Improving Non-Cartesian MRI Reconstruction through Discontinuity Subtraction

Rapid single scan ramped hybrid-encoding for bicomponent T2* mapping in a human knee joint: A feasibility study

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of using a single scan ramped hybrid-encoding (RHE) method for rapid bicomponent T2* analysis of the human knee joint. The proposed method utilizes RHE to acquire ultrashort echo time (UTE) and subsequent gradient echo images at 16 different echo times ranging between 40 μs and 30 ms in a single scan. In the proposed RHE technique, UTE imaging was followed by acquisition of 14 gradient recalled echo images, where an additional UTE image was obtained within the first readout by oversampling single point imaging (SPI) encoding. The single scan RHE method with a 9-minute scan time was performed on human cadaveric knee joints from six donors and in vivo knee joints from four healthy volunteers at 3 T. A bicomponent signal model was used to characterize the short T2* and long T2* water components. Mean bicomponent T2* parameters for patellar tendon, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and meniscus were calculated. In the experimental results, the RHE technique provided bicomponent T2* parameter estimations of tendon, ACL, PCL and meniscus, which were similar to previously reported values in the literature. In conclusion, the proposed single scan RHE technique provides rapid bicomponent T2* analysis of the human knee joint with a total scan time of less than 9 minutes.

Cardiovascular phenotyping of the mouse heart using a 4D radial acquisition and liposomal Gd-DTPA-BMA

MR microscopy has enormous potential for small-animal cardiac imaging because it is capable of producing volumetric images at multiple time points to accurately measure cardiac function. MR has not been used as frequently as ultrasound to measure cardiac function in the small animal because the MR methods required relatively long scan times, limiting throughput. Here, we demonstrate four-dimensional radial acquisition in conjunction with a liposomal blood pool agent to explore functional differences in three populations of mice: six C57BL/6J mice, six DBA/2J mice, and six DBA/2J CSQ+ mice, all with the same gestational age and approximately the same weight. Cardiovascular function was determined by measuring both left ventricular and right ventricular end diastolic volume, end systolic volume, stroke volume, and ejection fraction. Statistical significance was observed in end diastolic volume, end systolic volume, and ejection fraction for left ventricular measurements between all three populations of mice. No statistically significant difference was observed in stroke volume in either the left or right ventricle for any of the three populations of mice. This study shows that MRI is capable of efficient, high-throughput, four-dimensional cardiovascular phenotyping of the mouse.

Least-square NUFFT methods applied to 2-D and 3-D radially encoded MR image reconstruction

Radially encoded MRI has gained increasing attention due to its motion insensitivity and reduced artifacts. However, because its samples are collected nonuniformly in the k-space, multidimensional (especially 3-D) radially sampled MRI image reconstruction is challenging. The objective of this paper is to develop a reconstruction technique in high dimensions with on-the-fly kernel calculation. It implements general multidimensional nonuniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT) algorithms and incorporates them into a k-space image reconstruction framework. The method is then applied to reconstruct from the radially encoded k-space data, although the method is applicable to any non-Cartesian patterns. Performance comparisons are made against the conventional Kaiser-Bessel (KB) gridding method for 2-D and 3-D radially encoded computer-simulated phantoms and physically scanned phantoms. The results show that the NUFFT reconstruction method has better accuracy-efficiency tradeoff than the KB gridding method when the kernel weights are calculated on the fly. It is found that for a particular conventional kernel function, using its corresponding deapodization function as a scaling factor in the NUFFT framework has the potential to improve accuracy. In particular, when a cosine scaling factor is used, the NUFFT method is faster than KB gridding method since a closed-form solution is available and is less computationally expensive than the KB kernel (KB griding requires computation of Bessel functions). The NUFFT method has been successfully applied to 2-D and 3-D in vivo studies on small animals.

Four-dimensional MR microscopy of the mouse heart using radial acquisition and liposomal gadolinium contrast agent

Magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) has become an important tool for small animal cardiac imaging. In relation to competing technologies (microCT and ultrasound), MR is limited by spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and acquisition time. All three of these limitations have been addressed by developing a four-dimensional (4D) (3D plus time) radial acquisition (RA) sequence. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) has been optimized by minimizing the echo time (TE) (300 us). The temporal resolution and throughput have been improved by center-out trajectories resulting in repetition time (TR) <2.5 ms. The contrast has been enhanced through the use of a liposomal blood pool agent that reduces the T(1) of the blood to <400 ms. We have developed protocols for three specific applications: 1) high-throughput with spatial resolution of 87 x 87 x 352 um(3) (voxel volume = 2.7 nL) and acquisition time of 16 min; 2) high-temporal resolution with spatial resolution of 87 x 87 x 352 um(3) (voxel volume = 2.7 nL) and temporal resolution at 4.8 ms and acquisition time of 32 minutes; and 3) high-resolution isotropic imaging at 87 x 87 x 87 um(3) (voxel volume = 0.68 nL) and acquisition time of 31 min. The 4D image arrays allow direct measure of cardiac functional parameters dependent on chamber volumes, e.g., ejection fraction (EF), end diastolic volume (EDV), and end systolic volume (ESV).

Multispectral imaging with three-dimensional rosette trajectories

Two-dimensional intersecting k-space trajectories have previously been demonstrated to allow fast multispectral imaging. Repeated sampling of k-space points leads to destructive interference of the signal coming from the off-resonance spectral peaks; on-resonance data reconstruction yields images of the on-resonance peak, with some of the off-resonance energy being spread as noise in the image. A shift of the k-space data by a given off-resonance frequency brings a second frequency of interest on resonance, allowing the reconstruction of a second spectral peak from the same k-space data. Given the higher signal-to-noise per unit time characteristic of a 3D acquisition, we extended the concept of intersecting trajectories to three dimensions. A 3D, rosette-like pulse sequence was designed and implemented on a clinical 1.5T scanner. An iterative density compensation function was developed to weight the 3D intersecting trajectories before Fourier transformation. Three volunteers were scanned using this sequence and separate fat and water images were reconstructed from the same imaging dataset.

3He MRI in mouse models of asthma

In the study of asthma, a vital role is played by mouse models, because knockout or transgenic methods can be used to alter disease pathways and identify therapeutic targets that affect lung function. Assessment of lung function in rodents by available methods is insensitive because these techniques lack regional specificity. A more sensitive method for evaluating lung function in human asthma patients uses hyperpolarized (HP) (3)He MRI before and after bronchoconstriction induced by methacholine (MCh). We now report the ability to perform such (3)He imaging of MCh response in mice, where voxels must be approximately 3000 times smaller than in humans and (3)He diffusion becomes an impediment to resolving the airways. We show three-dimensional (3D) images that reveal airway structure down to the fifth branching and visualize ventilation at a resolution of 125 x 125 x 1000 microm(3). Images of ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized mice acquired after MCh show both airway closure and ventilation loss. To also observe the MCh response in naive mice, we developed a non-slice-selective 2D protocol with 187 x 187 microm(2) resolution that was fast enough to record the MCh response and recovery with 12-s temporal resolution. The extension of (3)He MRI to mouse models should make it a valuable translational tool in asthma research.