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Nosrati R, Calakli F, Afacan O, Pelkola K, Nichols R, Connaughton P, Bedoya MA, Tsai A, Bixby S, Warfield SK. Free-Breathing High-Resolution, Swap-Free, and Motion-Corrected Water/Fat Separation in Pediatric Abdominal MRI. Invest Radiol 2024:00004424-990000000-00221. [PMID: 38857418 DOI: 10.1097/rli.0000000000001092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The T1-weighted GRE (gradient recalled echo) sequence with the Dixon technique for water/fat separation is an essential component of abdominal MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), useful in detecting tumors and characterizing hemorrhage/fat content. Unfortunately, the current implementation of this sequence suffers from several problems: (1) low resolution to maintain high pixel bandwidth and minimize chemical shift; (2) image blurring due to respiratory motion; (3) water/fat swapping due to the natural ambiguity between fat and water peaks; and (4) off-resonance fat blurring due to the multipeak nature of the fat spectrum. The goal of this study was to evaluate the image quality of water/fat separation using a high-resolution 3-point Dixon golden angle radial acquisition with retrospective motion compensation and multipeak fat modeling in children undergoing abdominal MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-two pediatric patients (4.2 ± 2.3 years) underwent abdominal MRI on a 3 T scanner with routine abdominal protocol and with a 3-point Dixon radial-VIBE (volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination) sequence. Field maps were calculated using 3D graph-cut optimization followed by fat and water calculation from k-space data by iteratively solving an optimization problem. A 6-peak fat model was used to model chemical shifts in k-space. Residual respiratory motion was corrected through soft-gating by weighting each projection based on the estimated respiratory motion from the center of the k-space. Reconstructed images were reviewed by 3 pediatric radiologists on a PACS (picture archiving and communication systems) workstation. Subjective image quality and water/fat swapping artifact were scored by each pediatric radiologist using a 5-point Likert scale. The VoL (variance of Laplacian) of the reconstructed images was used to objectively quantify image sharpness. RESULTS Based on the overall Likert scores, the images generated using the described method were significantly superior to those reconstructed by the conventional 2-point Dixon technique (P < 0.05). Water/fat swapping artifact was observed in 14 of 22 patients using 2-point Dixon, and this artifact was not present when using the proposed method. Image sharpness was significantly improved using the proposed framework. CONCLUSIONS In smaller patients, a high-quality water/fat separation with sharp visualization of fine details is critical for diagnostic accuracy. High-resolution golden angle radial-VIBE 3-point Dixon acquisition with 6-peak fat model and soft-gated motion correction offers improved image quality at the expense of an additional ~1-minute acquisition time. Thus, this technique offers the potential to replace the conventional 2-point Dixon technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reyhaneh Nosrati
- From the Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA (R. Nosrati, F.C., O.A., K.P., R. Nichols, P.C., M.A.B., A.T., S.B., S.K.W.); and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (R. Nosrati, F.C., O.A., K.P., R. Nichols, P.C., M.A.B., A.T., S.B., S.K.W.)
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2
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Harder FN, Budjan J, Nickel MD, Grimm R, Pietsch H, Schoenberg SO, Jost G, Attenberger UI. Intraindividual Comparison of Compressed Sensing-Accelerated Cartesian and Radial Arterial Phase Imaging of the Liver in an Experimental Tumor Model. Invest Radiol 2021; 56:433-441. [PMID: 33813577 DOI: 10.1097/rli.0000000000000767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to intraindividually compare the performance of 2 compressed sensing (CS)-accelerated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences, 1 featuring Cartesian (compressed sensing volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination [CS-VIBE]) and the other radial (golden-angle radial sparse parallel [GRASP]) k-space sampling in continuous dynamic imaging during hepatic vascular phases, using extracellular and hepatocyte-specific contrast agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seven New Zealand white rabbits, with induced VX2 liver tumors (median number of lesions, 2 ± 0.83; range, 1-3), received 2 continuously acquired T1-weighted prototype CS-accelerated MRI sequences (CS-VIBE and GRASP) with high spatial (0.8 × 0.8 × 1.5 mm) and temporal resolution (3.5 seconds) in randomized order on 2 separate days using a 1.5-T scanner. In all animals, imaging was performed using first gadobutrol at a dose of 0.1 mmol/kg and, then 45 minutes later, gadoxetic acid at a dose of 0.025 mmol/kg.The following qualitative parameters were assessed using 3- and 5-point Likert scales (3 and 5 being the highest scores respectively): image quality (IQ), arterial and venous vessel delineation, tumor enhancement, motion artifacts, and sequence-specific artifacts. Furthermore, the following quantitative parameters were obtained: relative peak signal enhancement, time to peak, mean transit time, and plasma flow ratios. Paired sampled t tests and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used for intraindividual comparison. Image analysis was performed by 2 radiologists. RESULTS Six of 7 animals underwent the full imaging protocol and obtained data were analyzed statistically. Overall IQ was rated moderate to excellent, not differing significantly between the 2 sequences.Gadobutrol-enhanced CS-VIBE examinations revealed the highest mean Likert scale values in terms of vessel delineation and tumor enhancement (arterial 4.4 [4-5], venous 4.3 [3-5], and tumor 2.9 [2-3]). Significantly, more sequence-specific artifacts were seen in GRASP examinations (P = 0.008-0.031). However, these artifacts did not impair IQ. Excellent Likert scale ratings were found for motion artifacts in both sequences. In both sequences, a maximum of 4 hepatic arterial dominant phases were obtained. Regarding the relative peak signal enhancement, CS-VIBE and GRASP showed similar results. The relative peak signal enhancement values did not differ significantly between the 2 sequences in the aorta, the hepatic artery, or the inferior vena cava (P = 0.063-0.536). However, significantly higher values were noted for CS-VIBE in gadoxetic acid-enhanced examinations in the portal vein (P = 0.031) and regarding the tumor enhancement (P = 0.005). Time to peak and mean transit time or plasma flow ratios did not differ significantly between the sequences. CONCLUSIONS Both CS-VIBE and GRASP provide excellent results in dynamic liver MRI using extracellular and hepatocyte-specific contrast agents, in terms of IQ, peak signal intensity, and presence of artifacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix N Harder
- From the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich
| | | | | | | | | | - Stefan O Schoenberg
- Department of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim-Heidelberg University, Mannheim
| | - Gregor Jost
- MR and CT Contrast Media Research, Bayer AG, Berlin
| | - Ulrike I Attenberger
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Stecker IR, Freeman MS, Sitaraman S, Hall CS, Niedbalski PJ, Hendricks AJ, Martin EP, Weaver TE, Cleveland ZI. Preclinical MRI to Quantify Pulmonary Disease Severity and Trajectories in Poorly Characterized Mouse Models: A Pedagogical Example Using Data from Novel Transgenic Models of Lung Fibrosis. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE OPEN 2021; 6-7. [PMID: 34414381 PMCID: PMC8372031 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmro.2021.100013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Structural remodeling in lung disease is progressive and heterogeneous, making temporally and spatially explicit information necessary to understand disease initiation and progression. While mouse models are essential to elucidate mechanistic pathways underlying disease, the experimental tools commonly available to quantify lung disease burden are typically invasive (e.g., histology). This necessitates large cross-sectional studies with terminal endpoints, which increases experimental complexity and expense. Alternatively, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides information noninvasively, thus permitting robust, repeated-measures statistics. Although lung MRI is challenging due to low tissue density and rapid apparent transverse relaxation (T2* <1 ms), various imaging methods have been proposed to quantify disease burden. However, there are no widely accepted strategies for preclinical lung MRI. As such, it can be difficult for researchers who lack lung imaging expertise to design experimental protocols-particularly for novel mouse models. Here, we build upon prior work from several research groups to describe a widely applicable acquisition and analysis pipeline that can be implemented without prior preclinical pulmonary MRI experience. Our approach utilizes 3D radial ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI with retrospective gating and lung segmentation is facilitated with a deep-learning algorithm. This pipeline was deployed to assess disease dynamics over 255 days in novel, transgenic mouse models of lung fibrosis based on disease-associated, loss-of-function mutations in Surfactant Protein-C. Previously identified imaging biomarkers (tidal volume, signal coefficient of variation, etc.) were calculated semi-automatically from these data, with an objectively-defined high signal volume identified as the most robust metric. Beyond quantifying disease dynamics, we discuss common pitfalls encountered in preclinical lung MRI and present systematic approaches to identify and mitigate these challenges. While the experimental results and specific pedagogical examples are confined to lung fibrosis, the tools and approaches presented should be broadly useful to quantify structural lung disease in a wide range of mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian R Stecker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221
- Center for Pulmonary Imaging Research, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Matthew S Freeman
- Center for Pulmonary Imaging Research, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Sneha Sitaraman
- Division of Neonatology and Pulmonary Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Chase S Hall
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160
| | - Peter J Niedbalski
- Center for Pulmonary Imaging Research, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160
| | - Alexandra J Hendricks
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221
- Center for Pulmonary Imaging Research, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Emily P Martin
- Division of Neonatology and Pulmonary Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Timothy E Weaver
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221
- Division of Neonatology and Pulmonary Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Zackary I Cleveland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221
- Center for Pulmonary Imaging Research, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221
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Kim JR, Yoon HM, Cho YA, Lee JS, Jung AY. Free-breathing contrast-enhanced upper abdominal MRI in children: comparison between Cartesian acquisition and stack-of-stars acquisition with two different fat-suppression techniques. Acta Radiol 2021; 62:541-550. [PMID: 32498544 DOI: 10.1177/0284185120928931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Respiratory artifacts impair image quality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children who cannot hold breath during MRI examination. PURPOSE To compare the quality of free-breathing contrast-enhanced 3D T1-weighted (T1W) images of the upper abdomen in children using Cartesian acquisition (Cartesian eTHRIVE), stack-of-stars acquisition with spectral fat suppression (3D VANE eTHRIVE), and stack-of-stars acquisition with fat suppression using modified Dixon (3D VANE mDixon). MATERIAL AND METHODS Pediatric patients (aged <19 years) who underwent whole-body MRI with free-breathing contrast-enhanced T1W axial scans of upper abdomen using Cartesian eTHRIVE, 3D VANE eTHRIVE, and 3D VANE mDixon were enrolled. Image quality parameters were assessed including overall image quality, hepatic edge sharpness, hepatic vessel clarity, respiratory artifacts, radial artifacts, lesion conspicuity, and lesion edge sharpness using the Likert scale, where a lower score indicated poorer image quality. The coefficients of variation of signal intensity of liver and spleen were analyzed. RESULTS In 41 patients, 3D VANE eTHRIVE showed the highest scores for all image quality parameters (P ≤ 0.001). 3D VANE eTHRIVE also showed higher scores for respiratory (P ≤ 0.001) and radial artefacts than 3D VANE mDixon (P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in coefficients of variation of signal intensity of the liver and spleen between 3D VANE eTHRIVE and 3D VANE mDixon. Acquisition time was longer for 3D VANE eTHRIVE (81.26 ± 16 s) than for Cartesian eTHRIVE (7.87 ± 0.95 s) and 3D VANE mDixon (76.66 ± 12.4 s, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The application of stack-of-stars acquisition to 3D T1W abdominal MRI resulted in better image quality than Cartesian acquisition in free-breathing children. In stack-of-stars acquisition, spectral fat suppression resulted in better image quality and fewer artifacts than mDixon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Rye Kim
- Department of Radiology, Dankook University Hospital, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee Mang Yoon
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Ah Cho
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Seong Lee
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ah Young Jung
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Vietti Violi N, Argiriadi P, Rosen A, Cherny M, Weiss A, Hernandez-Meza G, Babb JS, Kihira S, Lewis S, Taouli B. Gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI: Assessment of arterial phase artifacts and hepatobiliary uptake in a large series. Eur J Radiol 2020; 132:109313. [PMID: 33053495 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2020.109313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To report the quality of gadoxetate disodium MRI in a large series by assessing the prevalence of: 1) arterial phase (AP) artifacts and its predictive factors, 2) decreased hepatic contrast uptake during the hepatobiliary phase (HBP). METHODS This retrospective single center study included 851 patients (M/F:537/314, mean age: 63y) with gadoxetate disodium MRI. The MRI protocol included unenhanced, dual arterial [early and late arterial phases (AP)], portal venous, transitional and hepatobiliary phases. Three radiologists graded dynamic images using a 5-scale score (1: no motion, 5: severe, nondiagnostic) for assessment of transient severe motion (TSM, defined as a score ≥4 during at least one AP with a score ≤3 during other phases). HBP uptake was assessed using a 3-scale score (based on portal vein/hepatic signal). The association between demographic, clinical and acquisition parameters with TSM was tested in uni- and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS TSM was observed in 103/851 patients (12.1 %): 83 (9.8 %) in one AP and 20 (2.3 %) in both APs. A score of 5 (nondiagnostic) was assigned in 7 patients in one AP (0.8 %) and none in both. Presence of TSM was significantly associated with age (p = 0.002) and liver disease (p = 0.033) in univariate but not in multivariate analysis (p > 0.05). No association was found between acquisition parameters and TSM occurrence. Limited or severely limited HBP contrast uptake was observed in 87 patients (10.2 %), and TSM was never associated with severely limited HBP contrast uptake. CONCLUSION TSM was present in approximately 12 % of gadoxetate disodium MRIs, rarely on both APs (2.3 %), and was poorly predicted. TSM was never associated with severely limited HBP contrast uptake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naik Vietti Violi
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Pamela Argiriadi
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Ally Rosen
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Mathew Cherny
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Amanda Weiss
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | | | - James S Babb
- Department of Radiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY USA.
| | - Shingo Kihira
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Sara Lewis
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Bachir Taouli
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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Chan WY, Hartono S, Thng CH, Koh DM. New Advances in Magnetic Resonance Techniques in Abdomen and Pelvis. Magn Reson Imaging Clin N Am 2020; 28:433-445. [PMID: 32624160 DOI: 10.1016/j.mric.2020.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
This article explores new acquisition methods in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to provide high spatial and temporal resolution imaging for a wide spectrum of clinical applications in the abdomen and pelvis. We present an overview of some of these advanced MR techniques, such as non-cartesian image acquisition, fast sampling and compressed sensing, diffusion quantification and quantitative MR that can improve data sampling, enhance image quality, yield quantitative measurements, and/or optimize diagnostic performance in the body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan Ying Chan
- Division of Oncologic Imaging, National Cancer Centre, 11 Hospital Crescent, Singapore 169610, Singapore
| | - Septian Hartono
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore, 11 Jln Tan Tock Seng, Singapore 308433, Singapore
| | - Choon Hua Thng
- Division of Oncologic Imaging, National Cancer Centre, 11 Hospital Crescent, Singapore 169610, Singapore
| | - Dow-Mu Koh
- Department of Radiology, Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, Sutton SM2 5PT, UK.
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Free-Breathing Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Imaging of the Upper Abdomen Using a Cartesian Compressed-Sensing Sequence With Hard-Gated and Motion-State-Resolved Reconstruction. Invest Radiol 2019; 54:728-736. [DOI: 10.1097/rli.0000000000000607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Ichikawa S, Motosugi U, Kromrey ML, Tamada D, Wakayama T, Wang K, Cashen TA, Ersoz A, Onishi H. Utility of Stack-of-stars Acquisition for Hepatobiliary Phase Imaging without Breath-holding. Magn Reson Med Sci 2019; 19:99-107. [PMID: 31061270 PMCID: PMC7232028 DOI: 10.2463/mrms.mp.2019-0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Post-contrast liver magnetic resonance imaging is typically performed with breath-hold 3D gradient echo sequences. However, breath-holding for >10 s is difficult for some patients. In this study, we compared the quality of hepatobiliary phase (HBP) imaging without breath-holding using the prototype pulse sequences stack-of-stars liver acquisition with volume acceleration (LAVA) (LAVA Star) with or without navigator echoes (LAVA Starnavi+ and LAVA Starnavi−) and Cartesian LAVA with navigator echoes (Cartesian LAVAnavi+). Methods: Seventy-two patients were included in this single-center, retrospective, cross-sectional study. HBP imaging using the three LAVA sequences (Cartesian LAVAnavi+, LAVA Starnavi−, and LAVA Starnavi+) without breath-holding was performed for all patients using a 3T magnetic resonance system. Two independent radiologists qualitatively analyzed (overall image quality, liver edge sharpness, hepatic vein clarity, streak artifacts, and respiratory motion/pulsation artifacts) HBP images taken by the three sequences using a five-point scale. Quantitative evaluations were also performed by calculating the liver-to-spleen, -lesion, and -portal vein (PV) signal intensity ratios. The results were compared between the three sequences using the Friedman test. Results: LAVA Starnavi+ showed the best image quality and hepatic vein clarity (P < 0.0001). LAVA Starnavi− showed the lowest image quality (P < 0.0001–0.0106). LAVA Starnavi+ images showed fewer streak artifacts than LAVA Starnavi− images (P < 0.0001), while Cartesian LAVAnavi+ images showed no streak artifacts. Cartesian LAVAnavi+ images showed stronger respiratory motion/pulsation artifacts than the others (P < 0.0001). LAVA Starnavi− images showed the highest liver-to-spleen ratios (P < 0.0001–0.0005). Cartesian LAVAnavi+ images showed the lowest liver-to-lesion and -PV ratios (P < 0.0001–0.0108). Conclusion: In terms of image quality, the combination of stack-of-stars acquisition and navigator echoes is the best for HBP imaging without breath-holding.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Daiki Tamada
- Department of Radiology, University of Yamanashi
| | | | - Kang Wang
- MR Collaboration and Development, GE Healthcare
| | - Ty A Cashen
- MR Collaboration and Development, GE Healthcare
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