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Huang Q, Mendes J, Adluru G, DiBella E. Technical note: Accuracy and precision of T2 and T2* with a gradient-echo spin-echo (GESE) sequence for cardiac imaging. Med Phys 2023; 50:7946-7954. [PMID: 37357805 DOI: 10.1002/mp.16569] [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: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of a gradient echo spin echo (GESE) method to obtain rapid T2 and T2* estimation in the heart has been proposed. The effect of acquisition parameter settings on T2 and T2* bias and precision have not been investigated in depth. PURPOSE To understand factors impacting the quantification of T2 and T2* values with a gradient echo spin echo (GESE) method using echo planar imaging (EPI) readouts in a reduced field of view acquisition. METHODS The GESE method is implemented with a reduced field-of-view using an outer volume suppression (OVS) technique to minimize the time for multi-echo EPI readouts. The number of EPI readouts (images) for the GESE is optimized using Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) and Monte Carlo simulations with a nonlinear least-square (NLLS) estimator. The SNR requirements were studied using the latter simulation method for a selected range of T2 and T2* values and T2/T2* ratios. Two healthy control subjects were imaged with the proposed GESE sequence and evaluated with the NLLS estimation method. In addition, the proposed OVS method was compared with a saturation bands OVS method in one subject. Clinical T2 and T2* mappings were used as the reference. RESULTS The optimal number of EPI readouts is five and the performance is slightly better when the refocusing pulse is placed between the 2nd and 3rd readouts. The SNR requirement for achieving a target bias < 1 ms and standard deviation (SD) < 5 ms is more demanding when T2/T2* ratio increases. The minimum SNR requirement in the GESE acquisition should vary from 6 to 20 depending on specific myocardial T2 and T2* values at 3T. The T2 and T2* estimates using the proposed OVS method and the saturation bands OVS method are both similar to the reference. CONCLUSION The GESE sequence with five EPI readouts is a feasible and efficient technique that can estimate T2 and T2* values in the septal myocardium within a heartbeat when the SNR requirement can be satisfied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Huang
- Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR), Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Jason Mendes
- Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR), Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Ganesh Adluru
- Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR), Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Edward DiBella
- Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR), Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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Snyder J, Seres P, Stobbe RW, Grenier JG, Smyth P, Blevins G, Wilman AH. Inline dual-echo T2 quantification in brain using a fast mapping reconstruction technique. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2023; 36:e4811. [PMID: 35934839 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
T2 mapping from 2D proton density and T2-weighted images (PD-T2) using Bloch equation simulations can be time consuming and introduces a latency between image acquisition and T2 map production. A fast T2 mapping reconstruction method is investigated and compared with a previous modeling approach to reduce computation time and allow inline T2 maps on the MRI console. Brain PD-T2 images from five multiple sclerosis patients were used to compare T2 map reconstruction times between the new subtraction method and the Euclidean norm minimization technique. Bloch equation simulations were used to create the lookup table for decay curve matching in both cases. Agreement of the two techniques used Bland-Altman analysis for investigating individual subsets of data and all image points in the five volumes (meta-analysis). The subtraction method resulted in an average reduction of computation time for single slices from 134 s (minimization method) to 0.44 s. Comparing T2 values between the subtraction and minimization methods resulted in a confidence interval ranging from -0.06 to 0.06 ms (95% of values were within ± 0.06 ms between the techniques). Using identical reconstruction code based on the subtraction method, inline T2 maps were produced from PD-T2 images directly on the scanner console. The excellent agreement between the two methods permits the subtraction technique to be interchanged with the previous method, reducing computation time and allowing inline T2 map reconstruction based on Bloch simulations directly on the scanner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff Snyder
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Peter Seres
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Robert W Stobbe
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Justin G Grenier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Penelope Smyth
- Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Gregg Blevins
- Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Alan H Wilman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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A Fetal Brain magnetic resonance Acquisition Numerical phantom (FaBiAN). Sci Rep 2022; 12:8682. [PMID: 35606398 PMCID: PMC9127105 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10335-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate characterization of in utero human brain maturation is critical as it involves complex and interconnected structural and functional processes that may influence health later in life. Magnetic resonance imaging is a powerful tool to investigate equivocal neurological patterns during fetal development. However, the number of acquisitions of satisfactory quality available in this cohort of sensitive subjects remains scarce, thus hindering the validation of advanced image processing techniques. Numerical phantoms can mitigate these limitations by providing a controlled environment with a known ground truth. In this work, we present FaBiAN, an open-source Fetal Brain magnetic resonance Acquisition Numerical phantom that simulates clinical T2-weighted fast spin echo sequences of the fetal brain. This unique tool is based on a general, flexible and realistic setup that includes stochastic fetal movements, thus providing images of the fetal brain throughout maturation comparable to clinical acquisitions. We demonstrate its value to evaluate the robustness and optimize the accuracy of an algorithm for super-resolution fetal brain magnetic resonance imaging from simulated motion-corrupted 2D low-resolution series compared to a synthetic high-resolution reference volume. We also show that the images generated can complement clinical datasets to support data-intensive deep learning methods for fetal brain tissue segmentation.
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Feng L. Golden-Angle Radial MRI: Basics, Advances, and Applications. J Magn Reson Imaging 2022; 56:45-62. [PMID: 35396897 PMCID: PMC9189059 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.28187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, golden‐angle radial sampling has received substantial attention and interest in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) community, and it has become a popular sampling trajectory for both research and clinical use. However, although the number of relevant techniques and publications has grown rapidly, there is still a lack of a review paper that provides a comprehensive overview and summary of the basics of golden‐angle rotation, the advantages and challenges/limitations of golden‐angle radial sampling, and recommendations in using different types of golden‐angle radial trajectories for MRI applications. Such a review paper is expected to be helpful both for clinicians who are interested in learning the potential benefits of golden‐angle radial sampling and for MRI physicists who are interested in exploring this research direction. The main purpose of this review paper is thus to present an overview and summary about golden‐angle radial MRI sampling. The review consists of three sections. The first section aims to answer basic questions such as: what is a golden angle; how is the golden angle calculated; why is golden‐angle radial sampling useful, and what are its limitations. The second section aims to review more advanced trajectories of golden‐angle radial sampling, including tiny golden‐angle rotation, stack‐of‐stars golden‐angle radial sampling, and three‐dimensional (3D) kooshball golden‐angle radial sampling. Their respective advantages and limitations and potential solutions to address these limitations are also discussed. Finally, the third section reviews MRI applications that can benefit from golden‐angle radial sampling and provides recommendations to readers who are interested in implementing golden‐angle radial trajectories in their MRI studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Feng
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute (BMEII) and Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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Keerthivasan MB, Galons JP, Johnson K, Umapathy L, Martin DR, Bilgin A, Altbach MI. Abdominal T2-Weighted Imaging and T2 Mapping Using a Variable Flip Angle Radial Turbo Spin-Echo Technique. J Magn Reson Imaging 2022; 55:289-300. [PMID: 34254382 PMCID: PMC8678192 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.27825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND T2 mapping is of great interest in abdominal imaging but current methods are limited by low resolution, slice coverage, motion sensitivity, or lengthy acquisitions. PURPOSE Develop a radial turbo spin-echo technique with refocusing variable flip angles (RADTSE-VFA) for high spatiotemporal T2 mapping and efficient slice coverage within a breath-hold and compare to the constant flip angle counterpart (RADTSE-CFA). STUDY TYPE Prospective technical efficacy. SUBJECTS Testing performed on agarose phantoms and 12 patients. Focal liver lesion classification tested on malignant (N = 24) and benign (N = 11) lesions. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 1.5 T/RADTSE-VFA, RADTSE-CFA. ASSESSMENT A constrained objective function was used to optimize the refocusing flip angles. Phantom and/or in vivo data were used to assess relative contrast, T2 estimation, specific absorption rate (SAR), and focal liver lesion classification. STATISTICAL TESTS: t-Tests or Mann-Whitney Rank Sum tests were used. RESULTS Phantom data did not show significant differences in mean relative contrast (P = 0.10) and T2 accuracy (P = 0.99) between RADTSE-VFA and RADTSE-CFA. Adding noise caused T2 overestimation predominantly for RADTSE-CFA and low T2 values. In vivo results did not show significant differences in mean spleen-to-liver (P = 0.62) and kidney-to-liver (P = 0.49) relative contrast between RADTSE-VFA and RADTSE-CFA. Mean T2 values were not significantly different between the two techniques for spleen (T2VFA = 109.2 ± 12.3 msec; T2CFA = 110.7 ± 11.1 msec; P = 0.78) and kidney-medulla (T2VFA = 113.0 ± 8.7 msec; T2CFA = 114.0 ± 8.6 msec; P = 0.79). Liver T2 was significantly higher for RADTSE-CFA (T2VFA = 52.6 ± 6.6 msec; T2CFA = 60.4 ± 8.0 msec) consistent with T2 overestimation in the phantom study. Focal liver lesion classification had comparable T2 distributions for RADTSE-VFA and RADTSE-CFA for malignancies (P = 1.0) and benign lesions (P = 0.39). RADTSE-VFA had significantly lower SAR than RADTSE-CFA increasing slice coverage by 1.5. DATA CONCLUSION RADTSE-VFA provided noise-robust T2 estimation compared to the constant flip angle counterpart while generating T2-weighted images with comparable contrast. The VFA scheme minimized SAR improving slice efficiency for breath-hold imaging. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahesh B Keerthivasan
- Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | | | - Kevin Johnson
- Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Lavanya Umapathy
- Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Diego R Martin
- Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Ali Bilgin
- Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Maria I Altbach
- Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
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Snyder J, McPhee KC, Wilman AH. T 2 quantification in brain using 3D fast spin-echo imaging with long echo trains. Magn Reson Med 2021; 87:2145-2160. [PMID: 34894641 PMCID: PMC9299830 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Three‐dimensional fast spin‐echo (FSE) sequences commonly use very long echo trains (>64 echoes) and severely reduced refocusing angles. They are increasingly used in brain exams due to high, isotropic resolution and reasonable scan time when using long trains and short interecho spacing. In this study, T2 quantification in 3D FSE is investigated to achieve increased resolution when comparing with established 2D (proton‐density dual‐echo and multi‐echo spin‐echo) methods. Methods The FSE sequence design was explored to use long echo trains while minimizing T2 fitting error and maintaining typical proton density and T2‐weighted contrasts. Constant and variable flip angle trains were investigated using extended phase graph and Bloch equation simulations. Optimized parameters were analyzed in phantom experiments and validated in vivo in comparison to 2D methods for eight regions of interest in brain, including deep gray‐matter structures and white‐matter tracts. Results Phantom and healthy in vivo brain T2 measurements showed that optimized variable echo‐train 3D FSE performs similarly to previous 2D methods, while achieving three‐fold‐higher slice resolution, evident visually in the 3D T2 maps. Optimization resulted in better T2 fitting and compared well with standard multi‐echo spin echo (within the 8‐ms confidence limits defined based on Bland‐Altman analysis). Conclusion T2 mapping using 3D FSE with long echo trains and variable refocusing angles provides T2 accuracy in agreement with 2D methods with additional high‐resolution benefits, allowing isotropic views while avoiding incidental magnetization transfer effects. Consequently, optimized 3D sequences should be considered when choosing T2 mapping methods for high anatomic detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff Snyder
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | | | - Alan H Wilman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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Feng L, Liu F, Soultanidis G, Liu C, Benkert T, Block KT, Fayad ZA, Yang Y. Magnetization-prepared GRASP MRI for rapid 3D T1 mapping and fat/water-separated T1 mapping. Magn Reson Med 2021; 86:97-114. [PMID: 33580909 PMCID: PMC8197608 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aimed to (i) develop Magnetization-Prepared Golden-angle RAdial Sparse Parallel (MP-GRASP) MRI using a stack-of-stars trajectory for rapid free-breathing T1 mapping and (ii) extend MP-GRASP to multi-echo acquisition (MP-Dixon-GRASP) for fat/water-separated (water-specific) T1 mapping. METHODS An adiabatic non-selective 180° inversion-recovery pulse was added to a gradient-echo-based golden-angle stack-of-stars sequence for magnetization-prepared 3D single-echo or 3D multi-echo acquisition. In combination with subspace-based GRASP-Pro reconstruction, the sequence allows for standard T1 mapping (MP-GRASP) or fat/water-separated T1 mapping (MP-Dixon-GRASP), respectively. The accuracy of T1 mapping using MP-GRASP was evaluated in a phantom and volunteers (brain and liver) against clinically accepted reference methods. The repeatability of T1 estimation was also assessed in the phantom and volunteers. The performance of MP-Dixon-GRASP for water-specific T1 mapping was evaluated in a fat/water phantom and volunteers (brain and liver). RESULTS ROI-based mean T1 values are correlated between the references and MP-GRASP in the phantom (R2 = 1.0), brain (R2 = 0.96), and liver (R2 = 0.73). MP-GRASP achieved good repeatability of T1 estimation in the phantom (R2 = 1.0), brain (R2 = 0.99), and liver (R2 = 0.82). Water-specific T1 is different from in-phase and out-of-phase composite T1 (composite T1 when fat and water signal are mixed in phase or out of phase) both in the phantom and volunteers. CONCLUSION This work demonstrated the initial performance of MP-GRASP and MP-Dixon-GRASP MRI for rapid 3D T1 mapping and 3D fat/water-separated T1 mapping in the brain (without motion) and in the liver (during free breathing). With fat/water-separated T1 estimation, MP-Dixon-GRASP could be potentially useful for imaging patients with fatty-liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Feng
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute and Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Fang Liu
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Georgios Soultanidis
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute and Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chenyu Liu
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute and Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thomas Benkert
- MR Application Development, Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Kai Tobias Block
- MR Application Development, Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAIR), New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zahi A. Fayad
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute and Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yang Yang
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute and Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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Li Z, Fu Z, Keerthivasan M, Bilgin A, Johnson K, Galons JP, Vedantham S, Martin DR, Altbach MI. Rapid high-resolution volumetric T 1 mapping using a highly accelerated stack-of-stars Look Locker technique. Magn Reson Imaging 2021; 79:28-37. [PMID: 33722634 PMCID: PMC8107135 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2021.03.003] [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: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To develop a fast volumetric T1 mapping technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS A stack-of-stars (SOS) Look Locker technique based on the acquisition of undersampled radial data (>30× relative to Nyquist) and an efficient multi-slab excitation scheme is presented. A principal-component based reconstruction is used to reconstruct T1 maps. Computer simulations were performed to determine the best choice of partitions per slab and degree of undersampling. The technique was validated in phantoms against reference T1 values measured with a 2D Cartesian inversion-recovery spin-echo technique. The SOS Look Locker technique was tested in brain (n = 4) and prostate (n = 5). Brain T1 mapping was carried out with and without kz acceleration and results between the two approaches were compared. Prostate T1 mapping was compared to standard techniques. A reproducibility study was conducted in brain and prostate. Statistical analyses were performed using linear regression and Bland Altman analysis. RESULTS Phantom T1 values showed excellent correlations between SOS Look Locker and the inversion-recovery spin-echo reference (r2 = 0.9965; p < 0.0001) and between SOS Look Locker with slab-selective and non-slab selective inversion pulses (r2 = 0.9999; p < 0.0001). In vivo results showed that full brain T1 mapping (1 mm3) with kz acceleration is achieved in 4 min 21 s. Full prostate T1 mapping (0.9 × 0.9 × 4 mm3) is achieved in 2 min 43 s. T1 values for brain and prostate were in agreement with literature values. A reproducibility study showed coefficients of variation in the range of 0.18-0.2% (brain) and 0.15-0.18% (prostate). CONCLUSION A rapid volumetric T1 mapping technique was developed. The technique enables high-resolution T1 mapping with adequate anatomical coverage in a clinically acceptable time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhitao Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Zhiyang Fu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Mahesh Keerthivasan
- Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; Siemens Healthcare USA, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Ali Bilgin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Kevin Johnson
- Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | | | | | - Diego R Martin
- Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Maria I Altbach
- Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Cao X, Wang K, Liao C, Zhang Z, Srinivasan Iyer S, Chen Z, Lo WC, Liu H, He H, Setsompop K, Zhong J, Bilgic B. Efficient T 2 mapping with blip-up/down EPI and gSlider-SMS (T 2 -BUDA-gSlider). Magn Reson Med 2021; 86:2064-2075. [PMID: 34046924 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To rapidly obtain high isotropic-resolution T2 maps with whole-brain coverage and high geometric fidelity. METHODS A T2 blip-up/down EPI acquisition with generalized slice-dithered enhanced resolution (T2 -BUDA-gSlider) is proposed. A RF-encoded multi-slab spin-echo (SE) EPI acquisition with multiple TEs was developed to obtain high SNR efficiency with reduced TR. This was combined with an interleaved 2-shot EPI acquisition using blip-up/down phase encoding. An estimated field map was incorporated into the joint multi-shot EPI reconstruction with a structured low rank constraint to achieve distortion-free and robust reconstruction for each slab without navigation. A Bloch simulated subspace model was integrated into gSlider reconstruction and used for T2 quantification. RESULTS In vivo results demonstrated that the T2 values estimated by the proposed method were consistent with gold standard spin-echo acquisition. Compared to the reference 3D fast spin echo (FSE) images, distortion caused by off-resonance and eddy current effects were effectively mitigated. CONCLUSION BUDA-gSlider SE-EPI acquisition and gSlider-subspace joint reconstruction enabled distortion-free whole-brain T2 mapping in 2 min at ~1 mm3 isotropic resolution, which could bring significant benefits to related clinical and neuroscience applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhi Cao
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kang Wang
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Congyu Liao
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Zijing Zhang
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Siddharth Srinivasan Iyer
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Zhifeng Chen
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Image Processing, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Wei-Ching Lo
- Siemens Medical Solutions, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Huafeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hongjian He
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Kawin Setsompop
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard-MIT Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jianhui Zhong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Berkin Bilgic
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard-MIT Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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Zi R, Zhu D, Qin Q. Quantitative T 2 mapping using accelerated 3D stack-of-spiral gradient echo readout. Magn Reson Imaging 2020; 73:138-147. [PMID: 32860871 PMCID: PMC7571618 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2020.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To develop a rapid T2 mapping protocol using optimized spiral acquisition, accelerated reconstruction, and model fitting. MATERIALS AND METHODS A T2-prepared stack-of-spiral gradient echo (GRE) pulse sequence was applied. A model-based approach joined with compressed sensing was compared with the two methods applied separately for accelerated reconstruction and T2 mapping. A 2-parameter-weighted fitting method was compared with 2- or 3-parameter models for accurate T2 estimation under the influences of noise and B1 inhomogeneity. The performance was evaluated using both digital phantoms and healthy volunteers. Mitigating partial voluming with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was also tested. RESULTS Simulations demonstrates that the 2-parameter-weighted fitting approach was robust to a large range of B1 scales and SNR levels. With an in-plane acceleration factor of 5, the model-based compressed sensing-incorporated method yielded around 8% normalized errors compared to references. The T2 estimation with and without CSF nulling was consistent with literature values. CONCLUSION This work demonstrated the feasibility of a T2 quantification technique with 3D high-resolution and whole-brain coverage in 2-3 min. The proposed iterative reconstruction method, which utilized the model consistency, data consistency and spatial sparsity jointly, provided reasonable T2 estimation. The technique also allowed mitigation of CSF partial volume effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoxun Zi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dan Zhu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Qin Qin
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Fu Z, Mandava S, Keerthivasan MB, Li Z, Johnson K, Martin DR, Altbach MI, Bilgin A. A multi-scale residual network for accelerated radial MR parameter mapping. Magn Reson Imaging 2020; 73:152-162. [PMID: 32882339 PMCID: PMC7580302 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2020.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
A deep learning MR parameter mapping framework which combines accelerated radial data acquisition with a multi-scale residual network (MS-ResNet) for image reconstruction is proposed. The proposed supervised learning strategy uses input image patches from multi-contrast images with radial undersampling artifacts and target image patches from artifact-free multi-contrast images. Subspace filtering is used during pre-processing to denoise input patches. For each anatomy and relaxation parameter, an individual network is trained. in vivo T1 mapping results are obtained on brain and abdomen datasets and in vivo T2 mapping results are obtained on brain and knee datasets. Quantitative results for the T2 mapping of the knee show that MS-ResNet trained using either fully sampled or undersampled data outperforms conventional model-based compressed sensing methods. This is significant because obtaining fully sampled training data is not possible in many applications. in vivo brain and abdomen results for T1 mapping and in vivo brain results for T2 mapping demonstrate that MS-ResNet yields contrast-weighted images and parameter maps that are comparable to those achieved by model-based iterative methods while offering two orders of magnitude reduction in reconstruction times. The proposed approach enables recovery of high-quality contrast-weighted images and parameter maps from highly accelerated radial data acquisitions. The rapid image reconstructions enabled by the proposed approach makes it a good candidate for routine clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyang Fu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Sagar Mandava
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Mahesh B Keerthivasan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Zhitao Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Kevin Johnson
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Diego R Martin
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Maria I Altbach
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Ali Bilgin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
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Tamir JI, Ong F, Anand S, Karasan E, Wang K, Lustig M. Computational MRI with Physics-based Constraints: Application to Multi-contrast and Quantitative Imaging. IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE 2020; 37:94-104. [PMID: 33746469 PMCID: PMC7977016 DOI: 10.1109/msp.2019.2940062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Compressed sensing takes advantage of low-dimensional signal structure to reduce sampling requirements far below the Nyquist rate. In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), this often takes the form of sparsity through wavelet transform, finite differences, and low rank extensions. Though powerful, these image priors are phenomenological in nature and do not account for the mechanism behind the image formation. On the other hand, MRI signal dynamics are governed by physical laws, which can be explicitly modeled and used as priors for reconstruction. These explicit and implicit signal priors can be synergistically combined in an inverse problem framework to recover sharp, multi-contrast images from highly accelerated scans. Furthermore, the physics-based constraints provide a recipe for recovering quantitative, bio-physical parameters from the data. This article introduces physics-based modeling constraints in MRI and shows how they can be used in conjunction with compressed sensing for image reconstruction and quantitative imaging. We describe model-based quantitative MRI, as well as its linear subspace approximation. We also discuss approaches to selecting user-controllable scan parameters given knowledge of the physical model. We present several MRI applications that take advantage of this framework for the purpose of multi-contrast imaging and quantitative mapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan I Tamir
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California
| | - Frank Ong
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University
| | - Suma Anand
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California
| | - Ekin Karasan
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California
| | - Ke Wang
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California
| | - Michael Lustig
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California
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