Non-Cartesian sampled centric scan SPRITE imaging with magnetic field gradient and B0(t) field measurements for MRI in the vicinity of metal structures

A high-pressure metallic core holder for magnetic resonance based on Hastelloy-C

A metallic core holder, fabricated from non-magnetic Hastelloy-C276, has been designed for Magnetic Resonance (MR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of core plug samples at high pressures and temperatures. Core plug samples, 1.5″ in diameter and 2″ in length, can be tested in the core holder at elevated pressures and temperatures, up to 5000 psi and 80 °C. These are conditions commonly found in petroleum reservoirs. A radio frequency probe, which excites and detects magnetic resonance signals, was placed inside the metal vessel. Proximity to the sample improves the signal to noise ratio of the resulting measurements. The metallic core holder is positioned between the poles of a 0.2 T permanent magnet and subjected to rapidly switched magnetic field gradients as part of the imaging process. This switching induces eddy currents on the conductive core holder, which degrades the magnetic field gradient waveform in the sample space. The low electrical-conductivity of Hastelloy-C276 minimizes the duration and the magnitude of such eddy currents. A recently developed pre-equalization technique was employed to ensure that magnetic field gradient pulses, required for MRI, are near ideal in the sample space. A representative core flooding experiment was undertaken in conjunction with MR/MRI measurements.

Accelerating fully phase-encoded MRI near metal using multiband radiofrequency excitation

PURPOSE

To develop a multiband radiofrequency (RF) excitation strategy for simultaneous excitation of multiple RF offsets to accelerate fully phase-encoded imaging near metallic prostheses.

METHODS

Multiband RF excitation was designed and incorporated into a spectrally resolved fully phase-encoded (SR-FPE) imaging scheme. A triband (-6, 0, 6 kHz) acquisition was compared with three separate single-band acquisitions at the corresponding RF offsets with a phantom containing the head of a hip prosthesis. In vivo multiband data with continuous spectral coverage were acquired in the knee of a healthy volunteer with the head of a hip prosthesis placed posteriorly and in a volunteer with a total knee prosthetic implant.

RESULTS

Phantom images acquired with triband excitation were essentially identical to the composite of three single-band excitations, but with an acceleration factor of three. In vivo multiband images of the healthy knee with adjacent metal demonstrated very good depiction of knee anatomy. In vivo images of the total knee replacement were successfully acquired, allowing visualization of native tissue with far less signal dropout than 2D-FSE.

CONCLUSIONS

FPE imaging with multiband excitation is feasible in the presence of extreme off-resonance. This approach can reduce scan time and/or increase off-resonance coverage, enabling in vivo FPE imaging near metallic prostheses over a broad off-resonance spectrum. Magn Reson Med 77:1223-1230, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Spectrally resolved fully phase-encoded three-dimensional fast spin-echo imaging

PURPOSE

To develop and test the feasibility of a spectrally resolved fully phase-encoded (SR-FPE) three-dimensional fast spin-echo technique and to demonstrate its application for distortion-free imaging near metal and chemical species separation.

METHODS

In separate scans at 1.5 T, a hip prosthesis phantom and a sphere filled with gadolinium solution were imaged with SR-FPE and compared to conventional three-dimensional-fast spin-echo. Spectral modeling was performed on the SR-FPE data to generate the following parametric maps: species-specific signal (ρspecies), B0 field inhomogeneity, and R*2. The prosthesis phantom was also scanned using a 16-channel coil at 1.5 T. The fully sampled k-space data were retrospectively undersampled to demonstrate the feasibility of parallel imaging acceleration in all three phase-encoding directions, in combination with corner-cutting and half-Fourier sampling. Finally, SR-FPE was performed with an acetone/water/oil phantom to test chemical species separation.

RESULTS

High quality distortion-free images and parametric maps were generated from SR-FPE. A 4 h SR-FPE scan was retrospectively accelerated to 12 min while preserving spectral information and 7.5 min without preserving spectral data. Chemical species separation was demonstrated in the acetone/water/oil phantom.

CONCLUSION

This work demonstrates the feasibility of SR-FPE to perform chemical species separation and spectrally resolved imaging near metal without distortion, in scan times appropriate for the clinical setting.

Visualizing skin effects in conductors with MRI: (7)Li MRI experiments and calculations

While experiments on metals have been performed since the early days of NMR (and DNP), the use of bulk metal is normally avoided. Instead, often powders have been used in combination with low fields, so that skin depth effects could be neglected. Another complicating factor of acquiring NMR spectra or MRI images of bulk metal is the strong signal dependence on the orientation between the sample and the radio frequency (rf) coil, leading to non-intuitive image distortions and inaccurate quantification. Such factors are particularly important for NMR and MRI of batteries and other electrochemical devices. Here, we show results from a systematic study combining rf field calculations with experimental MRI of (7)Li metal to visualize skin depth effects directly and to analyze the rf field orientation effect on MRI of bulk metal. It is shown that a certain degree of selectivity can be achieved for particular faces of the metal, simply based on the orientation of the sample. By combining rf field calculations with bulk magnetic susceptibility calculations accurate NMR spectra can be obtained from first principles. Such analyses will become valuable in many applications involving battery systems, but also metals, in general.

Accelerating sequences in the presence of metal by exploiting the spatial distribution of off-resonance

PURPOSE

To demonstrate feasibility of exploiting the spatial distribution of off-resonance surrounding metallic implants for accelerating multispectral imaging techniques.

THEORY AND METHODS

Multispectral imaging (MSI) techniques perform time-consuming independent three-dimensional acquisitions with varying radio frequency offsets to address the extreme off-resonance from metallic implants. Each off-resonance bin provides a unique spatial sensitivity that is analogous to the sensitivity of a receiver coil and, therefore, provides a unique opportunity for acceleration. Fully sampled MSI was performed to demonstrate retrospective acceleration. A uniform sampling pattern across off-resonance bins was compared with several adaptive sampling strategies using a total hip replacement phantom. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to compare noise propagation of two of these strategies. With a total knee replacement phantom, positive and negative off-resonance bins were strategically sampled with respect to the B0 field to minimize aliasing. Reconstructions were performed with a parallel imaging framework to demonstrate retrospective acceleration.

RESULTS

An adaptive sampling scheme dramatically improved reconstruction quality, which was supported by the noise propagation analysis. Independent acceleration of negative and positive off-resonance bins demonstrated reduced overlapping of aliased signal to improve the reconstruction.

CONCLUSION

This work presents the feasibility of acceleration in the presence of metal by exploiting the spatial sensitivities of off-resonance bins.

Arbitrary magnetic field gradient waveform correction using an impulse response based pre-equalization technique

The time-varying magnetic fields used in magnetic resonance applications result in the induction of eddy currents on conductive structures in the vicinity of both the sample under investigation and the gradient coils. These eddy currents typically result in undesired degradations of image quality for MRI applications. Their ubiquitous nature has resulted in the development of various approaches to characterize and minimize their impact on image quality. This paper outlines a method that utilizes the magnetic field gradient waveform monitor method to directly measure the temporal evolution of the magnetic field gradient from a step-like input function and extracts the system impulse response. With the basic assumption that the gradient system is sufficiently linear and time invariant to permit system theory analysis, the impulse response is used to determine a pre-equalized (optimized) input waveform that provides a desired gradient response at the output of the system. An algorithm has been developed that calculates a pre-equalized waveform that may be accurately reproduced by the amplifier (is physically realizable) and accounts for system limitations including system bandwidth, amplifier slew rate capabilities, and noise inherent in the initial measurement. Significant improvements in magnetic field gradient waveform fidelity after pre-equalization have been realized and are summarized.

In Situ, Real-Time Visualization of Electrochemistry Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The drive to develop better electrochemical energy storage devices requires the development of not only new materials, but also better understanding of the underpinning chemical and dynamical processes within such devices during operation, for which new analytical techniques are required. Currently, there are few techniques that can probe local composition and transport in the electrolyte during battery operation. In this paper, we report a novel application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for probing electrochemical processes in a model electrochemical cell. Using MRI, the transport and zinc and oxygen electrochemistry in an alkaline electrolyte, typical of that found in zinc-air batteries, are investigated. Magnetic resonance relaxation maps of the electrolyte are used to visualize the chemical composition and electrochemical processes occurring during discharge in this model metal-air battery. Such experiments will be useful in the development of new energy storage/conversion devices, as well as other electrochemical technologies.

High pressure magnetic resonance imaging with metallic vessels

High pressure measurements in most scientific fields rely on metal vessels given the superior tensile strength of metals. We introduce high pressure magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements with metallic vessels. The developed MRI compatible metallic pressure vessel concept is very general in application. Macroscopic physical systems are now amenable to spatially resolved nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study at variable pressure and temperature. Metallic pressure vessels not only provide inherently high tensile strengths and efficient temperature control, they also permit optimization of the MRI RF probe sensitivity. An MRI compatible pressure vessel is demonstrated with a rock core holder fabricated using non-magnetic stainless steel. Water flooding through a porous rock under pressure is shown as an example of its applications. High pressure NMR spectroscopy plays an indispensable role in several science fields. This work will open new vistas of study for high pressure material science MRI and MR.