis in phantoms and patients with head and neck cancer. Magn Reson Med 2023; 89:522-535. [PMID: 36219464 PMCID: PMC9712275 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To assess the reliability of measuring diffusivity, diffusional kurtosis, and cellular-interstitial water exchange time with long diffusion times (100-800 ms) using stimulated-echo DWI. METHODS Time-dependent diffusion MRI was tested on two well-established diffusion phantoms and in 5 patients with head and neck cancer. Measurements were conducted using an in-house diffusion-weighted STEAM-EPI pulse sequence with multiple diffusion times at a fixed TE on three scanners. We used the weighted linear least-squares fit method to estimate time-dependent diffusivity,D ( t ) $$ D(t) $$ , and diffusional kurtosis,K ( t ) $$ K(t) $$ . Additionally, the Kärger model was used to estimate cellular-interstitial water exchange time (τ ex $$ {\tau}_{ex} $$ ) fromK ( t ) $$ K(t) $$ . RESULTS Diffusivity measured by time-dependent STEAM-EPI measurements and commercial SE-EPI showed comparable results with R2 above 0.98 and overall 5.4 ± 3.0% deviation across diffusion times. Diffusional kurtosis phantom data showed expected patterns: constantD $$ D $$ andK $$ K $$ = 0 for negative controls and slow varyingD $$ D $$ andK $$ K $$ for samples made of nanoscopic vesicles. Time-dependent diffusion MRI in patients with head and neck cancer found that the Kärger model could be considered valid in 72% ± 23% of the voxels in the metastatic lymph nodes. The median cellular-interstitial water exchange time estimated for lesions was between 58.5 ms and 70.6 ms. CONCLUSIONS Based on two well-established diffusion phantoms, we found that time-dependent diffusion MRI measurements can provide stable diffusion and kurtosis values over a wide range of diffusion times and across multiple MRI systems. Moreover, estimation of cellular-interstitial water exchange time can be achieved using the Kärger model for the metastatic lymph nodes in patients with head and neck cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eddy Solomon
- Department of Radiology, MRI Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Gregory Lemberskiy
- Department of Radiology, MRI Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Steven Baete
- Department of Radiology, MRI Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kenneth Hu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Dariya Malyarenko
- Department of Radiology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Scott Swanson
- Department of Radiology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Amita Shukla-Dave
- Departments of Medical Physics and Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Stephen E Russek
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Elcin Zan
- Department of Radiology, MRI Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Sungheon Gene Kim
- Department of Radiology, MRI Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
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20
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Dinh J, Yamashita A, Kang H, Gioux S, Choi HS. Optical Tissue Phantoms for Quantitative Evaluation of Surgical Imaging Devices. ADVANCED PHOTONICS RESEARCH 2023; 4:2200194. [PMID: 36643020 PMCID: PMC9838008 DOI: 10.1002/adpr.202200194] [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: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Optical tissue phantoms (OTPs) have been extensively applied to the evaluation of imaging systems and surgical training. Due to their human tissue-mimicking characteristics, OTPs can provide accurate optical feedback on the performance of image-guided surgical instruments, simulating the biological sizes and shapes of human organs, and preserving similar haptic responses of original tissues. This review summarizes the essential components of OTPs (i.e., matrix, scattering and absorbing agents, and fluorophores) and the various manufacturing methods currently used to create suitable tissue-mimicking phantoms. As photobleaching is a major challenge in OTP fabrication and its feedback accuracy, phantom photostability and how the photobleaching phenomenon can affect their optical properties are discussed. Consequently, the need for novel photostable OTPs for the quantitative evaluation of surgical imaging devices is emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Dinh
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Atsushi Yamashita
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Homan Kang
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Sylvain Gioux
- Intuitive Surgical Sàrl, 1170 Aubonne, Switzerland
- ICube Laboratory, University of Strasbourg, 67081 Strasbourg, France
| | - Hak Soo Choi
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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21
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MRI data quality assessment for the RIN - Neuroimaging Network using the ACR phantoms. Phys Med 2022; 104:93-100. [PMID: 36379160 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2022.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Generating big-data is becoming imperative with the advent of machine learning. RIN-Neuroimaging Network addresses this need by developing harmonized protocols for multisite studies to identify quantitative MRI (qMRI) biomarkers for neurological diseases. In this context, image quality control (QC) is essential. Here, we present methods and results of how the RIN performs intra- and inter-site reproducibility of geometrical and image contrast parameters, demonstrating the relevance of such QC practice. METHODS American College of Radiology (ACR) large and small phantoms were selected. Eighteen sites were equipped with a 3T scanner that differed by vendor, hardware/software versions, and receiver coils. The standard ACR protocol was optimized (in-plane voxel, post-processing filters, receiver bandwidth) and repeated monthly. Uniformity, ghosting, geometric accuracy, ellipse's ratio, slice thickness, and high-contrast detectability tests were performed using an automatic QC script. RESULTS Measures were mostly within the ACR tolerance ranges for both T1- and T2-weighted acquisitions, for all scanners, regardless of vendor, coil, and signal transmission chain type. All measurements showed good reproducibility over time. Uniformity and slice thickness failed at some sites. Scanners that upgraded the signal transmission chain showed a decrease in geometric distortion along the slice encoding direction. Inter-vendor differences were observed in uniformity and geometric measurements along the slice encoding direction (i.e. ellipse's ratio). CONCLUSIONS Use of the ACR phantoms highlighted issues that triggered interventions to correct performance at some sites and to improve the longitudinal stability of the scanners. This is relevant for establishing precision levels for future multisite studies of qMRI biomarkers.
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22
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Wheatley M, De Deene Y. A novel anthropomorphic breathing phantom with a pneumatic MR-safe actuator for tissue deformation studies during MRI and radiotherapy. Phys Med 2022; 104:43-55. [PMID: 36368090 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2022.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel MR-safe anthropomorphic torso phantom with an MR-conditional pneumatic respiration system and inflatable lungs for tissue deformation studies is proposed. The phantom consists of a pair of lungs made from sponges encased in flexible polyurethane. The lung phantom also contains a set of silicone tubes of various diameters to mimic the larger vasculature and airways of the lungs. The lungs are surrounded by a plastic ribcage and immersed in a gelatine hydrogel within a flexible polyurethane skin. A plastic pneumatic pump system was constructed to inflate and deflate the lungs. A fibre optic rotary encoder was constructed to determine the volume of displaced air in the lungs. The pneumatic pump and rotary encoder were constructed of plastic materials to allow placement within the bore of the MR scanner with minimal interaction with the magnetic field. Breath-gated scans and rapid imaging scans (2.5 s per image) were taken of the phantom in the stationary state and during inflation/deflation, and with Cartesian and BLADE k-space sampling. It was found that BLADE shows the least motion artifacts during breathing. This phantom and respiration system shows potential for quality assurance of MRI incorporating breathing corrections and for radiotherapy applications in tracking a moving target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Wheatley
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Yves De Deene
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Science, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
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23
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Kilian D, Kilian W, Troia A, Nguyen TD, Ittermann B, Zilberti L, Gelinsky M. 3D Extrusion Printing of Biphasic Anthropomorphic Brain Phantoms Mimicking MR Relaxation Times Based on Alginate-Agarose-Carrageenan Blends. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:48397-48415. [PMID: 36270624 PMCID: PMC9634698 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c12872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The availability of adapted phantoms mimicking different body parts is fundamental to establishing the stability and reliability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods. The primary purpose of such phantoms is the mimicking of physiologically relevant, contrast-creating relaxation times T1 and T2. For the head, frequently examined by MRI, an anthropomorphic design of brain phantoms would imply the discrimination of gray matter and white matter (WM) within defined, spatially distributed compartments. Multichannel extrusion printing allows the layer-by-layer fabrication of multiple pastelike materials in a spatially defined manner with a predefined shape. In this study, the advantages of this method are used to fabricate biphasic brain phantoms mimicking MR relaxation times and anthropomorphic geometry. The printable ink was based on purely naturally derived polymers: alginate as a calcium-cross-linkable gelling agent, agarose, ι-carrageenan, and GdCl3 in different concentrations (0-280 μmol kg-1) as the paramagnetic component. The suggested inks (e.g., 3Alg-1Agar-6Car) fulfilled the requirements of viscoelastic behavior and printability of large constructs (>150 mL). The microstructure and distribution of GdCl3 were assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). In closely monitored steps of technological development and characterization, from monophasic and biphasic samples as printable inks and cross-linked gels, we describe the construction of large-scale phantom models whose relaxation times were characterized and checked for stability over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Kilian
- Centre
for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research, Faculty of
Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität
Dresden (TUD), Dresden01307, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Kilian
- Physikalisch-Technische
Bundesanstalt (PTB), Berlin10587, Germany
| | - Adriano Troia
- Istituto
Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRiM), Turin10135, Italy
| | - Thanh-Duc Nguyen
- Centre
for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research, Faculty of
Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität
Dresden (TUD), Dresden01307, Germany
| | - Bernd Ittermann
- Physikalisch-Technische
Bundesanstalt (PTB), Berlin10587, Germany
| | - Luca Zilberti
- Istituto
Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRiM), Turin10135, Italy
| | - Michael Gelinsky
- Centre
for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research, Faculty of
Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität
Dresden (TUD), Dresden01307, Germany
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24
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Jara H, Sakai O, Farrher E, Oros-Peusquens AM, Shah NJ, Alsop DC, Keenan KE. Primary Multiparametric Quantitative Brain MRI: State-of-the-Art Relaxometric and Proton Density Mapping Techniques. Radiology 2022; 305:5-18. [PMID: 36040334 PMCID: PMC9524578 DOI: 10.1148/radiol.211519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
This review on brain multiparametric quantitative MRI (MP-qMRI) focuses on the primary subset of quantitative MRI (qMRI) parameters that represent the mobile ("free") and bound ("motion-restricted") proton pools. Such primary parameters are the proton densities, relaxation times, and magnetization transfer parameters. Diffusion qMRI is also included because of its wide implementation in complete clinical MP-qMRI application. MP-qMRI advances were reviewed over the past 2 decades, with substantial progress observed toward accelerating image acquisition and increasing mapping accuracy. Areas that need further investigation and refinement are identified as follows: (a) the biologic underpinnings of qMRI parameter values and their changes with age and/or disease and (b) the theoretical limitations implicitly built into most qMRI mapping algorithms that do not distinguish between the different spatial scales of voxels versus spin packets, the central physical object of the Bloch theory. With rapidly improving image processing techniques and continuous advances in computer hardware, MP-qMRI has the potential for implementation in a wide range of clinical applications. Currently, three emerging MP-qMRI applications are synthetic MRI, macrostructural qMRI, and microstructural tissue modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hernán Jara
- From the Department of Radiology, Boston University, 670 Albany St,
Boston, Mass 02118 (H.J., O.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-4,
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany (E.F., A.M.O.P.,
N.J.S.); Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, Mass (D.C.A.); and Physical Measurement Laboratory,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colo (K.E.K.)
| | - Osamu Sakai
- From the Department of Radiology, Boston University, 670 Albany St,
Boston, Mass 02118 (H.J., O.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-4,
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany (E.F., A.M.O.P.,
N.J.S.); Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, Mass (D.C.A.); and Physical Measurement Laboratory,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colo (K.E.K.)
| | - Ezequiel Farrher
- From the Department of Radiology, Boston University, 670 Albany St,
Boston, Mass 02118 (H.J., O.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-4,
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany (E.F., A.M.O.P.,
N.J.S.); Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, Mass (D.C.A.); and Physical Measurement Laboratory,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colo (K.E.K.)
| | - Ana-Maria Oros-Peusquens
- From the Department of Radiology, Boston University, 670 Albany St,
Boston, Mass 02118 (H.J., O.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-4,
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany (E.F., A.M.O.P.,
N.J.S.); Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, Mass (D.C.A.); and Physical Measurement Laboratory,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colo (K.E.K.)
| | - N. Jon Shah
- From the Department of Radiology, Boston University, 670 Albany St,
Boston, Mass 02118 (H.J., O.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-4,
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany (E.F., A.M.O.P.,
N.J.S.); Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, Mass (D.C.A.); and Physical Measurement Laboratory,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colo (K.E.K.)
| | - David C. Alsop
- From the Department of Radiology, Boston University, 670 Albany St,
Boston, Mass 02118 (H.J., O.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-4,
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany (E.F., A.M.O.P.,
N.J.S.); Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, Mass (D.C.A.); and Physical Measurement Laboratory,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colo (K.E.K.)
| | - Kathryn E. Keenan
- From the Department of Radiology, Boston University, 670 Albany St,
Boston, Mass 02118 (H.J., O.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-4,
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany (E.F., A.M.O.P.,
N.J.S.); Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, Mass (D.C.A.); and Physical Measurement Laboratory,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colo (K.E.K.)
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25
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Hubbard Cristinacce PL, Keaveney S, Aboagye EO, Hall MG, Little RA, O'Connor JPB, Parker GJM, Waterton JC, Winfield JM, Jauregui-Osoro M. Clinical translation of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers - An overview and gap analysis of current practice. Phys Med 2022; 101:165-182. [PMID: 36055125 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2022.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This overview of the current landscape of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers (qMR IBs) aims to support the standardisation of academic IBs to assist their translation to clinical practice. METHODS We used three complementary approaches to investigate qMR IB use and quality management practices within the UK: 1) a literature search of qMR and quality management terms during 2011-2015 and 2016-2020; 2) a database search for clinical research studies using qMR IBs during 2016-2020; and 3) a survey to ascertain the current availability and quality management practices for clinical MRI scanners and associated equipment at research institutions across the UK. RESULTS The analysis showed increased use of all qMR methods between the periods 2011-2015 and 2016-2020 and diffusion-tensor MRI and volumetry to be popular methods. However, the "translation ratio" of journal articles to clinical research studies was higher for qMR methods that have evidence of clinical translation via a commercial route, such as fat fraction and T2 mapping. The number of journal articles citing quality management terms doubled between the periods 2011-2015 and 2016-2020; although, its proportion relative to all journal articles only increased by 3.0%. The survey suggested that quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) of data acquisition procedures are under-reported in the literature and that QA/QC of acquired data/data analysis are under-developed and lack consistency between institutions. CONCLUSIONS We summarise current attempts to standardise and translate qMR IBs, and conclude by outlining the ideal quality management practices and providing a gap analysis between current practice and a metrological standard.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sam Keaveney
- MRI Unit, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, UK; Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3RP, UK
| | - Eric O Aboagye
- Department of Surgery & Cancer, Division of Cancer, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - Matt G Hall
- National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington TW11 0LW, UK
| | - Ross A Little
- Division of Cancer Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - James P B O'Connor
- Division of Cancer Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK; Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3RP, UK
| | - Geoff J M Parker
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, 90 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LJ, UK; Bioxydyn Ltd, Manchester M15 6SZ, UK
| | - John C Waterton
- Bioxydyn Ltd, Manchester M15 6SZ, UK; Division of Informatics, Imaging and Data Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Jessica M Winfield
- MRI Unit, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, UK; Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3RP, UK
| | - Maite Jauregui-Osoro
- Department of Surgery & Cancer, Division of Cancer, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
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26
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Panich AM. Can detonation nanodiamonds serve as MRI phantoms? MAGMA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 35:345-347. [PMID: 35471465 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-022-01015-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Panich
- Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
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27
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Valladares A, Oberoi G, Berg A, Beyer T, Unger E, Rausch I. Additively manufactured, solid object structures for adjustable image contrast in Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Z Med Phys 2022; 32:466-476. [PMID: 35597743 PMCID: PMC9948875 DOI: 10.1016/j.zemedi.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The choice of materials challenges the development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) phantoms and, to date, is mainly limited to water-filled compartments or gel-based components. Recently, solid materials have been introduced through additive manufacturing (AM) to mimic complex geometrical structures. Nonetheless, no such manufactured solid materials are available with controllable MRI contrast to mimic organ substructures or lesion heterogeneities. Here, we present a novel AM design that allows MRI contrast manipulation by varying the partial volume contribution to a ROI/voxel of MRI-visible material within an imaging object. Two sets of 11 cubes and three replicates of a spherical tumour model were designed and printed using AM. Most samples presented varying MRI-contrast in standard MRI sequences, based mainly on spin density and partial volume signal variation. A smooth and continuous MRI-contrast gradient could be generated in a single-compartment tumour model. This concept supports the development of more complex MRI phantoms that mimic the appearance of heterogeneous tumour tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Valladares
- QIMP Team, Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gunpreet Oberoi
- Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Berg
- Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, MR-Physics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria,High-field MR-Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Beyer
- QIMP Team, Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ewald Unger
- Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ivo Rausch
- QIMP Team, Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Bomben MA, Moody AR, Drake JM, Matsuura N. Fabrication of Customizable Intraplaque Hemorrhage Phantoms for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Mol Imaging Biol 2022; 24:732-739. [PMID: 35486294 PMCID: PMC9581813 DOI: 10.1007/s11307-022-01722-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging detection of methemoglobin, a molecular marker of intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), in atherosclerotic plaque is a promising method of assessing stroke risk. However, the multicenter imaging studies required to further validate this technique necessitate the development of IPH phantoms to standardize images acquired across different scanners. This study developed a set of phantoms that modeled methemoglobin-laden IPH for use in MR image standardization. Procedures A time-stable material mimicking the MR properties of methemoglobin in IPH was created by doping agarose hydrogel with gadolinium and sodium alginate. This material was used to create a phantom that consisted of 9 cylindrical IPH sites (with sizes from 1 to 8 mm). Anatomical replicas of IPH-positive atherosclerosis were also created using 3D printed molds. These plaque replicas also modeled other common plaque components including a lipid core and atheroma cap. T1 mapping and a magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (MPRAGE) carotid imaging protocol were used to assess phantom realism and long-term stability. Results Cylindrical phantom IPH sites possessed a T1 time of 335 ± 51 ms and exhibited little change in size or MPRAGE signal intensity over 31 days; the mean (SD) magnitude of changes in size and signal were 6.4 % (2.7 %) and 7.3 % (6.7 %), respectively. IPH sites incorporated into complex anatomical plaque phantoms exhibited contrast comparable to clinical images. Conclusions The cylindrical IPH phantom accurately modeled the short T1 time characteristic of methemoglobin-laden IPH, with the IPH sites exhibiting little variation in imaging properties over 31 days. Furthermore, MPRAGE images of the anatomical atherosclerosis replicas closely matched those of clinical plaques. In combination, these phantoms will allow for IPH imaging protocol standardization and thus facilitate future multicenter IPH imaging. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11307-022-01722-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo A Bomben
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- The Wilfred and Joyce Posluns Centre for Image Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alan R Moody
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - James M Drake
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- The Wilfred and Joyce Posluns Centre for Image Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 184 College Street, Room 140, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E4, Canada
| | - Naomi Matsuura
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 184 College Street, Room 140, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E4, Canada.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Nigri A, Ferraro S, Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott CAM, Tosetti M, Redolfi A, Forloni G, D'Angelo E, Aquino D, Biagi L, Bosco P, Carne I, De Francesco S, Demichelis G, Gianeri R, Lagana MM, Micotti E, Napolitano A, Palesi F, Pirastru A, Savini G, Alberici E, Amato C, Arrigoni F, Baglio F, Bozzali M, Castellano A, Cavaliere C, Contarino VE, Ferrazzi G, Gaudino S, Marino S, Manzo V, Pavone L, Politi LS, Roccatagliata L, Rognone E, Rossi A, Tonon C, Lodi R, Tagliavini F, Bruzzone MG. Quantitative MRI Harmonization to Maximize Clinical Impact: The RIN-Neuroimaging Network. Front Neurol 2022; 13:855125. [PMID: 35493836 PMCID: PMC9047871 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.855125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies often lack reproducibility, one of the cardinal features of the scientific method. Multisite collaboration initiatives increase sample size and limit methodological flexibility, therefore providing the foundation for increased statistical power and generalizable results. However, multisite collaborative initiatives are inherently limited by hardware, software, and pulse and sequence design heterogeneities of both clinical and preclinical MRI scanners and the lack of benchmark for acquisition protocols, data analysis, and data sharing. We present the overarching vision that yielded to the constitution of RIN-Neuroimaging Network, a national consortium dedicated to identifying disease and subject-specific in-vivo neuroimaging biomarkers of diverse neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. This ambitious goal needs efforts toward increasing the diagnostic and prognostic power of advanced MRI data. To this aim, 23 Italian Scientific Institutes of Hospitalization and Care (IRCCS), with technological and clinical specialization in the neurological and neuroimaging field, have gathered together. Each IRCCS is equipped with high- or ultra-high field MRI scanners (i.e., ≥3T) for clinical or preclinical research or has established expertise in MRI data analysis and infrastructure. The actions of this Network were defined across several work packages (WP). A clinical work package (WP1) defined the guidelines for a minimum standard clinical qualitative MRI assessment for the main neurological diseases. Two neuroimaging technical work packages (WP2 and WP3, for clinical and preclinical scanners) established Standard Operative Procedures for quality controls on phantoms as well as advanced harmonized quantitative MRI protocols for studying the brain of healthy human participants and wild type mice. Under FAIR principles, a web-based e-infrastructure to store and share data across sites was also implemented (WP4). Finally, the RIN translated all these efforts into a large-scale multimodal data collection in patients and animal models with dementia (i.e., case study). The RIN-Neuroimaging Network can maximize the impact of public investments in research and clinical practice acquiring data across institutes and pathologies with high-quality and highly-consistent acquisition protocols, optimizing the analysis pipeline and data sharing procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Nigri
- U.O. Neuroradiologia, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefania Ferraro
- U.O. Neuroradiologia, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
- MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Claudia A. M. Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott
- Unità di Neuroradiologia, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- NMR Research Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square MS Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Medical Physics and MR Lab, Fondazione IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alberto Redolfi
- Laboratory of Neuroinformatics, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Forloni
- Medical Physics and MR Lab, Fondazione IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Egidio D'Angelo
- Unità di Neuroradiologia, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Domenico Aquino
- U.O. Neuroradiologia, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Biagi
- Medical Physics and MR Lab, Fondazione IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Bosco
- Medical Physics and MR Lab, Fondazione IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Irene Carne
- Neuroradiology Unit, IRCCS Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
| | - Silvia De Francesco
- Laboratory of Neuroinformatics, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Greta Demichelis
- U.O. Neuroradiologia, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Ruben Gianeri
- U.O. Neuroradiologia, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Edoardo Micotti
- Laboratory of Biology of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Napolitano
- Medical Physics, IRCCS Istituto Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Fulvia Palesi
- Unità di Neuroradiologia, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Giovanni Savini
- Neuroradiology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Alberici
- Neuroradiology Unit, IRCCS Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
| | - Carmelo Amato
- Unit of Neuroradiology, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina, Italy
| | - Filippo Arrigoni
- Neuroimaging Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | | | - Marco Bozzali
- Neuroimaging Laboratory, Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Valeria Elisa Contarino
- Unità di Neuroradiologia, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Simona Gaudino
- Istituto di Radiologia, UOC Radiologia e Neuroradiologia, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Marino
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo”, Messina, Italy
| | - Vittorio Manzo
- Department of Radiology, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Letterio S. Politi
- Neuroradiology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Roccatagliata
- Neuroradiologia IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute Università di Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Elisa Rognone
- Unità di Neuroradiologia, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Andrea Rossi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute Università di Genova, Genoa, Italy
- UO Neuroradiologia, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Caterina Tonon
- Functional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Raffaele Lodi
- Functional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Scientific Direction, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Bruzzone
- U.O. Neuroradiologia, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
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Wyatt JJ, McCallum HM, Maxwell RJ. Developing quality assurance tests for simultaneous Positron Emission Tomography – Magnetic Resonance imaging for radiotherapy planning. Phys Imaging Radiat Oncol 2022; 22:28-35. [PMID: 35493852 PMCID: PMC9048159 DOI: 10.1016/j.phro.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and purpose Simultaneous Positron Emission Tomography – Magnetic Resonance (PET-MR) imaging can potentially improve radiotherapy by enabling more accurate tumour delineation and dose painting. The use of PET-MR imaging for radiotherapy planning requires a comprehensive Quality Assurance (QA) programme to be developed. This study aimed to develop the QA tests required and assess their repeatability and stability. Materials and methods QA tests were developed for: MR image quality, MR geometric accuracy, electromechanical accuracy, PET-MR alignment accuracy, Diffusion Weighted (DW)-MR Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) accuracy and PET Standard Uptake Value (SUV) accuracy. Each test used a dedicated phantom and was analysed automatically or semi-automatically, with in–house software. Repeatability was evaluated by three same-day measurements with independent phantom positions. Stability was assessed through 12 monthly measurements. Results The repeatability Standard Deviations (SDs) of distortion for the MR geometric accuracy test were ⩽0.7mm. The repeatability SDs in ADC difference from reference were ⩽3% for the DW-MR accuracy test. The PET SUV difference from reference repeatability SD was 0.3%. The stability SDs agreed within 0.6mm, 1 percentage point and 1.4 percentage points of the repeatability SDs for the geometric, ADC and SUV accuracy tests respectively. There were no monthly trends apparent. These results were representative of the other tests. Conclusions QA Tests for radiotherapy planning PET-MR have been developed. The tests appeared repeatable and stable over a 12-month period. The developed QA tests could form the basis of a QA programme that enables high-quality, robust PET-MR imaging for radiotherapy planning.
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Multiparametric Functional MRI of the Kidney: Current State and Future Trends with Deep Learning Approaches. ROFO-FORTSCHR RONTG 2022; 194:983-992. [PMID: 35272360 DOI: 10.1055/a-1775-8633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Until today, assessment of renal function has remained a challenge for modern medicine. In many cases, kidney diseases accompanied by a decrease in renal function remain undetected and unsolved, since neither laboratory tests nor imaging diagnostics provide adequate information on kidney status. In recent years, developments in the field of functional magnetic resonance imaging with application to abdominal organs have opened new possibilities combining anatomic imaging with multiparametric functional information. The multiparametric approach enables the measurement of perfusion, diffusion, oxygenation, and tissue characterization in one examination, thus providing more comprehensive insight into pathophysiological processes of diseases as well as effects of therapeutic interventions. However, application of multiparametric fMRI in the kidneys is still restricted mainly to research areas and transfer to the clinical routine is still outstanding. One of the major challenges is the lack of a standardized protocol for acquisition and postprocessing including efficient strategies for data analysis. This article provides an overview of the most common fMRI techniques with application to the kidney together with new approaches regarding data analysis with deep learning. METHODS This article implies a selective literature review using the literature database PubMed in May 2021 supplemented by our own experiences in this field. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Functional multiparametric MRI is a promising technique for assessing renal function in a more comprehensive approach by combining multiple parameters such as perfusion, diffusion, and BOLD imaging. New approaches with the application of deep learning techniques could substantially contribute to overcoming the challenge of handling the quantity of data and developing more efficient data postprocessing and analysis protocols. Thus, it can be hoped that multiparametric fMRI protocols can be sufficiently optimized to be used for routine renal examination and to assist clinicians in the diagnostics, monitoring, and treatment of kidney diseases in the future. KEY POINTS · Multiparametric fMRI is a technique performed without the use of radiation, contrast media, and invasive methods.. · Multiparametric fMRI provides more comprehensive insight into pathophysiological processes of kidney diseases by combining functional and structural parameters.. · For broader acceptance of fMRI biomarkers, there is a need for standardization of acquisition, postprocessing, and analysis protocols as well as more prospective studies.. · Deep learning techniques could significantly contribute to an optimization of data acquisition and the postprocessing and interpretation of larger quantities of data.. CITATION FORMAT · Zhang C, Schwartz M, Küstner T et al. Multiparametric Functional MRI of the Kidney: Current State and Future Trends with Deep Learning Approaches. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2022; DOI: 10.1055/a-1775-8633.
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Amouzandeh G, Chenevert TL, Swanson SD, Ross BD, Malyarenko DI. Technical Note: Temperature and concentration dependence of water diffusion in polyvinylpyrrolidone solutions. Med Phys 2022; 49:3325-3332. [PMID: 35184316 PMCID: PMC9090959 DOI: 10.1002/mp.15556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective The goal of this work is to provide temperature and concentration calibration of water diffusivity in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solutions used in phantoms to assess system bias and linearity in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements. Method ADC measurements were performed for 40 kDa (K40) PVP of six concentrations (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% by weight) at three temperatures (19.5°C, 22.5°C, and 26.4°C), with internal phantom temperature monitored by optical thermometer (±0.2°C). To achieve ADC measurement and fit accuracy of better than 0.5%, three orthogonal diffusion gradients were calibrated using known water diffusivity at 0°C and system gradient nonlinearity maps. Noise‐floor fit bias was also controlled by limiting the maximum b‐value used for ADC calculation of each sample. The ADC temperature dependence was modeled by Arrhenius functions of each PVP concentration. The concentration dependence was modeled by quadratic function for ADC normalized by the theoretical water diffusion values. Calibration coefficients were obtained from linear regression model fits. Results Measured phantom ADC values increased with temperature and decreasing PVP concentration, [PVP]. The derived Arrhenius model parameters for [PVP] between 0% and 50%, are reported and can be used for K40 ADC temperature calibration with absolute ADC error within ±0.016 μm2/ms. Arrhenius model fit parameters normalized to water value scaled with [PVP] between 10% and 40%, and proportional change in activation energy increased faster than collision frequency. ADC normalization by water diffusivity, DW, from the Speedy–Angell relation accounted for the bulk of temperature dependence (±0.035 μm2/ms) and yielded quadratic calibration for ADCPVP/DW = (12.5 ± 0.7) ·10−5·[PVP]2 − (23.2 ± 0.3)·10−3·[PVP]+1, nearly independent of PVP molecular weight and temperature. Conclusion The study provides ground‐truth ADC values for K40 PVP solutions commonly used in diffusion phantoms for scanning at ambient room temperature. The described procedures and the reported calibration can be used for quality control and standardization of measured ADC values of PVP at different concentrations and temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Brian D. Ross
- Department of Radiology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
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Kalisvaart GM, van Velden FHP, Hernández-Girón I, Meijer KM, Ghesquiere-Dierickx LMH, Brink WM, Webb A, de Geus-Oei LF, Slump CH, Kuznetsov DV, Schaart DR, Grootjans W. Design and evaluation of a modular multimodality imaging phantom to simulate heterogeneous uptake and enhancement patterns for radiomic quantification in hybrid imaging; a feasibility study. Med Phys 2022; 49:3093-3106. [PMID: 35178781 PMCID: PMC9314050 DOI: 10.1002/mp.15537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Accuracy and precision assessment in radiomic features is important for the determination of their potential to characterize cancer lesions. In this regard, simulation of different imaging conditions using specialized phantoms is increasingly being investigated. In this study, the design and evaluation of a modular multimodality imaging phantom to simulate heterogeneous uptake and enhancement patterns for radiomics quantification in hybrid imaging is presented. Methods A modular multimodality imaging phantom was constructed that could simulate different patterns of heterogeneous uptake and enhancement patterns in positron emission tomography (PET), single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The phantom was designed to be used as an insert in the standard NEMA‐NU2 IEC body phantom casing. The entire phantom insert is composed of three segments, each containing three separately fillable compartments. The fillable compartments between segments had different sizes in order to simulate heterogeneous patterns at different spatial scales. The compartments were separately filled with different ratios of 99mTc‐pertechnetate, 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG), iodine‐ and gadolinium‐based contrast agents for SPECT, PET, CT, and T1‐weighted MR imaging respectively. Image acquisition was performed using standard oncological protocols on all modalities and repeated five times for repeatability assessment. A total of 93 radiomic features were calculated. Variability was assessed by determining the coefficient of quartile variation (CQV) of the features. Comparison of feature repeatability at different modalities and spatial scales was performed using Kruskal‐Wallis‐, Mann‐Whitney U‐, one‐way ANOVA‐ and independent t‐tests. Results Heterogeneous uptake and enhancement could be simulated on all four imaging modalities. Radiomic features in SPECT were significantly less stable than in all other modalities. Features in PET were significantly less stable than in MR and CT. A total of 20 features, particularly in the gray‐level co‐occurrence matrix (GLCM) and gray‐level run‐length matrix (GLRLM) class, were found to be relatively stable in all four modalities for all three spatial scales of heterogeneous patterns (with CQV < 10%). Conclusion The phantom was suitable for simulating heterogeneous uptake and enhancement patterns in [18F]FDG‐PET, 99mTc‐SPECT, CT, and T1‐weighted MR images. The results of this work indicate that the phantom might be useful for the further development and optimization of imaging protocols for radiomic quantification in hybrid imaging modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Karin M Meijer
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Laura M H Ghesquiere-Dierickx
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Mechanical, Maritime, and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.,Department of Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wyger M Brink
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew Webb
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lioe-Fee de Geus-Oei
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Biomedical Photonic Imaging Group, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Cornelis H Slump
- Robotics and Mechatronics, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Dimitri V Kuznetsov
- Electronic and mechanical support division, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Dennis R Schaart
- Radiation Science and Technology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.,Holland Proton Therapy Center (HollandPTC), Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Willem Grootjans
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Deene YD, Wheatley M, Greig T, Hayes D, Ryder W, Loh H. A multi-modality medical imaging head and neck phantom: Part 1. Design and fabrication. Phys Med 2022; 96:166-178. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2022.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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Biswas D, Hippe DS, Wang Y, DelPriore MR, Zečević M, Scheel JR, Rahbar H, Partridge SC. Accelerated Breast Diffusion-weighted Imaging Using Multiband Sensitivity Encoding with the CAIPIRINHA Method: Clinical Experience at 3 T. Radiol Imaging Cancer 2022; 4:e210063. [PMID: 35029517 PMCID: PMC8830507 DOI: 10.1148/rycan.210063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Purpose To examine the clinical value of multiband (MB) sensitivity encoding (SENSE)-accelerated diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for breast imaging by performing quantitative and qualitative comparisons with conventional diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging, or conventional DWI (cDWI). Materials and Methods In this prospective study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03607552), women with breast cancer were recruited from July 2018 to July 2019 to undergo additional MB SENSE DWI during clinical 3-T breast MRI examinations. The cDWI and MB SENSE DWI acquisitions were assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Regions of interest were defined for tumorous and normal tissue, and the tumor apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and signal index (SI) were calculated for both DWI methods. Three readers independently reviewed the two acquisitions side by side and provided relative image quality scores. Tumor ADC, CNR, and SI measures were compared between cDWI and MB SENSE DWI acquisitions by using a paired t test, and reader preferences were evaluated by using the sign test. Results The study included 38 women (median age, 48 years; range, 28-83 years). Overall agreement was good between cDWI and MB SENSE DWI tumor ADC measures (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.87 [95% CI: 0.75, 0.94]), and no differences were evident in the ADC (median, 0.93 × 10-3 mm2/sec vs 0.87 ×10-3 mm2/sec; P = .50), CNR (2.2 vs 2.3; P = .17), or SI (9.2 vs 9.2; P = .23) measurements. The image quality of cDWI and MB SENSE DWI acquisitions were considered equal for 51% of images (58 of 114), whereas MB SENSE DWI was preferred more often than cDWI (37% [42 of 114] vs 12% [14 of 114]; P < .001). The preference for MB SENSE DWI was most often attributed to better fat suppression. Conclusion MB SENSE can be used to accelerate breast DWI acquisition times without compromising the image quality or the fidelity of quantitative ADC measurements. Keywords: MR-Diffusion-weighted Imaging, Breast, Comparative Studies, Technology Assessment Clinical trial registration no. NCT03607552 © RSNA, 2022.
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Cicolari D, Lizio D, Pedrotti P, Moioli MT, Lascialfari A, Mariani M, Torresin A. A method for T 1 and T 2 relaxation times validation and harmonization as a support to MRI mapping. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2022; 334:107110. [PMID: 34844075 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2021.107110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We present a proof-of-concept study focusing on a method for the intra- and inter-center validation and harmonization of data obtained from MRI T1 and T2 maps. The method is based on a set of MnCl2 samples that provide in-scan ground-truth reference values regardless of the details of the MRI protocol. The relaxation times of MnCl2 aqueous solutions were first measured by means of an NMR laboratory relaxometer, as a function of concentration and temperature. The obtained T1 and T2 values, once renormalized at the scanner temperature, were used as reference values for the MRI mapping measurements of the MnCl2 relaxation times. By using different clinical MRI scanners and sequences, we found a good agreement for standard and turbo sequences (limits of agreement: 5% for IR, SE, IR-TSE; 10% for TSE), while an under-estimation and an over-estimation were found respectively for MOLLI and T2-prep TrueFISP, as already reported in the literature. The linearity of the relaxation rates with the concentration predicted by the Solomon-Bloembergen-Morgan theory was observed for every dataset at all temperatures, except for T2-prep TrueFISP maps results. Some preliminary results of an in vivo experiment are also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Cicolari
- University of Pavia, Department of Physics, and INFN-Pavia Unit, Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Domenico Lizio
- ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Department of Medical Physics, P.zza Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20162 Milan, Italy.
| | - Patrizia Pedrotti
- ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Department of Cardiology, P.zza Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20162 Milan, Italy.
| | - Monica Teresa Moioli
- ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Department of Medical Physics, P.zza Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20162 Milan, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Lascialfari
- University of Pavia, Department of Physics, and INFN-Pavia Unit, Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Manuel Mariani
- University of Pavia, Department of Physics, and INFN-Pavia Unit, Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Alberto Torresin
- ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Department of Medical Physics, P.zza Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20162 Milan, Italy; University of Milan, Department of Physics, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milan, Italy.
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Sarwar T, Ramamohanarao K, Zalesky A. A critical review of connectome validation studies. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2021; 34:e4605. [PMID: 34516016 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Diffusion MRI tractography is the most widely used macroscale method for mapping connectomes in vivo. However, tractography is prone to various errors and biases, and thus tractography-derived connectomes require careful validation. Here, we critically review studies that have developed or utilized phantoms and tracer maps to validate tractography-derived connectomes, either quantitatively or qualitatively. We identify key factors impacting connectome reconstruction accuracy, including streamline seeding, propagation and filtering methods, and consider the strengths and limitations of state-of-the-art connectome phantoms and associated validation studies. These studies demonstrate the inherent limitations of current fiber orientation models and tractography algorithms and their impact on connectome reconstruction accuracy. Reconstructing connectomes with both high sensitivity and high specificity is challenging, given that some tractography methods can generate an abundance of spurious connections, while others can overlook genuine fiber bundles. We argue that streamline filtering can minimize spurious connections and potentially improve the biological plausibility of connectomes derived from tractography. We find that algorithmic choices such as the tractography seeding methodology, angular threshold, and streamline propagation method can substantially impact connectome reconstruction accuracy. Hence, careful application of tractography is necessary to reconstruct accurate connectomes. Improvements in diffusion MRI acquisition techniques will not necessarily overcome current tractography limitations without accompanying modeling and algorithmic advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tabinda Sarwar
- School of Computing Technologies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kotagiri Ramamohanarao
- Department of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew Zalesky
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Er WX, Lim WJ, Dwihapsari Y, Awang MNA, Yusoff AN. Signal-to-noise ratio uniformity and stability of agar gel phantom with iron (III) oxide as relaxation modifier. BENI-SUEF UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1186/s43088-021-00173-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Agar has been commonly used as one of the materials to fabricate magnetic resonance imaging phantoms in the past few decades. In this study, eleven agar gel phantoms with different iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3) masses were prepared. This study was aimed to evaluate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) uniformity and stability of agar gel phantoms with and without the addition of Fe2O3 at two different time points (TPs). Fe2O3 powder was used as a relaxation modifier to manipulate and produce various SNR, T1 and T2 values. These phantoms were scanned using turbo spin echo pulse sequence to produce T1- and T2-measurement images. The SNR was then computed by plotting 1, 3 and 25 regions of interest on the images using ImageJ software. The T1 and T2 relaxation equations were then fitted to the experimental results of SNR versus TR and SNR versus TE curves for the determination of saturation (SNRo), T1 and T2 values.
Results
The results demonstrated that the agar gel phantoms were able to maintain SNR uniformity but not SNR stability after 4 weeks of phantom preparation. The change in the water content and microstructure of the phantoms have no significant effect on T2 relaxation but on T1 relaxation. The T1 and T2 of the agar gel phantoms were minimally affected although there was a systemic increase in the content of the Fe2O3 powder.
Conclusions
It can be concluded that the agar gel phantoms exhibited the characteristics of SNR uniformity, but they showed instability of SNR at TP2. The Fe2O3 in powder form is not an effective relaxation modifier to reduce the T1 and T2 when it is introduced into the agar gel phantoms. Dissolved nanosized particles should be the focus of future studies.
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Weingärtner S, Desmond KL, Obuchowski NA, Baessler B, Zhang Y, Biondetti E, Ma D, Golay X, Boss MA, Gunter JL, Keenan KE, Hernando D. Development, validation, qualification, and dissemination of quantitative MR methods: Overview and recommendations by the ISMRM quantitative MR study group. Magn Reson Med 2021; 87:1184-1206. [PMID: 34825741 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
On behalf of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) Quantitative MR Study Group, this article provides an overview of considerations for the development, validation, qualification, and dissemination of quantitative MR (qMR) methods. This process is framed in terms of two central technical performance properties, i.e., bias and precision. Although qMR is confounded by undesired effects, methods with low bias and high precision can be iteratively developed and validated. For illustration, two distinct qMR methods are discussed throughout the manuscript: quantification of liver proton-density fat fraction, and cardiac T1 . These examples demonstrate the expansion of qMR methods from research centers toward widespread clinical dissemination. The overall goal of this article is to provide trainees, researchers, and clinicians with essential guidelines for the development and validation of qMR methods, as well as an understanding of necessary steps and potential pitfalls for the dissemination of quantitative MR in research and in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Weingärtner
- Department of Imaging Physics, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Kimberly L Desmond
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nancy A Obuchowski
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Bettina Baessler
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yuxin Zhang
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Emma Biondetti
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, D'Annunzio University of Chieti and Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Dan Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Xavier Golay
- Brain Repair & Rehabilitation, Institute of Neurology, University College London, United Kingdom.,Gold Standard Phantoms Limited, Rochester, United Kingdom
| | - Michael A Boss
- Center for Research and Innovation, American College of Radiology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Kathryn E Keenan
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Diego Hernando
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Drobnjak I, Neher P, Poupon C, Sarwar T. Physical and digital phantoms for validating tractography and assessing artifacts. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118704. [PMID: 34748954 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Fiber tractography is widely used to non-invasively map white-matter bundles in vivo using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). As it is the case for all scientific methods, proper validation is a key prerequisite for the successful application of fiber tractography, be it in the area of basic neuroscience or in a clinical setting. It is well-known that the indirect estimation of the fiber tracts from the local diffusion signal is highly ambiguous and extremely challenging. Furthermore, the validation of fiber tractography methods is hampered by the lack of a real ground truth, which is caused by the extremely complex brain microstructure that is not directly observable non-invasively and that is the basis of the huge network of long-range fiber connections in the brain that are the actual target of fiber tractography methods. As a substitute for in vivo data with a real ground truth that could be used for validation, a widely and successfully employed approach is the use of synthetic phantoms. In this work, we are providing an overview of the state-of-the-art in the area of physical and digital phantoms, answering the following guiding questions: "What are dMRI phantoms and what are they good for?", "What would the ideal phantom for validation fiber tractography look like?" and "What phantoms, phantom datasets and tools used for their creation are available to the research community?". We will further discuss the limitations and opportunities that come with the use of dMRI phantoms, and what future direction this field of research might take.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Drobnjak
- Center for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, UK.
| | - Peter Neher
- Division of Medical Image Computing, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Cyril Poupon
- BAOBAB, NeuroSpin, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Institut des Sciences du Vivant Frédéric Joliot, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Tabinda Sarwar
- School of Computing Technologies, RMIT University, Australia
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Marques A, Taylor NL, Roquet D, Beze S, Chassain C, Pereira B, O'Callaghan C, Lewis SJG, Durif F. Structural and Functional Correlates of Hallucinations and Illusions in Parkinson's Disease. JOURNAL OF PARKINSONS DISEASE 2021; 12:397-409. [PMID: 34744050 DOI: 10.3233/jpd-212838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Visual illusions (VI) in Parkinson's disease (PD) are generally considered as an early feature of the psychosis spectrum leading to fully formed visual hallucinations (VH), although this sequential relationship has not been clearly demonstrated. OBJECTIVE We aimed to determine whether there are any overlapping, potentially graded patterns of structural and functional connectivity abnormalities in PD with VI and with VH. Such a finding would argue for a continuum between these entities, whereas distinct imaging features would suggest different neural underpinnings for the phenomena. METHODS In this case control study, we compared structural and resting state functional MRI brain patterns of PD patients with VH (PD-H, n = 20), with VI (PD-I, n = 19), and without VH or VI (PD-C, n = 23). RESULTS 1) PD-H had hypo-connectivity between the ILO and anterior cingulate precuneus and parahippocampal gyrus compared to PD-C and PD-I; 2) In contrast, PD-I had hyper-connectivity between the inferior frontal gyrus and the postcentral gyrus compared to PD-C and PD-H. Moreover, PD-I had higher levels of functional connectivity between the amygdala, hippocampus, insula, and fronto-temporal regions compared to PD-H, together with divergent patterns toward the cingulate. 3) Both PD-I and PD-H had functional hypo-connectivity between the lingual gyrus and the parahippocampal region vs. PD-C, and no significant grey matter volume differences was observed between PD-I and PD-H. CONCLUSION Distinct patterns of functional connectivity characterized VI and VH in PD, suggesting that these two perceptual experiences, while probably linked and driven by at least some similar mechanisms, could reflect differing neural dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Marques
- Forefront Parkinson's Disease Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Center, School of Medical Sciences, University ofSydney, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia.,Université Clermont Auvergne, IGCNC, InstitutPascal, Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital, Neurology Department, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Natasha L Taylor
- Forefront Parkinson's Disease Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Center, School of Medical Sciences, University ofSydney, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia
| | - Daniel Roquet
- Frontiers, Brain andMind Center, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia
| | - Steven Beze
- Université Clermont Auvergne, IGCNC, InstitutPascal, Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital, Neurology Department, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Carine Chassain
- Université Clermont Auvergne, IGCNC, InstitutPascal, Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital, NeuroradiologyDepartment, Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Bruno Pereira
- Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital, Biostatistics Department, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Claire O'Callaghan
- Forefront Parkinson's Disease Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Center, School of Medical Sciences, University ofSydney, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia
| | - Simon J G Lewis
- Forefront Parkinson's Disease Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Center, School of Medical Sciences, University ofSydney, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia
| | - Franck Durif
- Université Clermont Auvergne, IGCNC, InstitutPascal, Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital, Neurology Department, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Wu C, Hormuth DA, Easley T, Eijkhout V, Pineda F, Karczmar GS, Yankeelov TE. An in silico validation framework for quantitative DCE-MRI techniques based on a dynamic digital phantom. Med Image Anal 2021; 73:102186. [PMID: 34329903 PMCID: PMC8453106 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2021.102186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative evaluation of an image processing method to perform as designed is central to both its utility and its ability to guide the data acquisition process. Unfortunately, these tasks can be quite challenging due to the difficulty of experimentally obtaining the "ground truth" data to which the output of a given processing method must be compared. One way to address this issue is via "digital phantoms", which are numerical models that provide known biophysical properties of a particular object of interest. In this contribution, we propose an in silico validation framework for dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) acquisition and analysis methods that employs a novel dynamic digital phantom. The phantom provides a spatiotemporally-resolved representation of blood-interstitial flow and contrast agent delivery, where the former is solved by a 1D-3D coupled computational fluid dynamic system, and the latter described by an advection-diffusion equation. Furthermore, we establish a virtual simulator which takes as input the digital phantom, and produces realistic DCE-MRI data with controllable acquisition parameters. We assess the performance of a simulated standard-of-care acquisition (Protocol A) by its ability to generate contrast-enhanced MR images that separate vasculature from surrounding tissue, as measured by the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). We find that the CNR significantly decreases as the spatial resolution (SRA, where the subscript indicates Protocol A) or signal-to-noise ratio (SNRA) decreases. Specifically, with an SNRA / SRA = 75 dB / 30 μm, the median CNR is 77.30, whereas an SNRA / SRA = 5 dB / 300 μm reduces the CNR to 6.40. Additionally, we assess the performance of simulated ultra-fast acquisition (Protocol B) by its ability to generate DCE-MR images that capture contrast agent pharmacokinetics, as measured by error in the signal-enhancement ratio (SER) compared to ground truth (PESER). We find that PESER significantly decreases the as temporal resolution (TRB) increases. Similar results are reported for the effects of spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio on PESER. For example, with an SNRB / SRB / TRB = 5 dB / 300 μm / 10 s, the median PESER is 21.00%, whereas an SNRB / SRB / TRB = 75 dB / 60 μm / 1 s, yields a median PESER of 0.90%. These results indicate that our in silico framework can generate virtual MR images that capture effects of acquisition parameters on the ability of generated images to capture morphological or pharmacokinetic features. This validation framework is not only useful for investigations of perfusion-based MRI techniques, but also for the systematic evaluation and optimization new MRI acquisition, reconstruction, and image processing techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengyue Wu
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 201 E 24th St, Austin, TX 78712, United States.
| | - David A Hormuth
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 201 E 24th St, Austin, TX 78712, United States; Livestrong Cancer Institutes, United States
| | - Ty Easley
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, United States
| | | | - Federico Pineda
- Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
| | - Gregory S Karczmar
- Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
| | - Thomas E Yankeelov
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 201 E 24th St, Austin, TX 78712, United States; Livestrong Cancer Institutes, United States; Departments of Biomedical Engineering, United States; Departments of Diagnostic Medicine, United States; Departments of Oncology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States; Department of Imaging Physics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, United States
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Xu F, Zhu D, Fan H, Lu H, Liu D, Li W, Qin Q. Magnetic resonance angiography and perfusion mapping by arterial spin labeling using Fourier transform-based velocity-selective pulse trains: Examination on a commercial perfusion phantom. Magn Reson Med 2021; 86:1360-1368. [PMID: 33934396 PMCID: PMC8861891 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Benchmarking of flow and perfusion MR techniques on standardized phantoms can facilitate the use of advanced angiography and perfusion-mapping techniques across multiple sites, field strength, and vendors. Here, MRA and perfusion mapping by arterial spin labeling (ASL) using Fourier transform (FT)-based velocity-selective saturation and inversion pulse trains were evaluated on a commercial perfusion phantom. METHODS The FT velocity-selective saturation-based MRA and FT velocity-selective inversion-based ASL perfusion imaging were compared with time-of-flight and pseudo-continuous ASL at 3 T on the perfusion phantom at two controlled flow rates, 175 mL/min and 350 mL/min. Velocity-selective MRA (VSMRA) and velocity-selective ASL (VSASL) were each performed with three velocity-encoding directions: foot-head, left-right, and oblique 45°. The contrast-to-noise ratio for MRA scans and perfusion-weighted signal, as well as labeling efficiency for ASL methods, were quantified. RESULTS On this phantom with feeding tubes having only vertical and transverse flow directions, VSMRA and VSASL exhibited the dependence of velocity-encoding directions. The foot-head-encoded VSMRA and VSASL generated similar signal contrasts as time of flight and pseudo-continuous ASL for the two flow rates, respectively. The oblique 45°-encoded VSMRA yielded more uniform contrast-to-noise ratio across slices than foot-head and left-right-encoded VSMRA scans. The oblique 45°-encoded VSASL elevated labeling efficiency from 0.22-0.68 to 0.82-0.90 through more uniform labeling of the entire feeding tubes. CONCLUSION Both FT velocity-selective saturation-based VSMRA and FT velocity-selective inversion-based VSASL were characterized on a commercial perfusion phantom. Careful selection of velocity-encoding directions along the major vessels is recommended for their applications in various organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Xu
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dan Zhu
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hongli Fan
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hanzhang Lu
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dapeng Liu
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Wenbo Li
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Qin Qin
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Crasto N, Kirubarajan A, Sussman D. Anthropomorphic brain phantoms for use in MRI systems: a systematic review. MAGNETIC RESONANCE MATERIALS IN PHYSICS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2021; 35:277-289. [PMID: 34463866 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-021-00953-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To provide a systematic review of available brain MRI phantoms for comparison of structural and functional characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS Phantoms were identified from a literature search using two databases including Google Scholar and PubMed. Narrow inclusion criteria were followed for identification of only tissue-mimicking MRI phantoms excluding digital, computational, or numerical phantoms. Assessment criteria for the identified phantoms was based on three categories being anatomical accuracy, tissue-mimicking materials, and exhibiting relaxation times approximating in-vivo tissues. The available features and uses of each phantom were reported and discussed using the assessment criteria. RESULTS Ten phantoms were identified after screening; each proposed phantom was then summarized in a table (Table 2). Significant features and characteristics were shown in the comparisons of phantom type in each category, being anthropomorphic vs. traditional phantoms. Anthropomorphic phantoms had more anatomically accurate features than traditional phantoms. On the other hand, traditional phantoms commonly used effective tissue-mimicking materials and accurate electromagnetic properties. DISCUSSION The findings provide an overview of the different proposed tissue-mimicking MRI brain phantoms available. Various uses and features are highlighted by comparing criteria such as anatomical accuracy, tissue-mimicking material, and electromagnetic properties. Tissue-mimicking MRI phantoms are an extremely useful tool for researchers and clinicians. Future applications include personalized phantom technology and validation of MR imaging and segmentation methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelle Crasto
- Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST) at Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Abirami Kirubarajan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Dafna Sussman
- Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada.
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST) at Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada.
- The Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada.
- Department of Biomedical Physics, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada.
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Lennie E, Tsoumpas C, Sourbron S. Multimodal phantoms for clinical PET/MRI. EJNMMI Phys 2021; 8:62. [PMID: 34436671 PMCID: PMC8390737 DOI: 10.1186/s40658-021-00408-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Phantoms are commonly used throughout medical imaging and medical physics for a multitude of applications, the designs of which vary between modalities and clinical or research requirements. Within positron emission tomography (PET) and nuclear medicine, phantoms have a well-established role in the validation of imaging protocols so as to reduce the administration of radioisotope to volunteers. Similarly, phantoms are used within magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to perform quality assurance on clinical scanners, and gel-based phantoms have a longstanding use within the MRI research community as tissue equivalent phantoms. In recent years, combined PET/MRI scanners for simultaneous acquisition have entered both research and clinical use. This review explores the designs and applications of phantom work within the field of simultaneous acquisition PET/MRI as published over the period of a decade. Common themes in the design, manufacture and materials used within phantoms are identified and the solutions they provided to research in PET/MRI are summarised. Finally, the challenges remaining in creating multimodal phantoms for use with simultaneous acquisition PET/MRI are discussed. No phantoms currently exist commercially that have been designed and optimised for simultaneous PET/MRI acquisition. Subsequently, commercially available PET and nuclear medicine phantoms are often utilised, with CT-based attenuation maps substituted for MR-based attenuation maps due to the lack of MR visibility in phantom housing. Tissue equivalent and anthropomorphic phantoms are often developed by research groups in-house and provide customisable alternatives to overcome barriers such as MR-based attenuation correction, or to address specific areas of study such as motion correction. Further work to characterise materials and manufacture methods used in phantom design would facilitate the ability to reproduce phantoms across sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Lennie
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Charalampos Tsoumpas
- Biomedical Imaging Science Department, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Steven Sourbron
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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NO-HYPE: a novel hydrodynamic phantom for the evaluation of MRI flow measurements. Med Biol Eng Comput 2021; 59:1889-1899. [PMID: 34365590 PMCID: PMC8382656 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-021-02390-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Accurate and reproducible measurement of blood flow profile is very important in many clinical investigations for diagnosing cardiovascular disorders. Given that many factors could affect human circulation, and several parameters must be set to properly evaluate blood flows with phase-contrast techniques, we developed an MRI-compatible hydrodynamic phantom to simulate different physiological blood flows. The phantom included a programmable hydraulic pump connected to a series of pipes immersed in a solution mimicking human soft tissues, with a blood-mimicking fluid flowing in the pipes. The pump is able to shape and control the flow by driving a piston through a dedicated software. Periodic waveforms are used as input to the pump to move the fluid into the pipes, with synchronization of the MRI sequences to the flow waveforms. A dedicated software is used to extract and analyze flow data from magnitude and phase images. The match between the nominal and the measured flows was assessed, and the scope of phantom variables useful for a reliable calibration of an MRI system was accordingly defined. Results showed that the NO-HYPE phantom is a valuable tool for the assessment of MRI scanners and sequence design for the MR evaluation of blood flows. Overview of the NOvel HYdrodynamic Phantom for the Evaluation of MRI flow measurements (NO-HYPE). Left: internal of the CompuFlow 1000 MR pump unit. Right: Setting of the NO-HYPE before a MRI acquisition session. Soft tissue mimicking material is hosted in the central part of the phantom (light blue chamber). Glass pipes pass through the chamber carrying the blood mimicking fluid.
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Manikis GC, Ioannidis GS, Siakallis L, Nikiforaki K, Iv M, Vozlic D, Surlan-Popovic K, Wintermark M, Bisdas S, Marias K. Multicenter DSC-MRI-Based Radiomics Predict IDH Mutation in Gliomas. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13163965. [PMID: 34439118 PMCID: PMC8391559 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13163965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Significant efforts have been put toward developing MRI-based radiogenomics for IDH status subtyping predictions; however, in the vast majority of these approaches, the external validation sets are absent. Another limitation in current studies is the lack of explainability in radiomics models, which hampers clinical trust and translation. Motivated by these challenges, we proposed a multicenter DSC–MRI-based radiomics study based on an independent exploratory set, which was externally validated on two independent cohorts, for IDH mutation status prediction. Our results demonstrated that DSC–MRI radiogenomics in gliomas, coupled with dynamic-based image standardization techniques, hold the potential to provide (a) increased predictive performance by offering models that generalize well, (b) reasoning behind the IDH mutation status predictions, and (c) interpretability of the radiomics features’ impacts in model performance. Abstract To address the current lack of dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DSC–MRI)-based radiomics to predict isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations in gliomas, we present a multicenter study that featured an independent exploratory set for radiomics model development and external validation using two independent cohorts. The maximum performance of the IDH mutation status prediction on the validation set had an accuracy of 0.544 (Cohen’s kappa: 0.145, F1-score: 0.415, area under the curve-AUC: 0.639, sensitivity: 0.733, specificity: 0.491), which significantly improved to an accuracy of 0.706 (Cohen’s kappa: 0.282, F1-score: 0.474, AUC: 0.667, sensitivity: 0.6, specificity: 0.736) when dynamic-based standardization of the images was performed prior to the radiomics. Model explainability using local interpretable model-agnostic explanations (LIME) and Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) revealed potential intuitive correlations between the IDH–wildtype increased heterogeneity and the texture complexity. These results strengthened our hypothesis that DSC–MRI radiogenomics in gliomas hold the potential to provide increased predictive performance from models that generalize well and provide understandable patterns between IDH mutation status and the extracted features toward enabling the clinical translation of radiogenomics in neuro-oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios C. Manikis
- Computational BioMedicine Laboratory (CBML), Foundation for Research and Technology—Hellas (FORTH), 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (G.S.I.); (K.N.); (K.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +30-281-139-1593
| | - Georgios S. Ioannidis
- Computational BioMedicine Laboratory (CBML), Foundation for Research and Technology—Hellas (FORTH), 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (G.S.I.); (K.N.); (K.M.)
| | - Loizos Siakallis
- Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (L.S.); (S.B.)
| | - Katerina Nikiforaki
- Computational BioMedicine Laboratory (CBML), Foundation for Research and Technology—Hellas (FORTH), 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (G.S.I.); (K.N.); (K.M.)
| | - Michael Iv
- Division of Neuroimaging and Neurointervention, Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (M.I.); (M.W.)
| | - Diana Vozlic
- Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (D.V.); (K.S.-P.)
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Medical Centre, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katarina Surlan-Popovic
- Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (D.V.); (K.S.-P.)
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Medical Centre, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Max Wintermark
- Division of Neuroimaging and Neurointervention, Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (M.I.); (M.W.)
| | - Sotirios Bisdas
- Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (L.S.); (S.B.)
- Department of Neuroradiology, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London NHS Foundation Trust, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Kostas Marias
- Computational BioMedicine Laboratory (CBML), Foundation for Research and Technology—Hellas (FORTH), 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (G.S.I.); (K.N.); (K.M.)
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece
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Mushtaha FN, Kuehn TK, El-Deeb O, Rohani SA, Helpard LW, Moore J, Ladak H, Moehring A, Baron CA, Khan AR. Design and characterization of a 3D-printed axon-mimetic phantom for diffusion MRI. Magn Reson Med 2021; 86:2482-2496. [PMID: 34196049 PMCID: PMC8596689 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To introduce and characterize inexpensive and easily produced 3D-printed axon-mimetic diffusion MRI phantoms in terms of pore geometry and diffusion kurtosis imaging metrics. METHODS Phantoms were 3D-printed with a composite printing material that, after the dissolution of the polyvinyl alcohol, exhibits microscopic fibrous pores. Confocal microscopy and synchrotron phase-contrast micro-CT imaging were performed to visualize and assess the pore sizes. Diffusion MRI scans of four identical phantoms and phantoms with varying print parameters in water were performed at 9.4 T. Diffusion kurtosis imaging was fit to both data sets and used to assess the reproducibility between phantoms and effects of print parameters on diffusion kurtosis imaging metrics. Identical scans were performed 25 and 76 days later, to test their stability. RESULTS Segmentation of pores in three microscopy images yielded a mean, median, and SD of equivalent pore diameters of 7.57 μm, 3.51 μm, and 12.13 μm, respectively. Phantoms had T1 /T2 = 2 seconds/180 ms, and those with identical parameters showed a low coefficient of variation (~10%) in mean diffusivity (1.38 × 10-3 mm2 /s) and kurtosis (0.52) metrics and radial diffusivity (1.01 × 10-3 mm2 /s) and kurtosis (1.13) metrics. Printing temperature and speed had a small effect on diffusion kurtosis imaging metrics (< 16%), whereas infill density had a larger and more variable effect (> 16%). The stability analysis showed small changes over 2.5 months (< 7%). CONCLUSION Three-dimension-printed axon-mimetic phantoms can mimic the fibrous structure of axon bundles on a microscopic scale, serving as complex, anisotropic diffusion MRI phantoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farah N Mushtaha
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Tristan K Kuehn
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Canada.,School of Biomedical Engineering, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Omar El-Deeb
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Seyed A Rohani
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Luke W Helpard
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Western University, London, Canada
| | - John Moore
- Imaging Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Hanif Ladak
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Western University, London, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Western University, London, Canada
| | | | - Corey A Baron
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Canada.,School of Biomedical Engineering, Western University, London, Canada.,Imaging Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Ali R Khan
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Canada.,Department of Biology, Western University, London, Canada.,Imaging Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Canada
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49
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Wang X, Tan Z, Scholand N, Roeloffs V, Uecker M. Physics-based reconstruction methods for magnetic resonance imaging. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2021; 379:20200196. [PMID: 33966457 PMCID: PMC8107652 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2020.0196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is hampered by long scan times and only qualitative image contrasts that prohibit a direct comparison between different systems. To address these limitations, model-based reconstructions explicitly model the physical laws that govern the MRI signal generation. By formulating image reconstruction as an inverse problem, quantitative maps of the underlying physical parameters can then be extracted directly from efficiently acquired k-space signals without intermediate image reconstruction-addressing both shortcomings of conventional MRI at the same time. This review will discuss basic concepts of model-based reconstructions and report on our experience in developing several model-based methods over the last decade using selected examples that are provided complete with data and code. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synergistic tomographic image reconstruction: part 1'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqing Wang
- Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Partner Site Göttingen, German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Zhengguo Tan
- Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Partner Site Göttingen, German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nick Scholand
- Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Partner Site Göttingen, German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Volkert Roeloffs
- Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martin Uecker
- Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Partner Site Göttingen, German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Göttingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence ‘Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells’ (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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50
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Oglesby RT, Lam WW, Stanisz GJ. A strategy to prevent a temperature-induced MRI artifact in warm liquid phantoms due to convection currents. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2021; 34:e4494. [PMID: 33586271 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4494] [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: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
MRI phantom studies often fail to mimic the temperature of the human body, which can negatively impact accuracy. An artifact induced by increasing temperature in liquid phantoms was observed, presenting a significant challenge to temperature-controlled experiments. In this study we characterize and provide a solution to eliminate this temperature-induced MRI artifact. Low concentration (0.5-2.5 mM) agar phantoms were prepared. Utilizing a temperature-controlled phantom holder, T1 - and T2 -weighted structural images were acquired at 7 T along with quantitative B0 , B1 , T1 , T2 and ADC maps at both 25 and 37°C. Additionally, computer simulations were conducted to demonstrate the fluid flow and thermal flux patterns in water to provide an insight into the origins of the artifact. Evidence from computer simulation and quantitative MRI strongly suggest the artifact was caused by heat transfer in the form of natural convection leading to structured patterns of signal loss in MR images. The artifact was present up to agar concentrations of 1.5 mM (T1 = 3068 ± 16 ms, T2 = 1052 ± 20 ms, ADC = 2.29 ± 0.36 × 10-3 mm2 /s at 25°C; T1 = 3928 ± 44 ms, T2 = 1122 ± 24 ms, ADC = 2.64 ± 0.49 × 10-3 mm2 /s at 37°C), above which point increased sample viscosity no longer allows for convection currents, thereby eliminating the artifact. The methodology described in this work simplifies quantitative MR acquisition of liquid phantoms at physiological temperature by suppressing convection currents with relatively small changes to intrinsic MR parameters (T1 increased by 1.4% and T2 decreased by 17% for 1.5 mM agar at 25°C).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan T Oglesby
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Wilfred W Lam
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Greg J Stanisz
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Neurosurgery and Paediatric Neurosurgery, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
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