T2 mapping and dGEMRIC after autologous chondrocyte implantation with a fibrin-based scaffold in the knee: Preliminary results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domayer, S.E.; Welsch, G.H.; Nehrer, S.; Chiari, C.; Dorotka, R.; Szomolanyi, P.; Mamisch, T.C.; Yayon, A.; Trattnig, S.

2010-01-01

Objective: To assess repair tissue (RT) after the implantation of BioCart TM II, an autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) technique with a fibrin-hyaluronan polymer as scaffold. T2 mapping and delayed Gadolinium Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cartilage (dGEMRIC) were used to gain first data on the biochemical properties of BioCart TM II RT in vivo. Methods: T2 mapping and dGEMRIC were performed at 3 T in five patients (six knee joints) who had undergone ACI 15-27 months before. T2 maps were obtained using a pixel wise, mono-exponential non-negative least squares fit analysis. For quantitative T1 mapping a dual flip angle 3D GRE sequence was used and T1 maps were calculated pre- and post-contrast using IDL software. Subsequent region of interest analysis was carried out in comparison with morphologic MRI. Results: A spatial variation of T2 values in both hyaline, normal cartilage (NC) and RT was found. Mean RT T2 values and mean NC T2 values did not differ significantly. Relative T2 values were calculated from global RT and NC T2 and showed a small range (0.84-1.07). The relative delta relaxation rates (rΔR1) obtained from the T1 maps had a wider range (0.77-4.91). Conclusion: T2 mapping and dGEMRIC provided complementary information on the biochemical properties of the repair tissue. BioCart TM II apparently can provide RT similar to hyaline articular cartilage and may become a less-invasive alternative to ACI with a periosteal flap.

T2 mapping and dGEMRIC after autologous chondrocyte implantation with a fibrin-based scaffold in the knee: Preliminary results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Domayer, S.E. [Department of Orthopedics, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A 1090 Vienna (Austria); MR Centre of Excellence, Department of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna, Lazarettgasse 14, A-1090 Vienna (Austria)], E-mail: stephan.domayer@meduniwien.ac.at; Welsch, G.H. [MR Centre of Excellence, Department of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna, Lazarettgasse 14, A-1090 Vienna (Austria); Nehrer, S. [Centre of Regenerative Medicine, Danube University of Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Strasse, 30 A-3500 Krems (Austria)], E-mail: stefan.nehrer@donau-uni.ac.at; Chiari, C.; Dorotka, R. [Department of Orthopedics, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A 1090 Vienna (Austria); Szomolanyi, P. [MR Centre of Excellence, Department of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna, Lazarettgasse 14, A-1090 Vienna (Austria); Institute of Measurement Science, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 841 04 Bratislava (Slovakia); Mamisch, T.C. [Department of Orthopedics, Inselspital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern (Switzerland); Yayon, A. [ProChon Biotech Ltd., Weizmann Science Park, Nes Ziona (Israel); Trattnig, S. [MR Centre of Excellence, Department of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna, Lazarettgasse 14, A-1090 Vienna (Austria)], E-mail: siegfried.trattnig@meduniwien.ac.at

2010-03-15

Objective: To assess repair tissue (RT) after the implantation of BioCart{sup TM}II, an autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) technique with a fibrin-hyaluronan polymer as scaffold. T2 mapping and delayed Gadolinium Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cartilage (dGEMRIC) were used to gain first data on the biochemical properties of BioCart{sup TM}II RT in vivo. Methods: T2 mapping and dGEMRIC were performed at 3 T in five patients (six knee joints) who had undergone ACI 15-27 months before. T2 maps were obtained using a pixel wise, mono-exponential non-negative least squares fit analysis. For quantitative T1 mapping a dual flip angle 3D GRE sequence was used and T1 maps were calculated pre- and post-contrast using IDL software. Subsequent region of interest analysis was carried out in comparison with morphologic MRI. Results: A spatial variation of T2 values in both hyaline, normal cartilage (NC) and RT was found. Mean RT T2 values and mean NC T2 values did not differ significantly. Relative T2 values were calculated from global RT and NC T2 and showed a small range (0.84-1.07). The relative delta relaxation rates (r{delta}R1) obtained from the T1 maps had a wider range (0.77-4.91). Conclusion: T2 mapping and dGEMRIC provided complementary information on the biochemical properties of the repair tissue. BioCart{sup TM}II apparently can provide RT similar to hyaline articular cartilage and may become a less-invasive alternative to ACI with a periosteal flap.

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the meniscus (dGEMRIM) in patients with knee osteoarthritis: relation with meniscal degeneration on conventional MRI, reproducibility, and correlation with dGEMRIC

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Tiel, Jasper van [University Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (Netherlands); University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Kotek, Gyula; Krestin, Gabriel P.; Oei, Edwin H.G. [University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Reijman, Max; Bos, Pieter K.; Verhaar, Jan A.N. [University Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Bron, Esther E.; Klein, Stefan [University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, Rotterdam (Netherlands); University Medical Center, Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Weinans, Harrie [University Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Delft University of Technology, Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft (Netherlands); University Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Utrecht (Netherlands); University Medical Center, Department of Rheumatology, Utrecht (Netherlands)

2014-09-15

To assess (1) whether normal and degenerated menisci exhibit different T1{sub GD} on delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the meniscus (dGEMRIM), (2) the reproducibility of dGEMRIM and (3) the correlation between meniscus and cartilage T1{sub GD} in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. In 17 OA patients who underwent dGEMRIM twice within 7 days, meniscus and cartilage T1{sub GD} was calculated. Meniscus pathology was evaluated on conventional MRI. T1{sub GD} in normal and degenerated menisci were compared using a Student's t-test. Reproducibility was assessed using ICCs. Pearson's correlation was calculated between meniscus and cartilage T1{sub GD}. A trend towards lower T1{sub GD} in degenerated menisci (mean: 402 ms; 95 % CI: 359-444 ms) compared to normal menisci (mean: 448 ms; 95 % CI: 423-473 ms) was observed (p = 0.05). Meniscus T1{sub GD} ICCs were 0.85-0.90. The correlation between meniscus and cartilage T1{sub GD} was moderate in the lateral (r = 0.52-0.75) and strong in the medial compartment (r = 0.78-0.94). Our results show that degenerated menisci have a clear trend towards lower T1{sub GD} compared to normal menisci. Since these results are highly reproducible, meniscus degeneration may be assessed within one delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI simultaneously with cartilage. The strong correlation between meniscus and cartilage T1{sub GD} suggests concomitant degeneration in both tissues in OA, but also suggests that dGEMRIC may not be regarded entirely as sulphated glycosaminoglycan specific. (orig.)

Delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dGEMRIC) of Hip Joint Cartilage: Better Cartilage Delineation after Intra-Articular than Intravenous Gadolinium Injection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boesen, M.; Jensen, K.E.; Quistgaard, E.

2006-01-01

years) with clinical and radiographic hip osteoarthritis (OA; Kellgren score II-III), MRI of the hip was performed twice on a clinical 1.5T MR scanner: On day 1, before and 90-180 min after 0.3 mmol/kg body weight i.v. Gd-DTPA and, on day 8, 90-180 min after ultrasound-guided i.a. injection of a 4 mmol......PURPOSE: To investigate and compare delayed gadolinium (Gd-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cartilage (dGEMRIC) in the hip joint using intravenous (i.v.) or ultrasound-guided intra-articular (i.a.) Gd-DTPA injection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 10 patients (50% males, mean age 58......) in the joint cartilage compared to the non-enhanced images (P I.a. Gd-DTPA provided significantly higher SNR and CNR compared to i.v. Gd-DTPA (P

Influence of delayed gadolinium enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) protocol on T2-mapping: is it possible to comprehensively assess knee cartilage composition in one post-contrast MR examination at 3 Tesla?

Science.gov (United States)

Verschueren, J; van Tiel, J; Reijman, M; Bron, E E; Klein, S; Verhaar, J A N; Bierma-Zeinstra, S M A; Krestin, G P; Wielopolski, P A; Oei, E H G

2017-09-01

To evaluate the possibility of assessing knee cartilage with T2-mapping and delayed gadolinium enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cartilage (dGEMRIC) in one post-contrast MR examination at 3 Tesla (T). T2 mapping was performed in 10 healthy volunteers at baseline; directly after baseline; after 10 min of cycling; and after 90 min delay, and in 16 osteoarthritis patients before and after intravenous administration of a double dose gadolinium dimeglumine contrast agent, reflecting key dGEMRIC protocol elements. Differences in T2 relaxation times between each timepoint and baseline were calculated for 6 cartilage regions using paired t tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and the smallest detectable change (SDC). After cycling, a significant change in T2 relaxation times was found in the lateral weight-bearing tibial plateau (+1.0 ms, P = 0.04). After 90 min delay, significant changes were found in the lateral weight-bearing femoral condyle (+1.2 ms, P = 0.03) and the lateral weight-bearing tibial plateau (+1.3 ms, P = 0.01). In these regions of interests (ROIs), absolute differences were small and lower than the corresponding SDCs. T2-mapping after contrast administration only showed statistically significantly lower T2 relaxation times in the medial posterior femoral condyle (-2.4 ms, P T2 relaxation times that were not consistent and lower than the SDC in the majority of regions, our results suggest that T2-mapping and dGEMRIC can be performed reliably in a single imaging session to assess cartilage biochemical composition in knee osteoarthritis (OA) at 3 T. Copyright © 2017 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dGEMRIC) of Hip Joint Cartilage: Better Cartilage Delineation after Intra-Articular than Intravenous Gadolinium Injection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boesen, M.; Jensen, K.E.; Quistgaard, E.

2006-01-01

PURPOSE: To investigate and compare delayed gadolinium (Gd-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cartilage (dGEMRIC) in the hip joint using intravenous (i.v.) or ultrasound-guided intra-articular (i.a.) Gd-DTPA injection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 10 patients (50% males, mean age 58...... years) with clinical and radiographic hip osteoarthritis (OA; Kellgren score II-III), MRI of the hip was performed twice on a clinical 1.5T MR scanner: On day 1, before and 90-180 min after 0.3 mmol/kg body weight i.v. Gd-DTPA and, on day 8, 90-180 min after ultrasound-guided i.a. injection of a 4 mmol....../l Gd-DTPA solution. Coronal STIR, coronal T1 fat-saturated spin-echo, and a cartilage-sensitive gradient-echo sequence (3D T1 SPGR) in the sagittal plane were applied. RESULTS Both the post-i.v. and post-i.a. Gd-DTPA images showed significantly higher signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise (CNR...

Feasibility of gadoteric acid for delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) at the wrist and knee and comparison with Gd-DTPA.

Science.gov (United States)

Rehnitz, Christoph; Klaan, Bastian; Do, Thuy; Barié, Alexander; Kauczor, Hans-Ulrich; Weber, Marc-André

2017-11-01

To assess the feasibility of gadoteric acid for delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and to compare the dGEMRIC values obtained using gadoteric acid with those obtained by an equimolar dose of Gd-DTPA. At 3T, dGEMRIC of the wrist was performed twice using a T 1 -weighted 3D-volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination sequence in 16 healthy volunteers (10 women; mean age 26.0 years) using gadoteric acid first and Gd-DTPA 3 weeks later. In addition, 24 patients with knee pain were examined using gadoteric acid (n = 12; seven women; mean age 45.8 years) or Gd-DTPA (n = 12; four women; mean age 47.1 years). T 1 values, the relative decrease in T 1 , and the delta R1 were compared using t-tests. Interobserver agreement was assessed using the intraclass correlation (ICC) between two independent readers. At the wrist, there was no significant difference in delta R1 values (0.34 ± 0.10/s, 95% confidence interval [0.30;0.38]/s for gadoteric acid and 0.32 ± 0.09 [0.29;0.35]/s for Gd-DTPA, P = 0.24) or the relative decrease in T 1 (0.25 ± 0.06 [0.29;0.35] msec for gadoteric acid and 0.24 ± 0.05 [0.22;0.27] msec for Gd-DTPA, P = 0.35). High observer agreement was found at precontrast (ICC = 0.87, P DTPA, P = 0.59) or the relative decrease in T 1 (0.30 ± 0.10 [0.26;0.34] msec for gadoteric acid and 0.33 ± 0.05 [0.30;0.35] msec for Gd-DTPA, P = 0.28). High ICCs of 0.96 (P DTPA. 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;46:1433-1440. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Point of no return for improvement of cartilage quality indicated by dGEMRIC before and after weight loss in patients with knee osteoarthritis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hangaard, Stine; Gudbergsen, Henrik; Skougaard, Marie

2018-01-01

Background It has been demonstrated that weight loss improves symptoms in obese subjects with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). A parallel change in cartilage morphology remains to be demonstrated. Purpose To demonstrate a parallel change in cartilage morphology. Material and Methods Obese patients...... with KOA were examined before and after weight loss over 16 weeks. Target knee joints were radiographically assessed by the Kellgren/Lawrence grading (KLG) system. Patients with KLG-1 and 2 changes in the lateral compartment were included. Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (d...... in body mass index (BMI) after 16 weeks: 12.8% versus 11.4% ( P = 0.74). In the KLG-1 group, several cases of increased dGEMRIC T1 values were seen and median value decreased significantly less than in KLG-2 group (15 ms versus 41 ms, P = 0.03) after weight loss. Conclusion Improvement of cartilage...

Differentiating normal hyaline cartilage from post-surgical repair tissue using fast gradient echo imaging in delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI (dGEMRIC) at 3 Tesla

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Trattnig, Siegfried; Pinker, Katja; Welsch, Goetz H. [Medical University of Vienna, MR Center-High field MR, Department of Radiology, Vienna (Austria); Mamisch, Tallal C. [Inselspital Bern, Orthopedic Surgery Department, Bern (Switzerland); Domayer, Stephan [Medical University of Vienna, MR Center-High field MR, Department of Radiology, Vienna (Austria); Medical University of Vienna, Department of Orthopaedics, Vienna (Austria); Szomolanyi, Pavol [Medical University of Vienna, MR Center-High field MR, Department of Radiology, Vienna (Austria); Slovak Academy of Sciences, Department of Imaging Methods, Institute of Measurement Science, Bratislava (Slovakia); Marlovits, Stefan; Kutscha-Lissberg, Florian [Medical University of Vienna, Department of Traumatology, Center for Joints and Cartilage, Vienna (Austria)

2008-06-15

The purpose was to evaluate the relative glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content of repair tissue in patients after microfracturing (MFX) and matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) of the knee joint with a dGEMRIC technique based on a newly developed short 3D-GRE sequence with two flip angle excitation pulses. Twenty patients treated with MFX or MACT (ten in each group) were enrolled. For comparability, patients from each group were matched by age (MFX: 37.1 {+-} 16.3 years; MACT: 37.4 {+-} 8.2 years) and postoperative interval (MFX: 33.0 {+-} 17.3 months; MACT: 32.0 {+-} 17.2 months). The {delta} relaxation rate ({delta}R1) for repair tissue and normal hyaline cartilage and the relative {delta}R1 were calculated, and mean values were compared between both groups using an analysis of variance. The mean {delta}R1 for MFX was 1.07 {+-} 0.34 versus 0.32 {+-} 0.20 at the intact control site, and for MACT, 1.90 {+-} 0.49 compared to 0.87 {+-} 0.44, which resulted in a relative {delta}R1 of 3.39 for MFX and 2.18 for MACT. The difference between the cartilage repair groups was statistically significant. The new dGEMRIC technique based on dual flip angle excitation pulses showed higher GAG content in patients after MACT compared to MFX at the same postoperative interval and allowed reducing the data acquisition time to 4 min. (orig.)

7 Tesla quantitative hip MRI: T1, T2 and T2* mapping of hip cartilage in healthy volunteers

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Lazik, Andrea; Theysohn, Jens M.; Geis, Christina [University Hospital Essen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Essen (Germany); Johst, Soeren; Kraff, Oliver [University of Duisburg-Essen, Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen (Germany); Ladd, Mark E. [University Hospital Essen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Essen (Germany); University of Duisburg-Essen, Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen (Germany); German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Medical Physics in Radiology, Heidelberg (Germany); Quick, Harald H. [University of Duisburg-Essen, Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen (Germany); University Hospital Essen, High Field and Hybrid MR Imaging, Essen (Germany)

2016-05-15

To evaluate the technical feasibility and applicability of quantitative MR techniques (delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC), T2 mapping, T2* mapping) at 7 T MRI for assessing hip cartilage. Hips of 11 healthy volunteers were examined at 7 T MRI with an 8-channel radiofrequency transmit/receive body coil using multi-echo sequences for T2 and T2* mapping and a dual flip angle gradient-echo sequence before (T1{sub 0}) and after intravenous contrast agent administration (T1{sub Gd}; 0.2 mmol/kg Gd-DTPA{sup 2-} followed by 0.5 h of walking and 0.5 h of rest) for dGEMRIC. Relaxation times of cartilage were measured manually in 10 regions of interest. Pearson's correlations between R1{sub delta} = 1/T1{sub Gd} - 1/T1{sub 0} and T1{sub Gd} and between T2 and T2* were calculated. Image quality and the delineation of acetabular and femoral cartilage in the relaxation time maps were evaluated using discrete rating scales. High correlations were found between R1{sub delta} and T1{sub Gd} and between T2 and T2* relaxation times (all p < 0.01). All techniques delivered diagnostic image quality, with best delineation of femoral and acetabular cartilage in the T2* maps (mean 3.2 out of a maximum of 4 points). T1, T2 and T2* mapping of hip cartilage with diagnostic image quality is feasible at 7 T. To perform dGEMRIC at 7 T, pre-contrast T1 mapping can be omitted. (orig.)

Mechanical deformation and glycosaminoglycan content changes in a rabbit annular puncture disc degeneration model.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Deva D; Khan, Safdar N; Ye, Xiaojing; Curtiss, Shane B; Gupta, Munish C; Klineberg, Eric O; Neu, Corey P

2011-08-15

Evaluation of degenerated intervertebral discs from a rabbit annular puncture model by using specialized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, including displacement encoding with stimulated echoes and a fast-spin echo (DENSE-FSE) acquisition and delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC). To evaluate a rabbit disc degeneration model by using various MRI techniques. To determine the displacements and strains, spin-lattice relaxation time (T1), and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) distribution of degenerated discs as compared to normal and adjacent level discs. Annular puncture of the intervertebral disc produces disc degeneration in rabbits. DENSE-FSE has been previously demonstrated in articular cartilage for the measurement of soft tissue displacements and strains. MRI also can measure the T1 of tissue, and dGEMRIC can quantify GAG concentration in cartilage. METHODS.: In eight New Zealand white rabbits, the annulus fibrosis of a lumbar disc was punctured. After 4 weeks, the punctured and cranially adjacent motion segments were isolated for MRI and histology. MRI was used to estimate the disc volume and map T1. DENSE-FSE was used to determine displacements for the estimation of strains. dGEMRIC was then used to determine GAG distributions. Histology and standard MRI indicated degeneration in punctured discs. Disc volume increased significantly at 4 weeks after the puncture. Displacement of the nucleus pulposus was distinct from that of the annulus fibrosis in most untreated discs but not in punctured discs. T1 was significantly higher and GAG concentration significantly lower in punctured discs compared with untreated adjacent level discs. Noninvasive and quantitative MRI techniques can be used to evaluate the mechanical and biochemical changes that occur with animal models of disc degeneration. DENSE-FSE, dGEMRIC, and similar techniques have potential for evaluating the progression of disc degeneration and the efficacy of treatments.

Regional dGEMRIC analysis in patients at risk of osteoarthritis provides additional information about activity related changes in cartilage structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hawezi, Z K; Lammentausta, E; Svensson, J

2016-01-01

. PURPOSE: To improve the knowledge about exercise effects on cartilage structure by re-analyzing previous images with regional dGEMRIC analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty patients (age range, 38-50 years) with a previous medial meniscus resection were divided into three groups according to self...... the joint, the largest improvement being observed in lateral posterior cartilage, i.e. the load-bearing cartilage in the compartment without a meniscus lesion. The effects of exercise do not seem to vary with cartilage depth....

Cartilage Repair Surgery: Outcome Evaluation by Using Noninvasive Cartilage Biomarkers Based on Quantitative MRI Techniques?

Science.gov (United States)

Jungmann, Pia M.; Baum, Thomas; Bauer, Jan S.; Karampinos, Dimitrios C.; Link, Thomas M.; Li, Xiaojuan; Trattnig, Siegfried; Rummeny, Ernst J.; Woertler, Klaus; Welsch, Goetz H.

2014-01-01

Background. New quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques are increasingly applied as outcome measures after cartilage repair. Objective. To review the current literature on the use of quantitative MRI biomarkers for evaluation of cartilage repair at the knee and ankle. Methods. Using PubMed literature research, studies on biochemical, quantitative MR imaging of cartilage repair were identified and reviewed. Results. Quantitative MR biomarkers detect early degeneration of articular cartilage, mainly represented by an increasing water content, collagen disruption, and proteoglycan loss. Recently, feasibility of biochemical MR imaging of cartilage repair tissue and surrounding cartilage was demonstrated. Ultrastructural properties of the tissue after different repair procedures resulted in differences in imaging characteristics. T2 mapping, T1rho mapping, delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC), and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) are applicable on most clinical 1.5 T and 3 T MR scanners. Currently, a standard of reference is difficult to define and knowledge is limited concerning correlation of clinical and MR findings. The lack of histological correlations complicates the identification of the exact tissue composition. Conclusions. A multimodal approach combining several quantitative MRI techniques in addition to morphological and clinical evaluation might be promising. Further investigations are required to demonstrate the potential for outcome evaluation after cartilage repair. PMID:24877139

Cartilage Repair Surgery: Outcome Evaluation by Using Noninvasive Cartilage Biomarkers Based on Quantitative MRI Techniques?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pia M. Jungmann

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background. New quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI techniques are increasingly applied as outcome measures after cartilage repair. Objective. To review the current literature on the use of quantitative MRI biomarkers for evaluation of cartilage repair at the knee and ankle. Methods. Using PubMed literature research, studies on biochemical, quantitative MR imaging of cartilage repair were identified and reviewed. Results. Quantitative MR biomarkers detect early degeneration of articular cartilage, mainly represented by an increasing water content, collagen disruption, and proteoglycan loss. Recently, feasibility of biochemical MR imaging of cartilage repair tissue and surrounding cartilage was demonstrated. Ultrastructural properties of the tissue after different repair procedures resulted in differences in imaging characteristics. T2 mapping, T1rho mapping, delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC, and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI are applicable on most clinical 1.5 T and 3 T MR scanners. Currently, a standard of reference is difficult to define and knowledge is limited concerning correlation of clinical and MR findings. The lack of histological correlations complicates the identification of the exact tissue composition. Conclusions. A multimodal approach combining several quantitative MRI techniques in addition to morphological and clinical evaluation might be promising. Further investigations are required to demonstrate the potential for outcome evaluation after cartilage repair.

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the fibrocartilage disc of the temporomandibular joint--a feasibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pittschieler, Elisabeth; Szomolanyi, Pavol; Schmid-Schwap, Martina; Weber, Michael; Egerbacher, Monika; Traxler, Hannes; Trattnig, Siegfried

2014-12-01

To 1) test the feasibility of delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cartilage (dGEMRIC) at 3 T in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and 2) to determine the optimal delay for measurements of the TMJ disc after i.v. contrast agent (CA) administration. MRI of the right and left TMJ of six asymptomatic volunteers was performed at 3 T using a dedicated coil. 2D inversion recovery (2D-IR) sequences were performed at 4 time points covering 120 minutes and 3D gradient-echo (3D GRE) dual flip-angle sequences were performed at 14 time points covering 130 minutes after the administration of 0.2 mmol/kg of Gd-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid ion (Gd-DTPA)(2-), i.e., 0.4 mL of Magnevist™ per kg body weight. Pair-wise tests were used to assess differences between pre-and post-contrast T1 values. 2D-IR sequences showed a statistically significant drop (pfibrocartilage disc of the TMJ. The recommended measurement time for dGEMRIC in the TMJ after i.v. CA administration is from 60 to 120 minutes. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the fibrocartilage disc of the temporomandibular joint – a feasibility study

Science.gov (United States)

Pittschieler, Elisabeth; Szomolanyi, Pavol; Schmid-Schwap, Martina; Weber, Michael; Egerbacher, Monika; Traxler, Hannes; Trattnig, Siegfried

2014-01-01

Objective To 1) test the feasibility of delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cartilage (dGEMRIC) at 3 T in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and 2) to determine the optimal delay for measurements of the TMJ disc after i.v. contrast agent (CA) administration. Design MRI of the right and left TMJ of six asymptomatic volunteers was performed at 3 T using a dedicated coil. 2D inversion recovery (2D-IR) sequences were performed at 4 time points covering 120 minutes and 3D gradient-echo (3D GRE) dual flip-angle sequences were performed at 14 time points covering 130 minutes after the administration of 0.2 mmol/kg of Gd-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid ion (Gd-DTPA)2-, i.e., 0.4 mL of Magnevist™ per kg body weight. Pair-wise tests were used to assess differences between pre-and post-contrast T1 values. Results 2D-IR sequences showed a statistically significant drop (p fibrocartilage disc of the TMJ. The recommended measurement time for dGEMRIC in the TMJ after i.v. CA administration is from 60 to 120 minutes. PMID:25131629

Morphological imaging and T2 and T2* mapping of hip cartilage at 7 Tesla MRI under the influence of intravenous gadolinium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazik-Palm, Andrea; Geis, Christina; Goebel, Juliane; Theysohn, Jens M.; Kraff, Oliver; Johst, Soeren; Ladd, Mark E.; Quick, Harald H.

2016-01-01

To investigate the influence of intravenous gadolinium on cartilage T2 and T2* relaxation times and on morphological image quality at 7-T hip MRI. Hips of 11 healthy volunteers were examined at 7 T. Multi-echo sequences for T2 and T2* mapping, 3D T1 volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) and double-echo steady-state (DESS) sequences were acquired before and after intravenous application of gadolinium according to a delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) protocol. Cartilage relaxation times were measured in both scans. Morphological sequences were assessed quantitatively using contrast ratios and qualitatively using a 4-point Likert scale. Student's t-test, Pearson's correlation (ρ) and Wilcoxon sign-rank test were used for statistical comparisons. Pre- and post-contrast T2 and T2* values were highly correlated (T2: acetabular: ρ = 0.76, femoral: ρ = 0.77; T2*: acetabular: ρ = 0.80, femoral: ρ = 0.72). Gadolinium enhanced contrasts between cartilage and joint fluid in DESS and T1 VIBE according to the qualitative (p = 0.01) and quantitative (p < 0.001) analysis. The delineation of acetabular and femoral cartilage and the labrum predominantly improved with gadolinium. Gadolinium showed no relevant influence on T2 or T2* relaxation times and improved morphological image quality at 7 T. Therefore, morphological and quantitative sequences including dGEMRIC can be conducted in a one-stop-shop examination. (orig.)

Morphological imaging and T2 and T2* mapping of hip cartilage at 7 Tesla MRI under the influence of intravenous gadolinium

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Lazik-Palm, Andrea; Geis, Christina; Goebel, Juliane; Theysohn, Jens M. [University Hospital Essen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Essen (Germany); Kraff, Oliver; Johst, Soeren [University of Duisburg-Essen, Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen (Germany); Ladd, Mark E. [University Hospital Essen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Essen (Germany); University of Duisburg-Essen, Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen (Germany); German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division of Medical Physics in Radiology, Heidelberg (Germany); Quick, Harald H. [University of Duisburg-Essen, Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen (Germany); University Hospital Essen, High-Field and Hybrid MR Imaging, Essen (Germany)

2016-11-15

To investigate the influence of intravenous gadolinium on cartilage T2 and T2* relaxation times and on morphological image quality at 7-T hip MRI. Hips of 11 healthy volunteers were examined at 7 T. Multi-echo sequences for T2 and T2* mapping, 3D T1 volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) and double-echo steady-state (DESS) sequences were acquired before and after intravenous application of gadolinium according to a delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) protocol. Cartilage relaxation times were measured in both scans. Morphological sequences were assessed quantitatively using contrast ratios and qualitatively using a 4-point Likert scale. Student's t-test, Pearson's correlation (ρ) and Wilcoxon sign-rank test were used for statistical comparisons. Pre- and post-contrast T2 and T2* values were highly correlated (T2: acetabular: ρ = 0.76, femoral: ρ = 0.77; T2*: acetabular: ρ = 0.80, femoral: ρ = 0.72). Gadolinium enhanced contrasts between cartilage and joint fluid in DESS and T1 VIBE according to the qualitative (p = 0.01) and quantitative (p < 0.001) analysis. The delineation of acetabular and femoral cartilage and the labrum predominantly improved with gadolinium. Gadolinium showed no relevant influence on T2 or T2* relaxation times and improved morphological image quality at 7 T. Therefore, morphological and quantitative sequences including dGEMRIC can be conducted in a one-stop-shop examination. (orig.)

Delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced MRI of Cartilage (dGEMRIC) of Cadaveric Shoulders: Comparison of Contrast Dynamics in Hyaline and Fibrous Cartilage after Intraarticular Gadolinium Injection

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Wiener, E. (Dept. of Radiology, Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin (Germany)); Hodler, J.; Pfirrmann, C.W.A. (Dept. of Radiology, Orthopedic Univ. Hospital Balgrist, Zuerich (Switzerland))

2009-01-15

Background: Delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) is a novel method to investigate cartilaginous and fibrocartilaginous structures. Purpose: To investigate the contrast dynamics in hyaline and fibrous cartilage of the glenohumeral joint after intraarticular injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Material and Methods: Transverse T1 maps were acquired on a 1.5T scanner before and after intraarticular injection of 2.0 mmol/l gadopentetate dimeglumine in five cadaveric shoulders using a dual flip angle three-dimensional gradient echo (3D-GRE) sequence. The acquisition time for the T1 maps was 5 min 5 s for the whole shoulder. Measurements were repeated every 15 min over 2.5 hours. Regions of interest (ROIs) covering the glenoid cartilage and the labrum were drawn to assess the temporal evolution of the relaxation parameters. Results: T1 of unenhanced hyaline cartilage of the glenoid was 568+-34 ms. T1 of unenhanced fibrous cartilage of the labrum was 552+-38 ms. Significant differences (P=0.002 and 0.03) in the relaxation parameters were already measurable after 15 min. After 2 to 2.5 hours, hyaline and fibrous cartilage still demonstrated decreasing relaxation parameters, with a larger range of the T1(Gd) values in fibrous cartilage. T1 and ?R1 values of hyaline and fibrous cartilage after 2.5 hours were 351+-16 ms and 1.1+-0.09/s, and 332+-31 ms and 1.2+-0.1/s, respectively. Conclusion: A significant decrease in T1(Gd) was found 15 min after intraarticular contrast injection. Contrast accumulation was faster in hyaline than in fibrous cartilage. After 2.5 hours, contrast accumulation showed a higher rate of decrease in hyaline cartilage, but neither hyaline nor fibrous cartilage had reached equilibrium

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) of cadaveric shoulders: comparison of contrast dynamics in hyaline and fibrous cartilage after intraarticular gadolinium injection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiener, E; Hodler, J; Pfirrmann, C W A

2009-01-01

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) is a novel method to investigate cartilaginous and fibrocartilaginous structures. To investigate the contrast dynamics in hyaline and fibrous cartilage of the glenohumeral joint after intraarticular injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Transverse T(1) maps were acquired on a 1.5T scanner before and after intraarticular injection of 2.0 mmol/l gadopentetate dimeglumine in five cadaveric shoulders using a dual flip angle three-dimensional gradient echo (3D-GRE) sequence. The acquisition time for the T(1) maps was 5 min 5 s for the whole shoulder. Measurements were repeated every 15 min over 2.5 hours. Regions of interest (ROIs) covering the glenoid cartilage and the labrum were drawn to assess the temporal evolution of the relaxation parameters. T(1) of unenhanced hyaline cartilage of the glenoid was 568+/-34 ms. T(1) of unenhanced fibrous cartilage of the labrum was 552+/-38 ms. Significant differences (P=0.002 and 0.03) in the relaxation parameters were already measurable after 15 min. After 2 to 2.5 hours, hyaline and fibrous cartilage still demonstrated decreasing relaxation parameters, with a larger range of the T(1)(Gd) values in fibrous cartilage. T(1) and triangle Delta R(1) values of hyaline and fibrous cartilage after 2.5 hours were 351+/-16 ms and 1.1+/-0.09 s(-1), and 332+/-31 ms and 1.2+/-0.1 s(-1), respectively. A significant decrease in T(1)(Gd) was found 15 min after intraarticular contrast injection. Contrast accumulation was faster in hyaline than in fibrous cartilage. After 2.5 hours, contrast accumulation showed a higher rate of decrease in hyaline cartilage, but neither hyaline nor fibrous cartilage had reached equilibrium.

Development and Validation of MRI Sacroiliac Joint Scoring Methods for the Semiaxial Scan Plane Corresponding to the Berlin and SPARCC MRI Scoring Methods, and of a New Global MRI Sacroiliac Joint Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hededal, Pernille; Østergaard, Mikkel; Sørensen, Inge Juul

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To develop semiaxial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scoring methods for assessment of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) bone marrow edema (BME) in patients with axial spondyloarthritis, and to compare the reliability with equivalent semicoronal scoring methods. METHODS: Two semiaxial SIJ MRI sc...

Validity of gradient-echo three-dimensional delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of hip joint cartilage: A histologically controlled study

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Zilkens, Christoph, E-mail: christoph.zilkens@med.uni-duesseldorf.de [Univ Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Miese, Falk, E-mail: falk.miese@med.uni-duesseldorf.de [Univ Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Herten, Monika, E-mail: Moherten@web.de [Univ Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Kurzidem, Sabine, E-mail: sabine.kurzidem@uni-duesseldorf.de [Univ Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Jäger, Marcus [Univ Essen, Medical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, D-45147 Essen (Germany); König, Dietmar, E-mail: Dietmarpierre.koenig@lvr.de [LVR Clinic for Orthopedic Surgery, D-41749 Viersen (Germany); Antoch, Gerald, E-mail: antoch@med.uni-duesseldorf.de [Univ Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Krauspe, Rüdiger, E-mail: krauspe@med.uni-duesseldorf.de [Univ Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Bittersohl, Bernd, E-mail: bernd.bittersohl@med.uni-duesseldorf.de [Univ Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany)

2013-02-15

Objective: To validate gradient-echo three-dimensional (3D) delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) by means of histological analyses in the assessment of hip joint cartilage. Materials and methods: Twenty-one femoral head specimens collected from 21 patients (7 males, 14 females, mean age: 60.9 ± 9.6 years; range: 37.6–77.3 years), who underwent total hip replacement for symptomatic hip joint osteoarthritis, underwent MRI and histological assessment. A region of 2 cm{sup 2} at the weight-bearing area was marked with four pins to enable multi-planar MRI reformatting to be matched with histological sections. MRI was performed at 3 T with a 3D double-echo steady-state (DESS) sequence for morphological cartilage assessment and 3D Volumetric Interpolated Breathhold Examination (VIBE) for T1{sub Gd} mapping. Histological sections were evaluated according to the Mankin score system. Total Mankin score, grade of toluidine staining (sensitive for glycosaminoglycan content) and a modified Mankin score classification system with four sub-groups of cartilage damage were correlated with MRI data. Results: Spearman's rho correlation analyses revealed a statistically significant correlation between T1{sub Gd} mapping and histological analyses in all categories including total Mankin score (r = −0.658, p-value ≤ 0.001), toluidine staining (r = −0.802, p-value < 0.001) and modified Mankin score (r = −0.716, p-value < 0.001). The correlation between morphological MRI and histological cartilage assessment was statistically significant but inferior to the biochemical cartilage MRI (r-values ranging from −0.411 to 0.525, p-values < 0.001). Conclusions: Gradient-echo dGEMRIC is reliable while offering the unique features of high image resolution and 3D biochemically sensitive MRI for the assessment of early cartilage degeneration.

Quantitative rotating frame relaxometry methods in MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilani, Irtiza Ali; Sepponen, Raimo

2016-06-01

Macromolecular degeneration and biochemical changes in tissue can be quantified using rotating frame relaxometry in MRI. It has been shown in several studies that the rotating frame longitudinal relaxation rate constant (R1ρ ) and the rotating frame transverse relaxation rate constant (R2ρ ) are sensitive biomarkers of phenomena at the cellular level. In this comprehensive review, existing MRI methods for probing the biophysical mechanisms that affect the rotating frame relaxation rates of the tissue (i.e. R1ρ and R2ρ ) are presented. Long acquisition times and high radiofrequency (RF) energy deposition into tissue during the process of spin-locking in rotating frame relaxometry are the major barriers to the establishment of these relaxation contrasts at high magnetic fields. Therefore, clinical applications of R1ρ and R2ρ MRI using on- or off-resonance RF excitation methods remain challenging. Accordingly, this review describes the theoretical and experimental approaches to the design of hard RF pulse cluster- and adiabatic RF pulse-based excitation schemes for accurate and precise measurements of R1ρ and R2ρ . The merits and drawbacks of different MRI acquisition strategies for quantitative relaxation rate measurement in the rotating frame regime are reviewed. In addition, this review summarizes current clinical applications of rotating frame MRI sequences. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Statistical Analysis Methods for the fMRI Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huseyin Boyaci

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI is a safe and non-invasive way to assess brain functions by using signal changes associated with brain activity. The technique has become a ubiquitous tool in basic, clinical and cognitive neuroscience. This method can measure little metabolism changes that occur in active part of the brain. We process the fMRI data to be able to find the parts of brain that are involve in a mechanism, or to determine the changes that occur in brain activities due to a brain lesion. In this study we will have an overview over the methods that are used for the analysis of fMRI data.

MRI Brain Tumor Segmentation Methods- A Review

OpenAIRE

Gursangeet, Kaur; Jyoti, Rani

2016-01-01

Medical image processing and its segmentation is an active and interesting area for researchers. It has reached at the tremendous place in diagnosing tumors after the discovery of CT and MRI. MRI is an useful tool to detect the brain tumor and segmentation is performed to carry out the useful portion from an image. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of different image segmentation methods like watershed algorithm, morphological operations, neutrosophic sets, thresholding, K-...

MRI grading method for active and chronic spinal changes in spondyloarthritis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madsen, K.B.; Jurik, A.G.

2010-01-01

Aim: To describe a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) grading method for both active and chronic spondyloarthritis (SpA) changes in the spine, to test its validity, and compare chronic MRI scores with findings obtained by radiography. Material and methods: A total of 91 patients (41 males; 50 females) with back pain fulfilling the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) criteria for SpA were examined using MRI and radiography of the spine. The mean age was 36.7 years (range 16-51 years) and symptom duration was between 3 and 27 years. The MRI images were assessed for signs of disease activity (bone marrow oedema at the vertebral plates and costo-vertebral joints) and chronic structural changes [syndesmophytes/vertebral fusion, erosion, and fatty marrow deposition (FMD)]. The interobserver agreement was analysed based on 37 examinations. Radiographs were assessed for the presence of shiny corners, vertebral squaring, syndesmophytes/fusion, and erosion. Results: The interobserver agreement for the assessed MRI abnormalities was acceptable, with kappa values between 0.62 and 0.77. A total of 56 patients had SpA-related spinal abnormalities as depicted using MRI. The total chronic MRI score was not significantly related to the radiographic score, mainly because syndesmophytes were difficult to detect by MRI and FMD was only visualized by MRI. However, FMD was significantly related to the total radiographic score and vertebral squaring. Conclusion: The described MRI grading method was reliable for assessing both disease activity and chronic changes. MRI is promising for estimating chronic changes, but cervical radiography may still be needed. FMD seems to be an important sign of chronicity.

MRI grading method for active and chronic spinal changes in spondyloarthritis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Madsen, K.B. [Department of Radiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus Sygehus (Denmark); Jurik, A.G., E-mail: anne.jurik@aarhus.rm.d [Department of Radiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus Sygehus (Denmark)

2010-01-15

Aim: To describe a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) grading method for both active and chronic spondyloarthritis (SpA) changes in the spine, to test its validity, and compare chronic MRI scores with findings obtained by radiography. Material and methods: A total of 91 patients (41 males; 50 females) with back pain fulfilling the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) criteria for SpA were examined using MRI and radiography of the spine. The mean age was 36.7 years (range 16-51 years) and symptom duration was between 3 and 27 years. The MRI images were assessed for signs of disease activity (bone marrow oedema at the vertebral plates and costo-vertebral joints) and chronic structural changes [syndesmophytes/vertebral fusion, erosion, and fatty marrow deposition (FMD)]. The interobserver agreement was analysed based on 37 examinations. Radiographs were assessed for the presence of shiny corners, vertebral squaring, syndesmophytes/fusion, and erosion. Results: The interobserver agreement for the assessed MRI abnormalities was acceptable, with kappa values between 0.62 and 0.77. A total of 56 patients had SpA-related spinal abnormalities as depicted using MRI. The total chronic MRI score was not significantly related to the radiographic score, mainly because syndesmophytes were difficult to detect by MRI and FMD was only visualized by MRI. However, FMD was significantly related to the total radiographic score and vertebral squaring. Conclusion: The described MRI grading method was reliable for assessing both disease activity and chronic changes. MRI is promising for estimating chronic changes, but cervical radiography may still be needed. FMD seems to be an important sign of chronicity.

A Novel Marker Based Method to Teeth Alignment in MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Luukinen, Jean-Marc; Aalto, Daniel; Malinen, Jarmo; Niikuni, Naoko; Saunavaara, Jani; Jääsaari, Päivi; Ojalammi, Antti; Parkkola, Riitta; Soukka, Tero; Happonen, Risto-Pekka

2018-04-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can precisely capture the anatomy of the vocal tract. However, the crowns of teeth are not visible in standard MRI scans. In this study, a marker-based teeth alignment method is presented and evaluated. Ten patients undergoing orthognathic surgery were enrolled. Supraglottal airways were imaged preoperatively using structural MRI. MRI visible markers were developed, and they were attached to maxillary teeth and corresponding locations on the dental casts. Repeated measurements of intermarker distances in MRI and in a replica model was compared using linear regression analysis. Dental cast MRI and corresponding caliper measurements did not differ significantly. In contrast, the marker locations in vivo differed somewhat from the dental cast measurements likely due to marker placement inaccuracies. The markers were clearly visible in MRI and allowed for dental models to be aligned to head and neck MRI scans.

EEG-Informed fMRI: A Review of Data Analysis Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Abreu, Rodolfo; Leal, Alberto; Figueiredo, Patrícia

2018-01-01

The simultaneous acquisition of electroencephalography (EEG) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a very promising non-invasive technique for the study of human brain function. Despite continuous improvements, it remains a challenging technique, and a standard methodology for data analysis is yet to be established. Here we review the methodologies that are currently available to address the challenges at each step of the data analysis pipeline. We start by surveying methods for pre-processing both EEG and fMRI data. On the EEG side, we focus on the correction for several MR-induced artifacts, particularly the gradient and pulse artifacts, as well as other sources of EEG artifacts. On the fMRI side, we consider image artifacts induced by the presence of EEG hardware inside the MR scanner, and the contamination of the fMRI signal by physiological noise of non-neuronal origin, including a review of several approaches to model and remove it. We then provide an overview of the approaches specifically employed for the integration of EEG and fMRI when using EEG to predict the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI signal, the so-called EEG-informed fMRI integration strategy, the most commonly used strategy in EEG-fMRI research. Finally, we systematically review methods used for the extraction of EEG features reflecting neuronal phenomena of interest. PMID:29467634

EEG-Informed fMRI: A Review of Data Analysis Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodolfo Abreu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The simultaneous acquisition of electroencephalography (EEG with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI is a very promising non-invasive technique for the study of human brain function. Despite continuous improvements, it remains a challenging technique, and a standard methodology for data analysis is yet to be established. Here we review the methodologies that are currently available to address the challenges at each step of the data analysis pipeline. We start by surveying methods for pre-processing both EEG and fMRI data. On the EEG side, we focus on the correction for several MR-induced artifacts, particularly the gradient and pulse artifacts, as well as other sources of EEG artifacts. On the fMRI side, we consider image artifacts induced by the presence of EEG hardware inside the MR scanner, and the contamination of the fMRI signal by physiological noise of non-neuronal origin, including a review of several approaches to model and remove it. We then provide an overview of the approaches specifically employed for the integration of EEG and fMRI when using EEG to predict the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD fMRI signal, the so-called EEG-informed fMRI integration strategy, the most commonly used strategy in EEG-fMRI research. Finally, we systematically review methods used for the extraction of EEG features reflecting neuronal phenomena of interest.

Regularization of DT-MRI Using 3D Median Filtering Methods

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Soondong Kwon

2014-01-01

Full Text Available DT-MRI (diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging tractography is a method to determine the architecture of axonal fibers in the central nervous system by computing the direction of the principal eigenvectors obtained from tensor matrix, which is different from the conventional isotropic MRI. Tractography based on DT-MRI is known to need many computations and is highly sensitive to noise. Hence, adequate regularization methods, such as image processing techniques, are in demand. Among many regularization methods we are interested in the median filtering method. In this paper, we extended two-dimensional median filters already developed to three-dimensional median filters. We compared four median filtering methods which are two-dimensional simple median method (SM2D, two-dimensional successive Fermat method (SF2D, three-dimensional simple median method (SM3D, and three-dimensional successive Fermat method (SF3D. Three kinds of synthetic data with different altitude angles from axial slices and one kind of human data from MR scanner are considered for numerical implementation by the four filtering methods.

Analysis and visualization methods for interpretation of diffusion MRI data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vos, S.B.

2013-01-01

Diffusion MRI is an imaging technique that is very sensitive to microstructural changes in tissue. Diffusion tensor MRI, the most commonly used method, can estimate the magnitude and anisotropy of diffusion. These tensor-based diffusion parameters have been shown to change in many neuropathological

An iterative reconstruction method of complex images using expectation maximization for radial parallel MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Joonsung; Kim, Dongchan; Oh, Changhyun; Han, Yeji; Park, HyunWook

2013-01-01

In MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), signal sampling along a radial k-space trajectory is preferred in certain applications due to its distinct advantages such as robustness to motion, and the radial sampling can be beneficial for reconstruction algorithms such as parallel MRI (pMRI) due to the incoherency. For radial MRI, the image is usually reconstructed from projection data using analytic methods such as filtered back-projection or Fourier reconstruction after gridding. However, the quality of the reconstructed image from these analytic methods can be degraded when the number of acquired projection views is insufficient. In this paper, we propose a novel reconstruction method based on the expectation maximization (EM) method, where the EM algorithm is remodeled for MRI so that complex images can be reconstructed. Then, to optimize the proposed method for radial pMRI, a reconstruction method that uses coil sensitivity information of multichannel RF coils is formulated. Experiment results from synthetic and in vivo data show that the proposed method introduces better reconstructed images than the analytic methods, even from highly subsampled data, and provides monotonic convergence properties compared to the conjugate gradient based reconstruction method. (paper)

The Effect of Intra-articular Injection of Autologous Microfragmented Fat Tissue on Proteoglycan Synthesis in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

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Damir Hudetz

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Osteoarthritis (OA is one of the leading musculoskeletal disorders in the adult population. It is associated with cartilage damage triggered by the deterioration of the extracellular matrix tissue. The present study explores the effect of intra-articular injection of autologous microfragmented adipose tissue to host chondrocytes and cartilage proteoglycans in patients with knee OA. A prospective, non-randomized, interventional, single-center, open-label clinical trial was conducted from January 2016 to April 2017. A total of 17 patients were enrolled in the study, and 32 knees with osteoarthritis were assessed. Surgical intervention (lipoaspiration followed by tissue processing and intra-articular injection of the final microfragmented adipose tissue product into the affected knee(s was performed in all patients. Patients were assessed for visual analogue scale (VAS, delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC and immunoglobulin G (IgG glycans at the baseline, three, six and 12 months after the treatment. Magnetic resonance sequence in dGEMRIC due to infiltration of the anionic, negatively charged contrast gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd-DTPA2− into the cartilage indicated that the contents of cartilage glycosaminoglycans significantly increased in specific areas of the treated knee joint. In addition, dGEMRIC consequently reflected subsequent changes in the mechanical axis of the lower extremities. The results of our study indicate that the use of autologous and microfragmented adipose tissue in patients with knee OA (measured by dGEMRIC MRI increased glycosaminoglycan (GAG content in hyaline cartilage, which is in line with observed VAS and clinical results.

Principal Feature Analysis: A Multivariate Feature Selection Method for fMRI Data

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Lijun Wang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Brain decoding with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI requires analysis of complex, multivariate data. Multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA has been widely used in recent years. MVPA treats the activation of multiple voxels from fMRI data as a pattern and decodes brain states using pattern classification methods. Feature selection is a critical procedure of MVPA because it decides which features will be included in the classification analysis of fMRI data, thereby improving the performance of the classifier. Features can be selected by limiting the analysis to specific anatomical regions or by computing univariate (voxel-wise or multivariate statistics. However, these methods either discard some informative features or select features with redundant information. This paper introduces the principal feature analysis as a novel multivariate feature selection method for fMRI data processing. This multivariate approach aims to remove features with redundant information, thereby selecting fewer features, while retaining the most information.

A SVM-based quantitative fMRI method for resting-state functional network detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Xiaomu; Chen, Nan-kuei

2014-09-01

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) aims to measure baseline neuronal connectivity independent of specific functional tasks and to capture changes in the connectivity due to neurological diseases. Most existing network detection methods rely on a fixed threshold to identify functionally connected voxels under the resting state. Due to fMRI non-stationarity, the threshold cannot adapt to variation of data characteristics across sessions and subjects, and generates unreliable mapping results. In this study, a new method is presented for resting-state fMRI data analysis. Specifically, the resting-state network mapping is formulated as an outlier detection process that is implemented using one-class support vector machine (SVM). The results are refined by using a spatial-feature domain prototype selection method and two-class SVM reclassification. The final decision on each voxel is made by comparing its probabilities of functionally connected and unconnected instead of a threshold. Multiple features for resting-state analysis were extracted and examined using an SVM-based feature selection method, and the most representative features were identified. The proposed method was evaluated using synthetic and experimental fMRI data. A comparison study was also performed with independent component analysis (ICA) and correlation analysis. The experimental results show that the proposed method can provide comparable or better network detection performance than ICA and correlation analysis. The method is potentially applicable to various resting-state quantitative fMRI studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated lesion detection on MRI scans using combined unsupervised and supervised methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Dazhou; Fridriksson, Julius; Fillmore, Paul; Rorden, Christopher; Yu, Hongkai; Zheng, Kang; Wang, Song

2015-01-01

Accurate and precise detection of brain lesions on MR images (MRI) is paramount for accurately relating lesion location to impaired behavior. In this paper, we present a novel method to automatically detect brain lesions from a T1-weighted 3D MRI. The proposed method combines the advantages of both unsupervised and supervised methods. First, unsupervised methods perform a unified segmentation normalization to warp images from the native space into a standard space and to generate probability maps for different tissue types, e.g., gray matter, white matter and fluid. This allows us to construct an initial lesion probability map by comparing the normalized MRI to healthy control subjects. Then, we perform non-rigid and reversible atlas-based registration to refine the probability maps of gray matter, white matter, external CSF, ventricle, and lesions. These probability maps are combined with the normalized MRI to construct three types of features, with which we use supervised methods to train three support vector machine (SVM) classifiers for a combined classifier. Finally, the combined classifier is used to accomplish lesion detection. We tested this method using T1-weighted MRIs from 60 in-house stroke patients. Using leave-one-out cross validation, the proposed method can achieve an average Dice coefficient of 73.1 % when compared to lesion maps hand-delineated by trained neurologists. Furthermore, we tested the proposed method on the T1-weighted MRIs in the MICCAI BRATS 2012 dataset. The proposed method can achieve an average Dice coefficient of 66.5 % in comparison to the expert annotated tumor maps provided in MICCAI BRATS 2012 dataset. In addition, on these two test datasets, the proposed method shows competitive performance to three state-of-the-art methods, including Stamatakis et al., Seghier et al., and Sanjuan et al. In this paper, we introduced a novel automated procedure for lesion detection from T1-weighted MRIs by combining both an unsupervised and a

Three-dimensional delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of hip joint cartilage at 3 T: A prospective controlled study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zilkens, Christoph, E-mail: christoph.zilkens@med.uni-duesseldorf.de [Univ. Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Moorenstrasse 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Miese, Falk, E-mail: falk.miese@med.uni-duesseldorf.de [Univ. Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Moorenstrasse 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Kim, Young-Jo, E-mail: young-jo.kim@childrens.harvard.edu [Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children' s Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Hosalkar, Harish, E-mail: hhosalkar@rchsd.org [Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rady Children' s Hospital San Diego, 3030 Childrens Way Ste 410, San Diego, CA 92123 (United States); Antoch, Gerald, E-mail: antoch@med.uni-duesseldorf.de [Univ. Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Moorenstrasse 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Krauspe, Ruediger, E-mail: krauspe@med.uni-duesseldorf.de [Univ. Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Moorenstrasse 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Bittersohl, Bernd, E-mail: bbittersohl@partners.org [Univ. Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Moorenstrasse 5, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany)

2012-11-15

Purpose: To assess acetabular and femoral hip joint cartilage with three-dimensional (3D) delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (dGEMRIC) in patients with degeneration of hip joint cartilage and asymptomatic controls with morphologically normal appearing cartilage. Methods and materials: A total of 40 symptomatic patients (18 males, 22 females; mean age: 32.8 {+-} 10.2 years, range: 18-57 years) with different hip joint deformities including femoroacetabular impingement (n = 35), residual hip dysplasia (n = 3) and coxa magna due to Legg-Calve-Perthes disease in childhood (n = 2) underwent high-resolution 3D dGEMRIC for the evaluation of acetabular and femoral hip joint cartilage. Thirty-one asymptomatic healthy volunteers (12 males, 19 females; mean age: 24.5 {+-} 1.8 years, range: 21-29 years) without underlying hip deformities were included as control. MRI was performed at 3 T using a body matrix phased array coil. Region of interest (ROI) analyses for T1{sub Gd} assessment was performed in seven regions in the hip joint, including anterior to superior and posterior regions. Results: T1{sub Gd} mapping demonstrated the typical pattern of acetabular cartilage consistent with a higher glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content in the main weight-bearing area. T1{sub Gd} values were significantly higher in the control group than in the patient group whereas significant differences in T1{sub Gd} values corresponding to the amount of cartilage damage were noted both in the patient group and in the control group. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the potential of high-resolution 3D dGEMRIC at 3 T for separate acetabular and femoral hip joint cartilage assessment in various forms of hip joint deformities.

The registration accuracy analysis of different CT-MRI imaging fusion method in brain tumor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Jie; Yin Yong; Shao Qian; Zhang Zicheng; Chen Jinhu; Chen Zhaoqiu

2010-01-01

Objective: To find an effective CT-MRI image fusion protocol in brain tumor by analyzing the registration accuracy of different methods. Methods: The simulation CT scan and MRI T 1 WI imaging of 10 brain tumor patients obtained with same position were registered by Tris-Axes landmark ,Tris-Axes landmark + manual adjustment, mutual information and mutual information + manual adjustment method. The clinical tumor volume (CTV) were contoured on both CT and MRI images respectively. The accuracy of image fusion was assessed by the mean distance of five bone markers (d 1-5 ), central position of CTV (d CTV ) the percentage of CTV overlap (P CT-MRI ) between CT and MRI images. The difference between different methods was analyzed by Freedman M non-parameter test. Results: The difference of the means d1-5 between the Tris-Axes landmark,Tris-Axes landmark plus manual adjustment,mutual information and mutual information plus manual adjustment methods were 0.28 cm ±0.12 cm, 0.15 cm ±0.02 cm, 0.25 cm± 0.19 cm, 0.10 cm ± 0.06 cm, (M = 14.41, P = 0.002). the means d CTV were 0.59 cm ± 0.28 cm, 0.60 cm± 0.32 cm, 0.58 cm ± 0.39 cm, 0.42 cm± 0.30 cm (M = 9.72, P = 0.021), the means P CT-MRI were 0.69% ±0.18%, 0.68% ±0.16%, 0.66% ±0.17%, 0.74% ±0.14% (M =14.82, P=0.002), respectively. Conclusions: Mutual information plus manual adjustment registration method was the preferable fusion method for brain tumor patients. (authors)

Automatic MRI Quantifying Methods in Behavioral-Variant Frontotemporal Dementia Diagnosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antti Cajanus

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Aims: We assessed the value of automated MRI quantification methods in the differential diagnosis of behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD from Alzheimer disease (AD, Lewy body dementia (LBD, and subjective memory complaints (SMC. We also examined the role of the C9ORF72-related genetic status in the differentiation sensitivity. Methods: The MRI scans of 50 patients with bvFTD (17 C9ORF72 expansion carriers were analyzed using 6 quantification methods as follows: voxel-based morphometry (VBM, tensor-based morphometry, volumetry (VOL, manifold learning, grading, and white-matter hyperintensities. Each patient was then individually compared to an independent reference group in order to attain diagnostic suggestions. Results: Only VBM and VOL showed utility in correctly identifying bvFTD from our set of data. The overall classification sensitivity of bvFTD with VOL + VBM achieved a total sensitivity of 60%. Using VOL + VBM, 32% were misclassified as having LBD. There was a trend of higher values for classification sensitivity of the C9ORF72 expansion carriers than noncarriers. Conclusion: VOL, VBM, and their combination are effective in differential diagnostics between bvFTD and AD or SMC. However, MRI atrophy profiles for bvFTD and LBD are too similar for a reliable differentiation with the quantification methods tested in this study.

[Fusion of MRI, fMRI and intraoperative MRI data. Methods and clinical significance exemplified by neurosurgical interventions].

Science.gov (United States)

Moche, M; Busse, H; Dannenberg, C; Schulz, T; Schmitgen, A; Trantakis, C; Winkler, D; Schmidt, F; Kahn, T

2001-11-01

The aim of this work was to realize and clinically evaluate an image fusion platform for the integration of preoperative MRI and fMRI data into the intraoperative images of an interventional MRI system with a focus on neurosurgical procedures. A vertically open 0.5 T MRI scanner was equipped with a dedicated navigation system enabling the registration of additional imaging modalities (MRI, fMRI, CT) with the intraoperatively acquired data sets. These merged image data served as the basis for interventional planning and multimodal navigation. So far, the system has been used in 70 neurosurgical interventions (13 of which involved image data fusion--requiring 15 minutes extra time). The augmented navigation system is characterized by a higher frame rate and a higher image quality as compared to the system-integrated navigation based on continuously acquired (near) real time images. Patient movement and tissue shifts can be immediately detected by monitoring the morphological differences between both navigation scenes. The multimodal image fusion allowed a refined navigation planning especially for the resection of deeply seated brain lesions or pathologies close to eloquent areas. Augmented intraoperative orientation and instrument guidance improve the safety and accuracy of neurosurgical interventions.

MRI-Based Computed Tomography Metal Artifact Correction Method for Improving Proton Range Calculation Accuracy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Peter C.; Schreibmann, Eduard; Roper, Justin; Elder, Eric; Crocker, Ian; Fox, Tim; Zhu, X. Ronald; Dong, Lei; Dhabaan, Anees

2015-01-01

Purpose: Computed tomography (CT) artifacts can severely degrade dose calculation accuracy in proton therapy. Prompted by the recently increased popularity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the radiation therapy clinic, we developed an MRI-based CT artifact correction method for improving the accuracy of proton range calculations. Methods and Materials: The proposed method replaces corrupted CT data by mapping CT Hounsfield units (HU number) from a nearby artifact-free slice, using a coregistered MRI. MRI and CT volumetric images were registered with use of 3-dimensional (3D) deformable image registration (DIR). The registration was fine-tuned on a slice-by-slice basis by using 2D DIR. Based on the intensity of paired MRI pixel values and HU from an artifact-free slice, we performed a comprehensive analysis to predict the correct HU for the corrupted region. For a proof-of-concept validation, metal artifacts were simulated on a reference data set. Proton range was calculated using reference, artifactual, and corrected images to quantify the reduction in proton range error. The correction method was applied to 4 unique clinical cases. Results: The correction method resulted in substantial artifact reduction, both quantitatively and qualitatively. On respective simulated brain and head and neck CT images, the mean error was reduced from 495 and 370 HU to 108 and 92 HU after correction. Correspondingly, the absolute mean proton range errors of 2.4 cm and 1.7 cm were reduced to less than 2 mm in both cases. Conclusions: Our MRI-based CT artifact correction method can improve CT image quality and proton range calculation accuracy for patients with severe CT artifacts

[MRI methods for pulmonary ventilation and perfusion imaging].

Science.gov (United States)

Sommer, G; Bauman, G

2016-02-01

Separate assessment of respiratory mechanics, gas exchange and pulmonary circulation is essential for the diagnosis and therapy of pulmonary diseases. Due to the global character of the information obtained clinical lung function tests are often not sufficiently specific in the differential diagnosis or have a limited sensitivity in the detection of early pathological changes. The standard procedures of pulmonary imaging are computed tomography (CT) for depiction of the morphology as well as perfusion/ventilation scintigraphy and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for functional assessment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with hyperpolarized gases, O2-enhanced MRI, MRI with fluorinated gases and Fourier decomposition MRI (FD-MRI) are available for assessment of pulmonary ventilation. For assessment of pulmonary perfusion dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), arterial spin labeling (ASL) and FD-MRI can be used. Imaging provides a more precise insight into the pathophysiology of pulmonary function on a regional level. The advantages of MRI are a lack of ionizing radiation, which allows a protective acquisition of dynamic data as well as the high number of available contrasts and therefore accessible lung function parameters. Sufficient clinical data exist only for certain applications of DCE-MRI. For the other techniques, only feasibility studies and case series of different sizes are available. The clinical applicability of hyperpolarized gases is limited for technical reasons. The clinical application of the techniques described, except for DCE-MRI, should be restricted to scientific studies.

MRI methods for pulmonary ventilation and perfusion imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sommer, G.; Bauman, G.

2016-01-01

Separate assessment of respiratory mechanics, gas exchange and pulmonary circulation is essential for the diagnosis and therapy of pulmonary diseases. Due to the global character of the information obtained clinical lung function tests are often not sufficiently specific in the differential diagnosis or have a limited sensitivity in the detection of early pathological changes. The standard procedures of pulmonary imaging are computed tomography (CT) for depiction of the morphology as well as perfusion/ventilation scintigraphy and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for functional assessment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with hyperpolarized gases, O 2 -enhanced MRI, MRI with fluorinated gases and Fourier decomposition MRI (FD-MRI) are available for assessment of pulmonary ventilation. For assessment of pulmonary perfusion dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), arterial spin labeling (ASL) and FD-MRI can be used. Imaging provides a more precise insight into the pathophysiology of pulmonary function on a regional level. The advantages of MRI are a lack of ionizing radiation, which allows a protective acquisition of dynamic data as well as the high number of available contrasts and therefore accessible lung function parameters. Sufficient clinical data exist only for certain applications of DCE-MRI. For the other techniques, only feasibility studies and case series of different sizes are available. The clinical applicability of hyperpolarized gases is limited for technical reasons. The clinical application of the techniques described, except for DCE-MRI, should be restricted to scientific studies. (orig.) [de

Automatic MRI Quantifying Methods in Behavioral-Variant Frontotemporal Dementia Diagnosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cajanus, Antti; Hall, Anette; Koikkalainen, Juha

2018-01-01

genetic status in the differentiation sensitivity. Methods: The MRI scans of 50 patients with bvFTD (17 C9ORF72 expansion carriers) were analyzed using 6 quantification methods as follows: voxel-based morphometry (VBM), tensor-based morphometry, volumetry (VOL), manifold learning, grading, and white...

Use of a 3-Telsa magnet to perform delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the distal interphalangeal joint of horses with and without naturally occurring osteoarthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bischofberger, Andrea S; Fürst, Anton E; Torgerson, Paul R; Carstens, Ann; Hilbe, Monika; Kircher, Patrick

2018-03-01

OBJECTIVE To characterize delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) features of healthy hyaline cartilage of the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) of horses, to determine whether dGEMRIC can be used to differentiate various stages of naturally occurring osteoarthritis of the DIPJ, and to correlate relaxation times determined by dGEMRIC with the glycosaminoglycan concentration, water content, and macroscopic and histologic findings of hyaline cartilage of DIPJs with and without osteoarthritis. SAMPLE 1 cadaveric forelimb DIPJ from each of 12 adult warmblood horses. PROCEDURES T1-weighted cartilage relaxation times were obtained for predetermined sites of the DIPJ before (T1 preGd ) and after (T1 postGd ) intra-articular gadolinium administration. Corresponding cartilage sites underwent macroscopic, histologic, and immunohistochemical evaluation, and cartilage glycosaminoglycan concentration and water content were determined. Median T1 preGd and T1 postGd were correlated with macroscopic, histologic, and biochemical data. Mixed generalized linear models were created to evaluate the effects of cartilage site, articular surface, and macroscopic and histologic scores on relaxation times. RESULTS 122 cartilage specimens were analyzed. Median T1 postGd was lower than the median T1 preGd for normal and diseased cartilage. Both T1 preGd and T1 postGd were correlated with macroscopic and histologic scores, whereby T1 preGd increased and T1 postGd decreased as osteoarthritis progressed. There was topographic variation of T1 preGd and T1 postGd within the DIPJ. Cartilage glycosaminoglycan concentration and water content were significantly correlated with T1 preGd and macroscopic and histologic scores but were not correlated with T1 postGd . CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that dGEMRIC relaxation times varied for DIPJs with various degrees of osteoarthritis. These findings may help facilitate early detection of osteoarthritis.

Functional MRI of the patellofemoral joint: comparison of ultrafast MRI, motion-triggered cine MRI and static MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muhle, C. [Klinik fuer Radiologische Diagnostik, Univ. Kiel (Germany); Brossmann, J. [Klinik fuer Radiologische Diagnostik, Univ. Kiel (Germany); Melchert, U.H. [Klinik fuer Radiologische Diagnostik, Univ. Kiel (Germany); Schroeder, C. [Radiologische Abt., Universitaets-Kinderklinik, Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet, Kiel (Germany); Boer, R. de [Philips Medical Systems, Best (Netherlands); Spielmann, R.P. [Klinik fuer Radiologische Diagnostik, Univ. Kiel (Germany); Heller, M. [Klinik fuer Radiologische Diagnostik, Univ. Kiel (Germany)

1995-12-31

To evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of ultrafast MRI (u), patellar tracking from 30 of flexion to knee extension (0 ) was analysed and compared with motion-triggered cine MRI (m) and a static MRI technique (s). The different imaging methods were compared in respect of the patellofemoral relationship, the examination time and image quality. Eight healthy subjects and four patients (in total 18 joints) with patellar subluxation or luxation were examined. Significant differences between the static MRI series without quadriceps contraction and the functional MRI studies (motion-triggered cine MRI and ultrafast MRI) were found for the patellar tilt angle. In the dynamic joint studies there was no statistical difference of the regression coefficients between the motion-triggered cine MRI studies and the ultrafast MRI studies. The findings of the functional MRI studies compared with the static MRI images were significantly different for the lateralisation of the patella, expressed by the lateral patellar displacement and bisect offset. No significant differences in patellar lateralisation were found between motion-triggered cine MRI and ultrafast MRI. Ultrafast MRI was superior to motion-triggered cine MRI in terms of the reduction in imaging time and improvement of the image quality. (orig.)

Functional MRI of the patellofemoral joint: comparison of ultrafast MRI, motion-triggered cine MRI and static MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muhle, C.; Brossmann, J.; Melchert, U.H.; Schroeder, C.; Boer, R. de; Spielmann, R.P.; Heller, M.

1995-01-01

To evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of ultrafast MRI (u), patellar tracking from 30 of flexion to knee extension (0 ) was analysed and compared with motion-triggered cine MRI (m) and a static MRI technique (s). The different imaging methods were compared in respect of the patellofemoral relationship, the examination time and image quality. Eight healthy subjects and four patients (in total 18 joints) with patellar subluxation or luxation were examined. Significant differences between the static MRI series without quadriceps contraction and the functional MRI studies (motion-triggered cine MRI and ultrafast MRI) were found for the patellar tilt angle. In the dynamic joint studies there was no statistical difference of the regression coefficients between the motion-triggered cine MRI studies and the ultrafast MRI studies. The findings of the functional MRI studies compared with the static MRI images were significantly different for the lateralisation of the patella, expressed by the lateral patellar displacement and bisect offset. No significant differences in patellar lateralisation were found between motion-triggered cine MRI and ultrafast MRI. Ultrafast MRI was superior to motion-triggered cine MRI in terms of the reduction in imaging time and improvement of the image quality. (orig.)

Comparison between MRI-based attenuation correction methods for brain PET in dementia patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabello, Jorge; Lukas, Mathias; Pyka, Thomas; Nekolla, Stephan G.; Ziegler, Sibylle I.; Rota Kops, Elena; Shah, N. Jon; Ribeiro, Andre; Yakushev, Igor

2016-01-01

The combination of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in hybrid PET/MRI scanners offers a number of advantages in investigating brain structure and function. A critical step of PET data reconstruction is attenuation correction (AC). Accounting for bone in attenuation maps (μ-map) was shown to be important in brain PET studies. While there are a number of MRI-based AC methods, no systematic comparison between them has been performed so far. The aim of this work was to study the different performance obtained by some of the recent methods presented in the literature. To perform such a comparison, we focused on [ 18 F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/MRI neurodegenerative dementing disorders, which are known to exhibit reduced levels of glucose metabolism in certain brain regions. Four novel methods were used to calculate μ-maps from MRI data of 15 patients with Alzheimer's dementia (AD). The methods cover two atlas-based methods, a segmentation method, and a hybrid template/segmentation method. Additionally, the Dixon-based and a UTE-based method, offered by a vendor, were included in the comparison. Performance was assessed at three levels: tissue identification accuracy in the μ-map, quantitative accuracy of reconstructed PET data in specific brain regions, and precision in diagnostic images at identifying hypometabolic areas. Quantitative regional errors of -20-10 % were obtained using the vendor's AC methods, whereas the novel methods produced errors in a margin of ±5 %. The obtained precision at identifying areas with abnormally low levels of glucose uptake, potentially regions affected by AD, were 62.9 and 79.5 % for the two vendor AC methods, the former ignoring bone and the latter including bone information. The precision increased to 87.5-93.3 % in average for the four new methods, exhibiting similar performances. We confirm that the AC methods based on the Dixon and UTE sequences provided by the vendor are inferior

Comparison between MRI-based attenuation correction methods for brain PET in dementia patients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cabello, Jorge; Lukas, Mathias; Pyka, Thomas; Nekolla, Stephan G.; Ziegler, Sibylle I. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Munich (Germany); Rota Kops, Elena; Shah, N. Jon [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, Medical Imaging Physics, Juelich (Germany); Ribeiro, Andre [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, Medical Imaging Physics, Juelich (Germany); Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Lisbon (Portugal); Yakushev, Igor [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Munich (Germany); Institute TUM Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Munich (Germany)

2016-11-15

The combination of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in hybrid PET/MRI scanners offers a number of advantages in investigating brain structure and function. A critical step of PET data reconstruction is attenuation correction (AC). Accounting for bone in attenuation maps (μ-map) was shown to be important in brain PET studies. While there are a number of MRI-based AC methods, no systematic comparison between them has been performed so far. The aim of this work was to study the different performance obtained by some of the recent methods presented in the literature. To perform such a comparison, we focused on [{sup 18}F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/MRI neurodegenerative dementing disorders, which are known to exhibit reduced levels of glucose metabolism in certain brain regions. Four novel methods were used to calculate μ-maps from MRI data of 15 patients with Alzheimer's dementia (AD). The methods cover two atlas-based methods, a segmentation method, and a hybrid template/segmentation method. Additionally, the Dixon-based and a UTE-based method, offered by a vendor, were included in the comparison. Performance was assessed at three levels: tissue identification accuracy in the μ-map, quantitative accuracy of reconstructed PET data in specific brain regions, and precision in diagnostic images at identifying hypometabolic areas. Quantitative regional errors of -20-10 % were obtained using the vendor's AC methods, whereas the novel methods produced errors in a margin of ±5 %. The obtained precision at identifying areas with abnormally low levels of glucose uptake, potentially regions affected by AD, were 62.9 and 79.5 % for the two vendor AC methods, the former ignoring bone and the latter including bone information. The precision increased to 87.5-93.3 % in average for the four new methods, exhibiting similar performances. We confirm that the AC methods based on the Dixon and UTE sequences provided by the vendor are

Population based ranking of frameless CT-MRI registration methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Opposits, Gabor; Kis, Sandor A.; Tron, Lajos; Emri, Miklos [Debrecen Univ. (Hungary). Dept. of Nuclear Medicine; Berenyi, Ervin [Debrecen Univ. (Hungary). Dept. of Biomedical Laboratory and Imaging Science; Takacs, Endre [Rotating Gamma Ltd., Debrecen (Hungary); Dobai, Jozsef G.; Bognar, Laszlo [Debrecen Univ., Medical Center (Hungary). Dept. of Neurosurgery; Szuecs, Bernadett [ScanoMed Ltd., Debrecen (Hungary)

2015-07-01

Clinical practice often requires simultaneous information obtained by two different imaging modalities. Registration algorithms are commonly used for this purpose. Automated procedures are very helpful in cases when the same kind of registration has to be performed on images of a high number of subjects. Radiotherapists would prefer to use the best automated method to assist therapy planning, however there are not accepted procedures for ranking the different registration algorithms. We were interested in developing a method to measure the population level performance of CT-MRI registration algorithms by a parameter of values in the [0,1] interval. Pairs of CT and MRI images were collected from 1051 subjects. Results of an automated registration were corrected manually until a radiologist and a neurosurgeon expert both accepted the result as good. This way 1051 registered MRI images were produced by the same pair of experts to be used as gold standards for the evaluation of the performance of other registration algorithms. Pearson correlation coefficient, mutual information, normalized mutual information, Kullback-Leibler divergence, L{sub 1} norm and square L{sub 2} norm (dis)similarity measures were tested for sensitivity to indicate the extent of (dis)similarity of a pair of individual mismatched images. The square Hellinger distance proved suitable to grade the performance of registration algorithms at population level providing the developers with a valuable tool to rank algorithms. The developed procedure provides an objective method to find the registration algorithm performing the best on the population level out of newly constructed or available preselected ones.

Magnetic resonance imaging of hip joint cartilage and labrum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Zilkens

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Hip joint instability and impingement are the most common biomechanical risk factors that put the hip joint at risk to develop premature osteoarthritis. Several surgical procedures like periacetabular osteotomy for hip dysplasia or hip arthroscopy or safe surgical hip dislocation for femoroacetabular impingement aim at restoring the hip anatomy. However, the success of joint preserving surgical procedures is limited by the amount of pre-existing cartilage damage. Biochemically sensitive MRI techniques like delayed Gadolinium Enhanced MRI of Cartilage (dGEMRIC might help to monitor the effect of surgical or non-surgical procedures in the effort to halt or even reverse joint damage.

PRIM: An Efficient Preconditioning Iterative Reweighted Least Squares Method for Parallel Brain MRI Reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zheng; Wang, Sheng; Li, Yeqing; Zhu, Feiyun; Huang, Junzhou

2018-02-08

The most recent history of parallel Magnetic Resonance Imaging (pMRI) has in large part been devoted to finding ways to reduce acquisition time. While joint total variation (JTV) regularized model has been demonstrated as a powerful tool in increasing sampling speed for pMRI, however, the major bottleneck is the inefficiency of the optimization method. While all present state-of-the-art optimizations for the JTV model could only reach a sublinear convergence rate, in this paper, we squeeze the performance by proposing a linear-convergent optimization method for the JTV model. The proposed method is based on the Iterative Reweighted Least Squares algorithm. Due to the complexity of the tangled JTV objective, we design a novel preconditioner to further accelerate the proposed method. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed algorithm for pMRI regarding both accuracy and efficiency compared with state-of-the-art methods.

An optimized target-field method for MRI transverse biplanar gradient coil design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Rui; Xu, Jing; Huang, Kefu; Zhang, Jue; Fang, Jing; Fu, Youyi; Li, Yangjing

2011-01-01

Gradient coils are essential components of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. In this paper, we present an optimized target-field method for designing a transverse biplanar gradient coil with high linearity, low inductance and small resistance, which can well satisfy the requirements of permanent-magnet MRI systems. In this new method, the current density is expressed by trigonometric basis functions with unknown coefficients in polar coordinates. Following the standard procedures, we construct an objective function with respect to the total square errors of the magnetic field at all target-field points with the penalty items associated with the stored magnetic energy and the dissipated power. By adjusting the two penalty factors and minimizing the objective function, the appropriate coefficients of the current density are determined. Applying the stream function method to the current density, the specific winding patterns on the planes can be obtained. A novel biplanar gradient coil has been designed using this method to operate in a permanent-magnet MRI system. In order to verify the validity of the proposed approach, the gradient magnetic field generated by the resulted current density has been calculated via the Biot–Savart law. The results have demonstrated the effectiveness and advantage of this proposed method

TU-AB-BRA-09: A Novel Method of Generating Ultrafast Volumetric Cine MRI (VC-MRI) Using Prior 4D-MRI and On-Board Phase-Skipped Encoding Acquisition for Radiotherapy Target Localization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, C; Yin, F; Harris, W; Cai, J; Chang, Z; Ren, L [Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To develop a technique generating ultrafast on-board VC-MRI using prior 4D-MRI and on-board phase-skipped encoding k-space acquisition for real-time 3D target tracking of liver and lung radiotherapy. Methods: The end-of-expiration (EOE) volume in 4D-MRI acquired during the simulation was selected as the prior volume. 3 major respiratory deformation patterns were extracted through the principal component analysis of the deformation field maps (DFMs) generated between EOE and all other phases. The on-board VC-MRI at each instant was considered as a deformation of the prior volume, and the deformation was modeled as a linear combination of the extracted 3 major deformation patterns. To solve the weighting coefficients of the 3 major patterns, a 2D slice was extracted from VC-MRI volume to match with the 2D on-board sampling data, which was generated by 8-fold phase skipped-encoding k-space acquisition (i.e., sample 1 phase-encoding line out of every 8 lines) to achieve an ultrafast 16–24 volumes/s frame rate. The method was evaluated using XCAT digital phantom to simulate lung cancer patients. The 3D volume of end-ofinhalation (EOI) phase at the treatment day was used as ground-truth onboard VC-MRI with simulated changes in 1) breathing amplitude and 2) breathing amplitude/phase change from the simulation day. A liver cancer patient case was evaluated for in-vivo feasibility demonstration. Results: The comparison between ground truth and estimated on-board VC-MRI shows good agreements. In XCAT study with changed breathing amplitude, the volume-percent-difference(VPD) between ground-truth and estimated tumor volumes at EOI was 6.28% and the Center-of-Mass-Shift(COMS) was 0.82mm; with changed breathing amplitude and phase, the VPD was 8.50% and the COMS was 0.54mm. The study of liver patient case also demonstrated a promising in vivo feasibility of the proposed method Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest the feasibility to estimate ultrafast VC-MRI for on

TU-AB-BRA-09: A Novel Method of Generating Ultrafast Volumetric Cine MRI (VC-MRI) Using Prior 4D-MRI and On-Board Phase-Skipped Encoding Acquisition for Radiotherapy Target Localization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, C; Yin, F; Harris, W; Cai, J; Chang, Z; Ren, L

2016-01-01

Purpose: To develop a technique generating ultrafast on-board VC-MRI using prior 4D-MRI and on-board phase-skipped encoding k-space acquisition for real-time 3D target tracking of liver and lung radiotherapy. Methods: The end-of-expiration (EOE) volume in 4D-MRI acquired during the simulation was selected as the prior volume. 3 major respiratory deformation patterns were extracted through the principal component analysis of the deformation field maps (DFMs) generated between EOE and all other phases. The on-board VC-MRI at each instant was considered as a deformation of the prior volume, and the deformation was modeled as a linear combination of the extracted 3 major deformation patterns. To solve the weighting coefficients of the 3 major patterns, a 2D slice was extracted from VC-MRI volume to match with the 2D on-board sampling data, which was generated by 8-fold phase skipped-encoding k-space acquisition (i.e., sample 1 phase-encoding line out of every 8 lines) to achieve an ultrafast 16–24 volumes/s frame rate. The method was evaluated using XCAT digital phantom to simulate lung cancer patients. The 3D volume of end-ofinhalation (EOI) phase at the treatment day was used as ground-truth onboard VC-MRI with simulated changes in 1) breathing amplitude and 2) breathing amplitude/phase change from the simulation day. A liver cancer patient case was evaluated for in-vivo feasibility demonstration. Results: The comparison between ground truth and estimated on-board VC-MRI shows good agreements. In XCAT study with changed breathing amplitude, the volume-percent-difference(VPD) between ground-truth and estimated tumor volumes at EOI was 6.28% and the Center-of-Mass-Shift(COMS) was 0.82mm; with changed breathing amplitude and phase, the VPD was 8.50% and the COMS was 0.54mm. The study of liver patient case also demonstrated a promising in vivo feasibility of the proposed method Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest the feasibility to estimate ultrafast VC-MRI for on

[Mechanical Shimming Method and Implementation for Permanent Magnet of MRI System].

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Tingqiang; Chen, Jinjun

2015-03-01

A mechanical shimming method and device for permanent magnet of MRI system has been developed to meet its stringent homogeneity requirement without time-consuming passive shimming on site, installation and adjustment efficiency has been increased.

Evaluation of left ventricular volume by MRI using modified Simpson's rule method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okamura, Masahiro; Kondo, Takeshi; Anno, Naoko

1990-01-01

The conventional contrast left ventriculogrpahy (LVG) has been the gold standard for estimating left ventricular volume (LVV), but it is an invasive technique, and volume overload must be caused by contrast medium. the true left ventricular (LV) long axis may not be obtained by LVG in routine right anterior oblique (RAO) projection. MRI, on the other hand, is noninvasive, does not require contrast medium, and permits to obtain the true LV long axis sections. Thus, MRI seems the ideal technique for estimating LVV. To estimate LVV, we have developed the on-line programs for calculating LVV by single-plane (SMS) or biplane modified Simpson's rule method (BMS), and have applied these programs to the water in the bottle with the elliptic short axis plane, normal volunteer and patients with various heart diseases. In the water phantom, the water volume calculated by the BMS was more accurate than the SMS. In nine normal volunteers, multiple LV short axis sections in each end-systole and end-diastole were obtained by ECG-gated spin echo MRI, LVV as standard was calculated by true Simpson's rule method (TS) on these images. Then both vertical and horizontal LV long axis sections were also obtained by ECG-gated field echo (FE) rephasing cine MRI, LVV was calculated by the BMS or SMS on these images. The BMS or SMS significantly correlated (r=0.974, r=0.927, 0.947) with TS for estimating LVV, respectively. In 20 patients with various heart diseases, both vertical and horizontal LV long axis sections were obtained by FE cine MRI. LVV (r=0.907 and r=0.901) and EF (r=0.822 and r=0.938) calculated by the SMS on the vertical or horizontal LV long axis sections significantly correlated with the conventional RAO-LVG, respectively. In conclusion, the MRI using our on-line programs would be clinically useful for estimating LVV and EF. (author)

MRI in head trauma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Jin Kyo

1986-01-01

In the diagnosis of head injury, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), like CT, is an effective method of distinguishing between intracerebral and extracerebral lesions. In our experience of MRI, early hematomas are almost isointense by Saturation Recovery (SR) method, so these must be performed with Spin Echo (SE) method for better visualization of hematomas. Isodense subdural hematomas, which is a diagnostic dilemma on CT images, are clearly seen on MRI. Delayed hematomas or residual parenchymal lesions are better demonstrated on MRI than on CT. Direct cornal, sagittal images and multiplanar facility of MRI provides excellent visualization of the the location and shape of extracerebral collection of hematoma. For the screening of head traumas, SE method is a technique of choice because of its excellent sensitivity within limited time.

MRI in head trauma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Jin Kyo [Shin Wha Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1986-02-15

In the diagnosis of head injury, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), like CT, is an effective method of distinguishing between intracerebral and extracerebral lesions. In our experience of MRI, early hematomas are almost isointense by Saturation Recovery (SR) method, so these must be performed with Spin Echo (SE) method for better visualization of hematomas. Isodense subdural hematomas, which is a diagnostic dilemma on CT images, are clearly seen on MRI. Delayed hematomas or residual parenchymal lesions are better demonstrated on MRI than on CT. Direct cornal, sagittal images and multiplanar facility of MRI provides excellent visualization of the the location and shape of extracerebral collection of hematoma. For the screening of head traumas, SE method is a technique of choice because of its excellent sensitivity within limited time.

S-MRI score: A simple method for assessing bone marrow involvement in Gaucher disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roca, M.; Mota, J.; Alfonso, P.; Pocovi, M.; Giraldo, P.

2007-01-01

Semi quantitative MRI is a very useful procedure for evaluating the bone marrow burden (BMB) in Gaucher disease (GD). Score systems have been applied to obtain a parameter for evaluating the severity of bone disease. Our purpose was to test a simple, reproducible and accurate score to evaluate bone marrow involvement in GD patients. MRI was performed in spine, pelvis and femora at diagnosis in 54 adult GD1 patients, 61.1% of whom were female. Three MRI patterns and punctuation in each location were defined: normal, 0; non-homogeneous infiltration subtypes reticular, 1; mottled, 2; diffuse, 3; and homogeneous infiltration, 4. This score was called Spanish-MRI (S-MRI). Two independent observers applied the S-MRI and bone marrow burden score and compared the differences using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test. Correlation rank test was calculated. In 46 patients (85.2%), bone involvement was observed. Thirty-nine (72.3%) had their spine affected, 35 (64.8%) pelvis and 33 (61.2%) femora. Fourteen patients had bone infarcts, 14 avascular necrosis, 2 vertebral fractures and 2 bone crises. Correlation analysis between S-MRI and BMB was (r 2 = .675; p = .0001). No evidence of correlation was observed between CT activity and S-MRI nor between CT activity and BMB. We have found a relationship between genotype and bone infiltration according to S-MRI site and complications. S-MRI is a simple method that provides useful information to evaluate bone infiltration and detect silent complications. Our results correlated with the BMB score but offer higher sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for classifying the extent of bone disease

S-MRI score: A simple method for assessing bone marrow involvement in Gaucher disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roca, M. [Radiology (Magnetic Resonance) Instituto Aragones de Ciencias de la Salud (I-CS), Zaragoza (Spain); Mota, J. [Diagnostic Imaging Department, Medimagen, Barcelona (Spain); Alfonso, P. [Radiology (Magnetic Resonance) Instituto Aragones de Ciencias de la Salud (I-CS), Zaragoza (Spain); Pocovi, M. [Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology Department, Zaragoza University (Spain); Giraldo, P. [Haematology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza (Spain)]. E-mail: pgiraldo@salud.aragon.es

2007-04-15

Semi quantitative MRI is a very useful procedure for evaluating the bone marrow burden (BMB) in Gaucher disease (GD). Score systems have been applied to obtain a parameter for evaluating the severity of bone disease. Our purpose was to test a simple, reproducible and accurate score to evaluate bone marrow involvement in GD patients. MRI was performed in spine, pelvis and femora at diagnosis in 54 adult GD1 patients, 61.1% of whom were female. Three MRI patterns and punctuation in each location were defined: normal, 0; non-homogeneous infiltration subtypes reticular, 1; mottled, 2; diffuse, 3; and homogeneous infiltration, 4. This score was called Spanish-MRI (S-MRI). Two independent observers applied the S-MRI and bone marrow burden score and compared the differences using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test. Correlation rank test was calculated. In 46 patients (85.2%), bone involvement was observed. Thirty-nine (72.3%) had their spine affected, 35 (64.8%) pelvis and 33 (61.2%) femora. Fourteen patients had bone infarcts, 14 avascular necrosis, 2 vertebral fractures and 2 bone crises. Correlation analysis between S-MRI and BMB was (r {sup 2} = .675; p = .0001). No evidence of correlation was observed between CT activity and S-MRI nor between CT activity and BMB. We have found a relationship between genotype and bone infiltration according to S-MRI site and complications. S-MRI is a simple method that provides useful information to evaluate bone infiltration and detect silent complications. Our results correlated with the BMB score but offer higher sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for classifying the extent of bone disease.

Correction of MRI-induced geometric distortions in whole-body small animal PET-MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frohwein, Lynn J.; Schäfers, Klaus P.; Hoerr, Verena; Faber, Cornelius

2015-01-01

Purpose: The fusion of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data can be a challenging task in whole-body PET-MRI. The quality of the registration between these two modalities in large field-of-views (FOV) is often degraded by geometric distortions of the MRI data. The distortions at the edges of large FOVs mainly originate from MRI gradient nonlinearities. This work describes a method to measure and correct for these kind of geometric distortions in small animal MRI scanners to improve the registration accuracy of PET and MRI data. Methods: The authors have developed a geometric phantom which allows the measurement of geometric distortions in all spatial axes via control points. These control points are detected semiautomatically in both PET and MRI data with a subpixel accuracy. The spatial transformation between PET and MRI data is determined with these control points via 3D thin-plate splines (3D TPS). The transformation derived from the 3D TPS is finally applied to real MRI mouse data, which were acquired with the same scan parameters used in the phantom data acquisitions. Additionally, the influence of the phantom material on the homogeneity of the magnetic field is determined via field mapping. Results: The spatial shift according to the magnetic field homogeneity caused by the phantom material was determined to a mean of 0.1 mm. The results of the correction show that distortion with a maximum error of 4 mm could be reduced to less than 1 mm with the proposed correction method. Furthermore, the control point-based registration of PET and MRI data showed improved congruence after correction. Conclusions: The developed phantom has been shown to have no considerable negative effect on the homogeneity of the magnetic field. The proposed method yields an appropriate correction of the measured MRI distortion and is able to improve the PET and MRI registration. Furthermore, the method is applicable to whole-body small animal

Correction of MRI-induced geometric distortions in whole-body small animal PET-MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frohwein, Lynn J., E-mail: frohwein@uni-muenster.de; Schäfers, Klaus P. [European Institute for Molecular Imaging, University of Münster, Münster 48149 (Germany); Hoerr, Verena; Faber, Cornelius [Department of Clinical Radiology, University Hospital of Münster, Münster 48149 (Germany)

2015-07-15

Purpose: The fusion of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data can be a challenging task in whole-body PET-MRI. The quality of the registration between these two modalities in large field-of-views (FOV) is often degraded by geometric distortions of the MRI data. The distortions at the edges of large FOVs mainly originate from MRI gradient nonlinearities. This work describes a method to measure and correct for these kind of geometric distortions in small animal MRI scanners to improve the registration accuracy of PET and MRI data. Methods: The authors have developed a geometric phantom which allows the measurement of geometric distortions in all spatial axes via control points. These control points are detected semiautomatically in both PET and MRI data with a subpixel accuracy. The spatial transformation between PET and MRI data is determined with these control points via 3D thin-plate splines (3D TPS). The transformation derived from the 3D TPS is finally applied to real MRI mouse data, which were acquired with the same scan parameters used in the phantom data acquisitions. Additionally, the influence of the phantom material on the homogeneity of the magnetic field is determined via field mapping. Results: The spatial shift according to the magnetic field homogeneity caused by the phantom material was determined to a mean of 0.1 mm. The results of the correction show that distortion with a maximum error of 4 mm could be reduced to less than 1 mm with the proposed correction method. Furthermore, the control point-based registration of PET and MRI data showed improved congruence after correction. Conclusions: The developed phantom has been shown to have no considerable negative effect on the homogeneity of the magnetic field. The proposed method yields an appropriate correction of the measured MRI distortion and is able to improve the PET and MRI registration. Furthermore, the method is applicable to whole-body small animal

MR imaging of cartilage and its repair in the knee - a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trattnig, S.; Welsch, G.W.; Domayer, S.; Mosher, T.; Eckstein, F.

2009-01-01

Chondral injuries are common lesions of the knee joint, and many patients could benefit from cartilage repair. Widespread cartilage repair techniques require sophisticated noninvasive follow-up using MRI. In addition to the precise morphological assessment of this area of cartilage repair, the cartilage's biochemical constitution can be determined using biochemical MRI techniques. The combination of the clinical outcome after cartilage repair together with the morphological and biochemical description of the cartilage repair tissue as well as the surrounding cartilage can lead to an optimal follow-up evaluation. The present article on MR imaging techniques of cartilage repair focuses on morphological description and scoring using techniques from conventional 2D through advanced isotropic 3D MRI sequences. Furthermore the ultrastructure of the repair tissue and the surrounding cartilage is evaluated in-vivo by biochemical T1-delayed gadolinium enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC), T2 relaxation, and diffusion-weighted imaging techniques. (orig.)

Whole-body bone segmentation from MRI for PET/MRI attenuation correction using shape-based averaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arabi, Hossein; Zaidi, H.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The authors evaluate the performance of shape-based averaging (SBA) technique for whole-body bone segmentation from MRI in the context of MRI-guided attenuation correction (MRAC) in hybrid PET/MRI. To enhance the performance of the SBA scheme, the authors propose to combine it with stati......Purpose: The authors evaluate the performance of shape-based averaging (SBA) technique for whole-body bone segmentation from MRI in the context of MRI-guided attenuation correction (MRAC) in hybrid PET/MRI. To enhance the performance of the SBA scheme, the authors propose to combine...... it with statistical atlas fusion techniques. Moreover, a fast and efficient shape comparisonbased atlas selection scheme was developed and incorporated into the SBA method. Methods: Clinical studies consisting of PET/CT and MR images of 21 patients were used to assess the performance of the SBA method. In addition...... voting (MV) atlas fusion scheme was also evaluated as a conventional and commonly used method. MRI-guided attenuation maps were generated using the different segmentation methods. Thereafter, quantitative analysis of PET attenuation correction was performed using CT-based attenuation correction...

A comparison of exogenous and endogenous CEST MRI methods for evaluating in vivo pH.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindeman, Leila R; Randtke, Edward A; High, Rachel A; Jones, Kyle M; Howison, Christine M; Pagel, Mark D

2018-05-01

Extracellular pH (pHe) is an important biomarker for cancer cell metabolism. Acido-chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI uses the contrast agent iopamidol to create spatial maps of pHe. Measurements of amide proton transfer exchange rates (k ex ) from endogenous CEST MRI were compared to pHe measurements by exogenous acido-CEST MRI to determine whether endogenous k ex could be used as a proxy for pHe measurements. Spatial maps of pHe and k ex were obtained using exogenous acidoCEST MRI and an endogenous CEST MRI analyzed with the omega plot method, respectively, to evaluate mouse kidney, a flank tumor model, and a spontaneous lung tumor model. The pHe and k ex results were evaluated using pixelwise comparisons. The k ex values obtained from endogenous CEST measurements did not correlate with the pHe results from exogenous CEST measurements. The k ex measurements were limited to fewer pixels and had a limited dynamic range relative to pHe measurements. Measurements of k ex with endogenous CEST MRI cannot substitute for pHe measurements with acidoCEST MRI. Whereas endogenous CEST MRI may still have good utility for evaluating some specific pathologies, exogenous acido-CEST MRI is more appropriate when evaluating pathologies based on pHe values. Magn Reson Med 79:2766-2772, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Direct Patlak Reconstruction From Dynamic PET Data Using the Kernel Method With MRI Information Based on Structural Similarity.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Kuang; Cheng-Liao, Jinxiu; Wang, Guobao; Chen, Kevin T; Catana, Ciprian; Qi, Jinyi

2018-04-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging modality widely used in oncology, cardiology, and neuroscience. It is highly sensitive, but suffers from relatively poor spatial resolution, as compared with anatomical imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). With the recent development of combined PET/MR systems, we can improve the PET image quality by incorporating MR information into image reconstruction. Previously, kernel learning has been successfully embedded into static and dynamic PET image reconstruction using either PET temporal or MRI information. Here, we combine both PET temporal and MRI information adaptively to improve the quality of direct Patlak reconstruction. We examined different approaches to combine the PET and MRI information in kernel learning to address the issue of potential mismatches between MRI and PET signals. Computer simulations and hybrid real-patient data acquired on a simultaneous PET/MR scanner were used to evaluate the proposed methods. Results show that the method that combines PET temporal information and MRI spatial information adaptively based on the structure similarity index has the best performance in terms of noise reduction and resolution improvement.

A Hybrid Machine Learning Method for Fusing fMRI and Genetic Data: Combining both Improves Classification of Schizophrenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Honghui Yang

2010-10-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate a hybrid machine learning method to classify schizophrenia patients and healthy controls, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP data. The method consists of four stages: (1 SNPs with the most discriminating information between the healthy controls and schizophrenia patients are selected to construct a support vector machine ensemble (SNP-SVME. (2 Voxels in the fMRI map contributing to classification are selected to build another SVME (Voxel-SVME. (3 Components of fMRI activation obtained with independent component analysis (ICA are used to construct a single SVM classifier (ICA-SVMC. (4 The above three models are combined into a single module using a majority voting approach to make a final decision (Combined SNP-fMRI. The method was evaluated by a fully-validated leave-one-out method using 40 subjects (20 patients and 20 controls. The classification accuracy was: 0.74 for SNP-SVME, 0.82 for Voxel-SVME, 0.83 for ICA-SVMC, and 0.87 for Combined SNP-fMRI. Experimental results show that better classification accuracy was achieved by combining genetic and fMRI data than using either alone, indicating that genetic and brain function representing different, but partially complementary aspects, of schizophrenia etiopathology. This study suggests an effective way to reassess biological classification of individuals with schizophrenia, which is also potentially useful for identifying diagnostically important markers for the disorder.

Comparison of early and late MRI in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy using three assessment methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charon, Valerie; Proisy, Maia; Bruneau, Bertrand; Treguier, Catherine; Rozel, Celine; Ferre, Jean-Christophe; Beuchee, Alain; Chauvel, Jennifer

2015-01-01

There is no consensus on the optimum timing of MRI in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy treated with hypothermia. Reliable early imaging assessment might help managing treatment. To assess non-random differences between early and late MRI that might influence intensive-care decisions. This single-center retrospective study included all asphyxiated term neonates eligible for hypothermia treatment November 2009-July 2012. MRI scans were systematically performed at day 4 (early MRI) and day 11 of life as part of routine protocol. Two experienced pediatric radiologists reviewed both scans according to three assessment methods: a pattern classification, a scoring system and a simplified classification. Agreement between early and late imaging findings was assessed using Cohen's kappa coefficients. Thirty-three neonates were included. Interobserver agreement was excellent. Early MRI detected all severe injuries. Agreement between early and late MRI was excellent for the simplified classification (κ = 0.82), good for the pattern classification (κ = 0.64), and good to excellent for 3 scores out of 4 in the scoring system (κ = 0.70-0.89). Early MRI may provide valuable information about brain injury to help parents and neonatologists in intensive-care decisions at the end of hypothermia treatment. (orig.)

Comparison of early and late MRI in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy using three assessment methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Charon, Valerie; Proisy, Maia; Bruneau, Bertrand; Treguier, Catherine; Rozel, Celine [University Hospital, Department of Imaging, Hopital Sud, Rennes, Cedex 2 (France); Ferre, Jean-Christophe [University Hospital, Department of Neuroradiology, Hopital Pontchaillou, Rennes (France); Beuchee, Alain [University Hospital, Department of Neonatology, Hopital Sud, Rennes (France); Chauvel, Jennifer [Saint Brieuc Hospital, Department of Neonatology, Saint-Brieuc (France)

2015-12-15

There is no consensus on the optimum timing of MRI in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy treated with hypothermia. Reliable early imaging assessment might help managing treatment. To assess non-random differences between early and late MRI that might influence intensive-care decisions. This single-center retrospective study included all asphyxiated term neonates eligible for hypothermia treatment November 2009-July 2012. MRI scans were systematically performed at day 4 (early MRI) and day 11 of life as part of routine protocol. Two experienced pediatric radiologists reviewed both scans according to three assessment methods: a pattern classification, a scoring system and a simplified classification. Agreement between early and late imaging findings was assessed using Cohen's kappa coefficients. Thirty-three neonates were included. Interobserver agreement was excellent. Early MRI detected all severe injuries. Agreement between early and late MRI was excellent for the simplified classification (κ = 0.82), good for the pattern classification (κ = 0.64), and good to excellent for 3 scores out of 4 in the scoring system (κ = 0.70-0.89). Early MRI may provide valuable information about brain injury to help parents and neonatologists in intensive-care decisions at the end of hypothermia treatment. (orig.)

A Technique for Generating Volumetric Cine MRI (VC-MRI)

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Wendy; Ren, Lei; Cai, Jing; Zhang, You; Chang, Zheng; Yin, Fang-Fang

2016-01-01

Purpose To develop a technique to generate on-board volumetric-cine MRI (VC-MRI) using patient prior images, motion modeling and on-board 2D-cine MRI. Methods One phase of a 4D-MRI acquired during patient simulation is used as patient prior images. 3 major respiratory deformation patterns of the patient are extracted from 4D-MRI based on principal-component-analysis. The on-board VC-MRI at any instant is considered as a deformation of the prior MRI. The deformation field is represented as a linear combination of the 3 major deformation patterns. The coefficients of the deformation patterns are solved by the data fidelity constraint using the acquired on-board single 2D-cine MRI. The method was evaluated using both XCAT simulation of lung cancer patients and MRI data from four real liver cancer patients. The accuracy of the estimated VC-MRI was quantitatively evaluated using Volume-Percent-Difference(VPD), Center-of-Mass-Shift(COMS), and target tracking errors. Effects of acquisition orientation, region-of-interest(ROI) selection, patient breathing pattern change and noise on the estimation accuracy were also evaluated. Results Image subtraction of ground-truth with estimated on-board VC-MRI shows fewer differences than image subtraction of ground-truth with prior image. Agreement between profiles in the estimated and ground-truth VC-MRI was achieved with less than 6% error for both XCAT and patient data. Among all XCAT scenarios, the VPD between ground-truth and estimated lesion volumes was on average 8.43±1.52% and the COMS was on average 0.93±0.58mm across all time-steps for estimation based on the ROI region in the sagittal cine images. Matching to ROI in the sagittal view achieved better accuracy when there was substantial breathing pattern change. The technique was robust against noise levels up to SNR=20. For patient data, average tracking errors were less than 2 mm in all directions for all patients. Conclusions Preliminary studies demonstrated the

A wavelet method for modeling and despiking motion artifacts from resting-state fMRI time series

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Ameera X.; Kundu, Prantik; Rubinov, Mikail; Jones, P. Simon; Vértes, Petra E.; Ersche, Karen D.; Suckling, John; Bullmore, Edward T.

2014-01-01

The impact of in-scanner head movement on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals has long been established as undesirable. These effects have been traditionally corrected by methods such as linear regression of head movement parameters. However, a number of recent independent studies have demonstrated that these techniques are insufficient to remove motion confounds, and that even small movements can spuriously bias estimates of functional connectivity. Here we propose a new data-driven, spatially-adaptive, wavelet-based method for identifying, modeling, and removing non-stationary events in fMRI time series, caused by head movement, without the need for data scrubbing. This method involves the addition of just one extra step, the Wavelet Despike, in standard pre-processing pipelines. With this method, we demonstrate robust removal of a range of different motion artifacts and motion-related biases including distance-dependent connectivity artifacts, at a group and single-subject level, using a range of previously published and new diagnostic measures. The Wavelet Despike is able to accommodate the substantial spatial and temporal heterogeneity of motion artifacts and can consequently remove a range of high and low frequency artifacts from fMRI time series, that may be linearly or non-linearly related to physical movements. Our methods are demonstrated by the analysis of three cohorts of resting-state fMRI data, including two high-motion datasets: a previously published dataset on children (N = 22) and a new dataset on adults with stimulant drug dependence (N = 40). We conclude that there is a real risk of motion-related bias in connectivity analysis of fMRI data, but that this risk is generally manageable, by effective time series denoising strategies designed to attenuate synchronized signal transients induced by abrupt head movements. The Wavelet Despiking software described in this article is freely available for download at www

Animal MRI Core

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Animal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Core develops and optimizes MRI methods for cardiovascular imaging of mice and rats. The Core provides imaging expertise,...

A Method for Manufacturing Oncological Phantoms for the Quantification of 18F-FDG PET and DW-MRI Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Gallivanone

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to develop a method to manufacture oncological phantoms for quantitation purposes in 18F-FDG PET and DW-MRI studies. Radioactive and diffusion materials were prepared using a mixture of agarose and sucrose radioactive gels. T2 relaxation and diffusion properties of gels at different sucrose concentrations were evaluated. Realistic oncological lesions were created using 3D-printed plastic molds filled with the gel mixture. Once solidified, gels were extracted from molds and immersed in a low-radioactivity gel simulating normal background tissue. A breast cancer phantom was manufactured using the proposed method as an exploratory feasibility study, including several realistic oncological configurations in terms of both radioactivity and diffusion. The phantom was acquired in PET with 18F-FDG, immediately after solidification, and in DW-MRI the following day. Functional volumes characterizing the simulated BC lesions were segmented from PET and DW-MRI images. Measured radioactive uptake and ADC values were compared with gold standards. Phantom preparation was straightforward, and the time schedule was compatible with both PET and MRI measurements. Lesions appeared on 18F-FDG PET and DW-MRI images as expected, without visible artifacts. Lesion functional parameters revealed the phantom’s potential for validating quantification methods, in particular for new generation hybrid PET-MRI systems.

MRI of the Chest

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... News Physician Resources Professions Site Index A-Z Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - Chest Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ... clearer and more detailed than with other imaging methods. This detail makes MRI an invaluable tool in ...

Supervised methods for detection and segmentation of tissues in clinical lumbar MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Subarna; Chaudhary, Vipin

2014-10-01

Lower back pain (LBP) is widely prevalent all over the world and more than 80% of the people suffer from LBP at some point of their lives. Moreover, a shortage of radiologists is the most pressing cause for the need of CAD (computer-aided diagnosis) systems. Automatic localization and labeling of intervertebral discs from lumbar MRI is the first step towards computer-aided diagnosis of lower back ailments. Subsequently, for diagnosis and characterization (quantification and localization) of abnormalities like disc herniation and stenosis, a completely automatic segmentation of intervertebral discs and the dural sac is extremely important. Contribution of this paper towards clinical CAD systems is two-fold. First, we propose a method to automatically detect all visible intervertebral discs in clinical sagittal MRI using heuristics and machine learning techniques. We provide a novel end-to-end framework that outputs a tight bounding box for each disc, instead of simply marking the centroid of discs, as has been the trend in the recent past. Second, we propose a method to simultaneously segment all the tissues (vertebrae, intervertebral disc, dural sac and background) in a lumbar sagittal MRI, using an auto-context approach instead of any explicit shape features or models. Past work tackles the lumbar segmentation problem on a tissue/organ basis, and which tend to perform poorly in clinical scans due to high variability in appearance. We, on the other hand, train a series of robust classifiers (random forests) using image features and sparsely sampled context features, which implicitly represent the shape and configuration of the image. Both these methods have been tested on a huge clinical dataset comprising of 212 cases and show very promising results for both disc detection (98% disc localization accuracy and 2.08mm mean deviation) and sagittal MRI segmentation (dice similarity indices of 0.87 and 0.84 for the dural sac and the inter-vertebral disc, respectively

Multiparametric MRI of the prostate. Method for early detection of prostate cancer?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlemmer, Heinz-Peter

2010-01-01

Current approaches for the early detection of prostate cancer are controversially discussed because the disease is characterized by a high incidence rate with a relatively low morbidity rate, availability of only limited prognostic markers, and continued therapy-related morbidity. Conventional morphological MRI does not play a role in early detection since small tumor foci cannot be delineated. However, if there is clinical suspicion for prostate cancer, multiparametric MRI is currently the most accurate method for detecting and characterizing suspicious lesions in the prostate. The potential to identify the so-called 'index lesion', i.e., the tumor area that is most aggressive and determines treatment, is particularly important. This information can increase the accuracy of prostate biopsy and serve as a biomarker for follow-up during active surveillance. The method may considerably contribute to the urgently required separation of clinically significant from clinically insignificant prostate cancers. (orig.)

MRI of the Chest

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... clearer and more detailed than with other imaging methods. This detail makes MRI an invaluable tool in ... might be obscured by bone with other imaging methods. The contrast material used in MRI exams is ...

Comparative analysis of methods for extracting vessel network on breast MRI images

Science.gov (United States)

Gaizer, Bence T.; Vassiou, Katerina G.; Lavdas, Eleftherios; Arvanitis, Dimitrios L.; Fezoulidis, Ioannis V.; Glotsos, Dimitris T.

2017-11-01

Digital processing of MRI images aims to provide an automatized diagnostic evaluation of regular health screenings. Cancerous lesions are proven to cause an alteration in the vessel structure of the diseased organ. Currently there are several methods used for extraction of the vessel network in order to quantify its properties. In this work MRI images (Signa HDx 3.0T, GE Healthcare, courtesy of University Hospital of Larissa) of 30 female breasts were subjected to three different vessel extraction algorithms to determine the location of their vascular network. The first method is an experiment to build a graph over known points of the vessel network; the second algorithm aims to determine the direction and diameter of vessels at these points; the third approach is a seed growing algorithm, spreading selection to neighbors of the known vessel pixels. The possibilities shown by the different methods were analyzed, and quantitative measurements were performed. The data provided by these measurements showed no clear correlation with the presence or malignancy of tumors, based on the radiological diagnosis of skilled physicians.

Toward implementing an MRI-based PET attenuation-correction method for neurologic studies on the MR-PET brain prototype.

Science.gov (United States)

Catana, Ciprian; van der Kouwe, Andre; Benner, Thomas; Michel, Christian J; Hamm, Michael; Fenchel, Matthias; Fischl, Bruce; Rosen, Bruce; Schmand, Matthias; Sorensen, A Gregory

2010-09-01

Several factors have to be considered for implementing an accurate attenuation-correction (AC) method in a combined MR-PET scanner. In this work, some of these challenges were investigated, and an AC method based entirely on the MRI data obtained with a single dedicated sequence was developed and used for neurologic studies performed with the MR-PET human brain scanner prototype. The focus was on the problem of bone-air segmentation, selection of the linear attenuation coefficient for bone, and positioning of the radiofrequency coil. The impact of these factors on PET data quantification was studied in simulations and experimental measurements performed on the combined MR-PET scanner. A novel dual-echo ultrashort echo time (DUTE) MRI sequence was proposed for head imaging. Simultaneous MR-PET data were acquired, and the PET images reconstructed using the proposed DUTE MRI-based AC method were compared with the PET images that had been reconstructed using a CT-based AC method. Our data suggest that incorrectly accounting for the bone tissue attenuation can lead to large underestimations (>20%) of the radiotracer concentration in the cortex. Assigning a linear attenuation coefficient of 0.143 or 0.151 cm(-1) to bone tissue appears to give the best trade-off between bias and variability in the resulting images. Not identifying the internal air cavities introduces large overestimations (>20%) in adjacent structures. On the basis of these results, the segmented CT AC method was established as the silver standard for the segmented MRI-based AC method. For an integrated MR-PET scanner, in particular, ignoring the radiofrequency coil attenuation can cause large underestimations (i.e., MRI- and CT-based AC methods compare favorably in most of

Flip-flop method: A new T1-weighted flow-MRI for plants studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Buy, Simon; Le Floch, Simon; Tang, Ning; Sidiboulenouar, Rahima; Zanca, Michel; Canadas, Patrick; Nativel, Eric; Cardoso, Maida; Alibert, Eric; Dupont, Guillaume; Ambard, Dominique; Maurel, Christophe; Verdeil, Jean-Luc; Bertin, Nadia; Goze-Bac, Christophe; Coillot, Christophe

2018-01-01

The climate warming implies an increase of stress of plants (drought and torrential rainfall). The understanding of plant behavior, in this context, takes a major importance and sap flow measurement in plants remains a key issue for plant understanding. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) which is well known to be a powerful tool to access water quantity can be used to measure moving water. We describe a novel flow-MRI method which takes advantage of inflow slice sensitivity. The method involves the slice selectivity in the context of multi slice spin echo sequence. Two sequences such as a given slice is consecutively inflow and outflow sensitive are performed, offering the possiblility to perform slow flow sensitive imaging in a quite straigthforward way. The method potential is demonstrated by imaging both a slow flow measurement on a test bench (as low as 10 μm.s-1) and the Poiseuille's profile of xylemian sap flow velocity in the xylematic tissues of a tomato plant stem.

A novel anisotropic fast marching method and its application to blood flow computation in phase-contrast MRI.

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Schwenke, M; Hennemuth, A; Fischer, B; Friman, O

2012-01-01

Phase-contrast MRI (PC MRI) can be used to assess blood flow dynamics noninvasively inside the human body. The acquired images can be reconstructed into flow vector fields. Traditionally, streamlines can be computed based on the vector fields to visualize flow patterns and particle trajectories. The traditional methods may give a false impression of precision, as they do not consider the measurement uncertainty in the PC MRI images. In our prior work, we incorporated the uncertainty of the measurement into the computation of particle trajectories. As a major part of the contribution, a novel numerical scheme for solving the anisotropic Fast Marching problem is presented. A computing time comparison to state-of-the-art methods is conducted on artificial tensor fields. A visual comparison of healthy to pathological blood flow patterns is given. The comparison shows that the novel anisotropic Fast Marching solver outperforms previous schemes in terms of computing time. The visual comparison of flow patterns directly visualizes large deviations of pathological flow from healthy flow. The novel anisotropic Fast Marching solver efficiently resolves even strongly anisotropic path costs. The visualization method enables the user to assess the uncertainty of particle trajectories derived from PC MRI images.

Evidence for Policy Making: Clinical Appropriateness Study of Lumbar Spine MRI Prescriptions Using RAND Appropriateness Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossein Yousefi Manesh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available MRI is a new and expensive diagnostic technology, which has been used increasingly all over the world. Low back pain is a worldwide prevalent disorder and MRI technique is one of the several ways to diagnose it. This paper aims to identify the appropriateness of lumbar spine MRI prescriptions in Shiraz teaching hospitals using standardized RAND Appropriateness Method (RAM criteria. Methods This study consisted of two phases. The first phase involved a qualitative enquiry and the second phase had a quantitative cross-sectional nature. In the first phase RAM was used for developing lumbar spine MRI indications and scenarios. In the second phase, the finalized scenarios were compared with the history and physical examination of 300 patients with low back pain. The rate of appropriateness of lumbar spine MRI prescription was then calculated. Results Of 300 cases of lumbar spine MRI prescriptions, approximately 167 (56% were considered inappropriate, 72 (24% were uncertain, and 61 (20% were deemed to be appropriate. The economic burden of inappropriate prescriptions was calculated at 88,009,000 Rials. In addition, the types of expertise and physical examination were considered as related factors to appropriateness of prescriptions. Conclusion In conclusion, a large proportion of lumbar spine MRI prescriptions, which result in financial burden on the insurance companies and the patients alike is unnecessary. This study suggests that policy makers consider this evidence while decision-making. Our findings highlight the imperative role of Health Technology Assessment (HTA and Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs. As a result, developing local clinical guidelines may create the commitment needed in physicians in prescribing appropriate prescriptions within the health sector. The study further recommends that appropriate scenarios should be considered as a criterion for payment and reimbursement.

MRI diagnosis of meningovascular neurosyphilis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Shuang; Qian Jianguo; Feng Xiaoyuan

2005-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the value and limitation of MRI in the diagnosis of meningovascular neurosyphilis. Methods: Five cases of neurosyphilis confirmed by clinical history/laboratory were examined with MRI (3 plain MRI, 2 enhanced MRI). The results of blood and CSF TPPA/RPR were positive and HIV was negative. Results: Abnormal signals were demonstrated in the temporal lobe in 3 cases, and infarction was revealed in the basal ganglion and periventricular white matter in another 2 cases. There was no marked contrast enhancement in the 2 cases. Conclusion: Meningovascular neurosyphilis has no characteristic features on MRI, but MRI is an effective method in delineating the size, range, and characters of neurosyphilis, and it is also an useful modality to follow-up after antibiotic therapy. (authors)

Prostate cancer diagnosis: Efficacy of a simple electromagnetic MRI-TRUS fusion method to target biopsies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jelidi, Amina; Ohana, Mickael; Labani, Aïssam; Alemann, Guillaume; Lang, Herve; Roy, Catherine

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A very simple electromagnetic device for fusion with MRI examination during TRUS guided biopsies increases the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer. • This device has advantages: a short time for the fusion registration, no additional cumbersome material and no intense training to be fluent with. • Low or intermediate suspicious area for prostate carcinoma on mpMRI can be due to benign histological abnormalities or high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. - Abstract: Objective: To assess that transrectal ultrasound guidance (TRUS) targeted biopsies (TB) aimed with an easy to use electronic real-time fusion registration device have a higher rate of prostate cancer (PC) detection than standard biopsies (SB). Material and methods: This prospective study included 130 patients referred for TRUS biopsies after suspicious MRI. They underwent 16-core SB and 2 to 3 cores in each MRI suspicious area, using a fusion software. We noted SB and TB positivity for PC and Gleason score (GS). We used the McNemar test to compare SB and TB, with a statistical significance p < 0.05. Results: Among 130 patients, 68.5% had PC. Additional time due to the fusion registration was 3.3 min. One hundred fifteen patients (88.4%) had pathological findings on the histological analysis (prostate cancer n = 89, others n = 26). TB diagnosed PC in 75 patients with negative SB. Positivity rate for PC was significantly higher for TB than SB (p = 0.03). Among highly suspicious MRI lesions, detection rate of histological abnormalities using SB and TB was 96% with 79.7% of PC. Most PC that TB diagnosed alone were clinically significant (86.3%). Conclusion: TRUS biopsies performed with a simple MRI and US electronic fusion is an unrestrainedly method to increase PC diagnosis.

Comparative study of SVM methods combined with voxel selection for object category classification on fMRI data.

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Song, Sutao; Zhan, Zhichao; Long, Zhiying; Zhang, Jiacai; Yao, Li

2011-02-16

Support vector machine (SVM) has been widely used as accurate and reliable method to decipher brain patterns from functional MRI (fMRI) data. Previous studies have not found a clear benefit for non-linear (polynomial kernel) SVM versus linear one. Here, a more effective non-linear SVM using radial basis function (RBF) kernel is compared with linear SVM. Different from traditional studies which focused either merely on the evaluation of different types of SVM or the voxel selection methods, we aimed to investigate the overall performance of linear and RBF SVM for fMRI classification together with voxel selection schemes on classification accuracy and time-consuming. Six different voxel selection methods were employed to decide which voxels of fMRI data would be included in SVM classifiers with linear and RBF kernels in classifying 4-category objects. Then the overall performances of voxel selection and classification methods were compared. Results showed that: (1) Voxel selection had an important impact on the classification accuracy of the classifiers: in a relative low dimensional feature space, RBF SVM outperformed linear SVM significantly; in a relative high dimensional space, linear SVM performed better than its counterpart; (2) Considering the classification accuracy and time-consuming holistically, linear SVM with relative more voxels as features and RBF SVM with small set of voxels (after PCA) could achieve the better accuracy and cost shorter time. The present work provides the first empirical result of linear and RBF SVM in classification of fMRI data, combined with voxel selection methods. Based on the findings, if only classification accuracy was concerned, RBF SVM with appropriate small voxels and linear SVM with relative more voxels were two suggested solutions; if users concerned more about the computational time, RBF SVM with relative small set of voxels when part of the principal components were kept as features was a better choice.

A wavelet method for modeling and despiking motion artifacts from resting-state fMRI time series.

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Patel, Ameera X; Kundu, Prantik; Rubinov, Mikail; Jones, P Simon; Vértes, Petra E; Ersche, Karen D; Suckling, John; Bullmore, Edward T

2014-07-15

The impact of in-scanner head movement on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals has long been established as undesirable. These effects have been traditionally corrected by methods such as linear regression of head movement parameters. However, a number of recent independent studies have demonstrated that these techniques are insufficient to remove motion confounds, and that even small movements can spuriously bias estimates of functional connectivity. Here we propose a new data-driven, spatially-adaptive, wavelet-based method for identifying, modeling, and removing non-stationary events in fMRI time series, caused by head movement, without the need for data scrubbing. This method involves the addition of just one extra step, the Wavelet Despike, in standard pre-processing pipelines. With this method, we demonstrate robust removal of a range of different motion artifacts and motion-related biases including distance-dependent connectivity artifacts, at a group and single-subject level, using a range of previously published and new diagnostic measures. The Wavelet Despike is able to accommodate the substantial spatial and temporal heterogeneity of motion artifacts and can consequently remove a range of high and low frequency artifacts from fMRI time series, that may be linearly or non-linearly related to physical movements. Our methods are demonstrated by the analysis of three cohorts of resting-state fMRI data, including two high-motion datasets: a previously published dataset on children (N=22) and a new dataset on adults with stimulant drug dependence (N=40). We conclude that there is a real risk of motion-related bias in connectivity analysis of fMRI data, but that this risk is generally manageable, by effective time series denoising strategies designed to attenuate synchronized signal transients induced by abrupt head movements. The Wavelet Despiking software described in this article is freely available for download at www

A method to determine the necessity for global signal regression in resting-state fMRI studies.

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Chen, Gang; Chen, Guangyu; Xie, Chunming; Ward, B Douglas; Li, Wenjun; Antuono, Piero; Li, Shi-Jiang

2012-12-01

In resting-state functional MRI studies, the global signal (operationally defined as the global average of resting-state functional MRI time courses) is often considered a nuisance effect and commonly removed in preprocessing. This global signal regression method can introduce artifacts, such as false anticorrelated resting-state networks in functional connectivity analyses. Therefore, the efficacy of this technique as a correction tool remains questionable. In this article, we establish that the accuracy of the estimated global signal is determined by the level of global noise (i.e., non-neural noise that has a global effect on the resting-state functional MRI signal). When the global noise level is low, the global signal resembles the resting-state functional MRI time courses of the largest cluster, but not those of the global noise. Using real data, we demonstrate that the global signal is strongly correlated with the default mode network components and has biological significance. These results call into question whether or not global signal regression should be applied. We introduce a method to quantify global noise levels. We show that a criteria for global signal regression can be found based on the method. By using the criteria, one can determine whether to include or exclude the global signal regression in minimizing errors in functional connectivity measures. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A multi-atlas based method for automated anatomical rat brain MRI segmentation and extraction of PET activity.

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Lancelot, Sophie; Roche, Roxane; Slimen, Afifa; Bouillot, Caroline; Levigoureux, Elise; Langlois, Jean-Baptiste; Zimmer, Luc; Costes, Nicolas

2014-01-01

Preclinical in vivo imaging requires precise and reproducible delineation of brain structures. Manual segmentation is time consuming and operator dependent. Automated segmentation as usually performed via single atlas registration fails to account for anatomo-physiological variability. We present, evaluate, and make available a multi-atlas approach for automatically segmenting rat brain MRI and extracting PET activies. High-resolution 7T 2DT2 MR images of 12 Sprague-Dawley rat brains were manually segmented into 27-VOI label volumes using detailed protocols. Automated methods were developed with 7/12 atlas datasets, i.e. the MRIs and their associated label volumes. MRIs were registered to a common space, where an MRI template and a maximum probability atlas were created. Three automated methods were tested: 1/registering individual MRIs to the template, and using a single atlas (SA), 2/using the maximum probability atlas (MP), and 3/registering the MRIs from the multi-atlas dataset to an individual MRI, propagating the label volumes and fusing them in individual MRI space (propagation & fusion, PF). Evaluation was performed on the five remaining rats which additionally underwent [18F]FDG PET. Automated and manual segmentations were compared for morphometric performance (assessed by comparing volume bias and Dice overlap index) and functional performance (evaluated by comparing extracted PET measures). Only the SA method showed volume bias. Dice indices were significantly different between methods (PF>MP>SA). PET regional measures were more accurate with multi-atlas methods than with SA method. Multi-atlas methods outperform SA for automated anatomical brain segmentation and PET measure's extraction. They perform comparably to manual segmentation for FDG-PET quantification. Multi-atlas methods are suitable for rapid reproducible VOI analyses.

A multi-atlas based method for automated anatomical Macaca fascicularis brain MRI segmentation and PET kinetic extraction.

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Ballanger, Bénédicte; Tremblay, Léon; Sgambato-Faure, Véronique; Beaudoin-Gobert, Maude; Lavenne, Franck; Le Bars, Didier; Costes, Nicolas

2013-08-15

MRI templates and digital atlases are needed for automated and reproducible quantitative analysis of non-human primate PET studies. Segmenting brain images via multiple atlases outperforms single-atlas labelling in humans. We present a set of atlases manually delineated on brain MRI scans of the monkey Macaca fascicularis. We use this multi-atlas dataset to evaluate two automated methods in terms of accuracy, robustness and reliability in segmenting brain structures on MRI and extracting regional PET measures. Twelve individual Macaca fascicularis high-resolution 3DT1 MR images were acquired. Four individual atlases were created by manually drawing 42 anatomical structures, including cortical and sub-cortical structures, white matter regions, and ventricles. To create the MRI template, we first chose one MRI to define a reference space, and then performed a two-step iterative procedure: affine registration of individual MRIs to the reference MRI, followed by averaging of the twelve resampled MRIs. Automated segmentation in native space was obtained in two ways: 1) Maximum probability atlases were created by decision fusion of two to four individual atlases in the reference space, and transformation back into the individual native space (MAXPROB)(.) 2) One to four individual atlases were registered directly to the individual native space, and combined by decision fusion (PROPAG). Accuracy was evaluated by computing the Dice similarity index and the volume difference. The robustness and reproducibility of PET regional measurements obtained via automated segmentation was evaluated on four co-registered MRI/PET datasets, which included test-retest data. Dice indices were always over 0.7 and reached maximal values of 0.9 for PROPAG with all four individual atlases. There was no significant mean volume bias. The standard deviation of the bias decreased significantly when increasing the number of individual atlases. MAXPROB performed better when increasing the number of

An optimizing design method for a compact iron shielded superconducting magnet for use in MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Xin; Zu Donglin; Wang Tao; Han Baohui

2010-01-01

A method is developed for designing a special iron shielded superconducting magnet for MRI in this paper. The shield is designed as an integral part of the cryostat and high permeability and high saturated magnetization iron material is adopted. This scheme will result in a compact iron shielded magnet. In the presented design, the finite element (FE) method is adopted to calculate the magnetic field produced by superconducting coils and nonlinear iron material. The FE method is incorporated into the simulated annealing method which is employed for corresponding optimization. Therefore, geometrical configurations of both coils and iron shield can be optimized together. This method can deal with discrete design variables which are defined to describe the cable arrangements of coil cross sections. A detailed algorithm of the present design is described and an example for designing a 1.5 T clinical iron shielded magnet for MRI is shown.

Comparison of MRI-based and CT/MRI fusion-based postimplant dosimetric analysis of prostate brachytherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Osamu; Hayashi, Shinya; Matsuo, Masayuki; Sakurai, Kota; Nakano, Masahiro; Maeda, Sunaho; Kajita, Kimihiro R.T.; Deguchi, Takashi; Hoshi, Hiroaki

2006-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based and computed tomography (CT)/MRI fusion-based postimplant dosimetry methods in permanent prostate brachytherapy. Methods and Materials: Between October 2004 and March 2006, a total of 52 consecutive patients with prostate cancer were treated by brachytherapy, and postimplant dosimetry was performed using CT/MRI fusion. The accuracy and reproducibility were prospectively compared between MRI-based dosimetry and CT/MRI fusion-based dosimetry based on the dose-volume histogram (DVH) related parameters as recommended by the American Brachytherapy Society. Results: The prostate volume was 15.97 ± 6.17 cc (mean ± SD) in MRI-based dosimetry, and 15.97 ± 6.02 cc in CT/MRI fusion-based dosimetry without statistical difference. The prostate V100 was 94.5% and 93.0% in MRI-based and CT/MRI fusion-based dosimetry, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.002). The prostate D90 was 119.4% and 114.4% in MRI-based and CT/MRI fusion-based dosimetry, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.004). Conclusion: Our current results suggested that, as with fusion images, MR images allowed accurate contouring of the organs, but they tended to overestimate the analysis of postimplant dosimetry in comparison to CT/MRI fusion images. Although this MRI-based dosimetric discrepancy was negligible, MRI-based dosimetry was acceptable and reproducible in comparison to CT-based dosimetry, because the difference between MRI-based and CT/MRI fusion-based results was smaller than that between CT-based and CT/MRI fusion-based results as previously reported

A methodology for generating normal and pathological brain perfusion SPECT images for evaluation of MRI/SPECT fusion methods: application in epilepsy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grova, C [Laboratoire IDM, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Rennes 1, Rennes (France); Jannin, P [Laboratoire IDM, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Rennes 1, Rennes (France); Biraben, A [Laboratoire IDM, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Rennes 1, Rennes (France); Buvat, I [INSERM U494, CHU Pitie Salpetriere, Paris (France); Benali, H [INSERM U494, CHU Pitie Salpetriere, Paris (France); Bernard, A M [Service de Medecine Nucleaire, Centre Eugene Marquis, Rennes (France); Scarabin, J M [Laboratoire IDM, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Rennes 1, Rennes (France); Gibaud, B [Laboratoire IDM, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Rennes 1, Rennes (France)

2003-12-21

Quantitative evaluation of brain MRI/SPECT fusion methods for normal and in particular pathological datasets is difficult, due to the frequent lack of relevant ground truth. We propose a methodology to generate MRI and SPECT datasets dedicated to the evaluation of MRI/SPECT fusion methods and illustrate the method when dealing with ictal SPECT. The method consists in generating normal or pathological SPECT data perfectly aligned with a high-resolution 3D T1-weighted MRI using realistic Monte Carlo simulations that closely reproduce the response of a SPECT imaging system. Anatomical input data for the SPECT simulations are obtained from this 3D T1-weighted MRI, while functional input data result from an inter-individual analysis of anatomically standardized SPECT data. The method makes it possible to control the 'brain perfusion' function by proposing a theoretical model of brain perfusion from measurements performed on real SPECT images. Our method provides an absolute gold standard for assessing MRI/SPECT registration method accuracy since, by construction, the SPECT data are perfectly registered with the MRI data. The proposed methodology has been applied to create a theoretical model of normal brain perfusion and ictal brain perfusion characteristic of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. To approach realistic and unbiased perfusion models, real SPECT data were corrected for uniform attenuation, scatter and partial volume effect. An anatomic standardization was used to account for anatomic variability between subjects. Realistic simulations of normal and ictal SPECT deduced from these perfusion models are presented. The comparison of real and simulated SPECT images showed relative differences in regional activity concentration of less than 20% in most anatomical structures, for both normal and ictal data, suggesting realistic models of perfusion distributions for evaluation purposes. Inter-hemispheric asymmetry coefficients measured on simulated data were

Hybrid ICA-Seed-Based Methods for fMRI Functional Connectivity Assessment: A Feasibility Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert E. Kelly

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Brain functional connectivity (FC is often assessed from fMRI data using seed-based methods, such as those of detecting temporal correlation between a predefined region (seed and all other regions in the brain; or using multivariate methods, such as independent component analysis (ICA. ICA is a useful data-driven tool, but reproducibility issues complicate group inferences based on FC maps derived with ICA. These reproducibility issues can be circumvented with hybrid methods that use information from ICA-derived spatial maps as seeds to produce seed-based FC maps. We report results from five experiments to demonstrate the potential advantages of hybrid ICA-seed-based FC methods, comparing results from regressing fMRI data against task-related a priori time courses, with “back-reconstruction” from a group ICA, and with five hybrid ICA-seed-based FC methods: ROI-based with (1 single-voxel, (2 few-voxel, and (3 many-voxel seed; and dual-regression-based with (4 single ICA map and (5 multiple ICA map seed.

Development and validation of an MRI reference criterion for defining a positive SIJ MRI in spondyloarthritis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weber, Ulrich; Zubler, Veronika; Pedersen, Susanne J

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To validate an MRI reference criterion for a positive SIJ MRI based on the level of confidence in classification of spondyloarthritis (SpA) by expert MRI readers. METHODS: Four readers assessed SIJ MRI in two inception cohorts (A/B) of 157 consecutive back pain patients ≤50 years, and ...... using two inception cohorts and comparing clinical and MRI-based classification supports the case for including both erosion and BME to define a positive SIJ MRI for the classification of axial SpA. © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology.......OBJECTIVE: To validate an MRI reference criterion for a positive SIJ MRI based on the level of confidence in classification of spondyloarthritis (SpA) by expert MRI readers. METHODS: Four readers assessed SIJ MRI in two inception cohorts (A/B) of 157 consecutive back pain patients ≤50 years......, and in 20 healthy controls. Patients were classified according to clinical examination and pelvic radiography as having non-radiographic axial SpA (n=51), ankylosing spondylitis (n=34), or non-specific back pain (n=72). Readers recorded their level of confidence in the classification of SpA on a 0-10 scale...

Three-dimensional MRI-linac intra-fraction guidance using multiple orthogonal cine-MRI planes.

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Bjerre, Troels; Crijns, Sjoerd; af Rosenschöld, Per Munck; Aznar, Marianne; Specht, Lena; Larsen, Rasmus; Keall, Paul

2013-07-21

The introduction of integrated MRI-radiation therapy systems will offer live intra-fraction imaging. We propose a feasible low-latency multi-plane MRI-linac guidance strategy. In this work we demonstrate how interleaved acquired, orthogonal cine-MRI planes can be used for low-latency tracking of the 3D trajectory of a soft-tissue target structure. The proposed strategy relies on acquiring a pre-treatment 3D breath-hold scan, extracting a 3D target template and performing template matching between this 3D template and pairs of orthogonal 2D cine-MRI planes intersecting the target motion path. For a 60 s free-breathing series of orthogonal cine-MRI planes, we demonstrate that the method was capable of accurately tracking the respiration related 3D motion of the left kidney. Quantitative evaluation of the method using a dataset designed for this purpose revealed a translational error of 1.15 mm for a translation of 39.9 mm. We have demonstrated how interleaved acquired, orthogonal cine-MRI planes can be used for online tracking of soft-tissue target volumes.

Three-dimensional MRI-linac intra-fraction guidance using multiple orthogonal cine-MRI planes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerre, Troels; Crijns, Sjoerd; Rosenschöld, Per Munck af

2013-01-01

The introduction of integrated MRI-radiation therapy systems will offer live intra-fraction imaging. We propose a feasible low-latency multi-plane MRI-linac guidance strategy. In this work we demonstrate how interleaved acquired, orthogonal cine-MRI planes can be used for low-latency tracking...... of the 3D trajectory of a soft-tissue target structure. The proposed strategy relies on acquiring a pre-treatment 3D breath-hold scan, extracting a 3D target template and performing template matching between this 3D template and pairs of orthogonal 2D cine-MRI planes intersecting the target motion path....... For a 60 s free-breathing series of orthogonal cine-MRI planes, we demonstrate that the method was capable of accurately tracking the respiration related 3D motion of the left kidney. Quantitative evaluation of the method using a dataset designed for this purpose revealed a translational error of 1.15 mm...

Brain tumor segmentation in MRI by using the fuzzy connectedness method

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jian-Guo; Udupa, Jayaram K.; Hackney, David; Moonis, Gul

2001-07-01

The aim of this paper is the precise and accurate quantification of brain tumor via MRI. This is very useful in evaluating disease progression, response to therapy, and the need for changes in treatment plans. We use multiple MRI protocols including FLAIR, T1, and T1 with Gd enhancement to gather information about different aspects of the tumor and its vicinity- edema, active regions, and scar left over due to surgical intervention. We have adapted the fuzzy connectedness framework to segment tumor and to measure its volume. The method requires only limited user interaction in routine clinical MRI. The first step in the process is to apply an intensity normalization method to the images so that the same body region has the same tissue meaning independent of the scanner and patient. Subsequently, a fuzzy connectedness algorithm is utilized to segment the different aspects of the tumor. The system has been tested, for its precision, accuracy, and efficiency, utilizing 40 patient studies. The percent coefficient of variation (% CV) in volume due to operator subjectivity in specifying seeds for fuzzy connectedness segmentation is less than 1%. The mean operator and computer time taken per study is 3 minutes. The package is designed to run under operator supervision. Delineation has been found to agree with the operators' visual inspection most of the time except in some cases when the tumor is close to the boundary of the brain. In the latter case, the scalp is included in the delineation and an operator has to exclude this manually. The methodology is rapid, robust, consistent, yielding highly reproducible measurements, and is likely to become part of the routine evaluation of brain tumor patients in our health system.

Automatic segmentation of MRI head images by 3-D region growing method which utilizes edge information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Hao; Suzuki, Hidetomo; Toriwaki, Jun-ichiro

1991-01-01

This paper presents a 3-D segmentation method that automatically extracts soft tissue from multi-sliced MRI head images. MRI produces a sequence of two-dimensional (2-D) images which contains three-dimensional (3-D) information of organs. To utilize such information we need effective algorithms to treat 3-D digital images and to extract organs and tissues of interest. We developed a method to extract the brain from MRI images which uses a region growing procedure and integrates information of uniformity of gray levels and information of the presence of edge segments in the local area around the pixel of interest. First we generate a kernel region which is a part of brain tissue by simple thresholding. Then we grow the region by means of a region growing algorithm under the control of 3-D edge existence to obtain the region of the brain. Our method is rather simple because it uses basic 3-D image processing techniques like spatial difference. It is robust for variation of gray levels inside a tissue since it also refers to the edge information in the process of region growing. Therefore, the method is flexible enough to be applicable to the segmentation of other images including soft tissues which have complicated shapes and fluctuation in gray levels. (author)

A brain MRI bias field correction method created in the Gaussian multi-scale space

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Mingsheng; Qin, Mingxin

2017-07-01

A pre-processing step is needed to correct for the bias field signal before submitting corrupted MR images to such image-processing algorithms. This study presents a new bias field correction method. The method creates a Gaussian multi-scale space by the convolution of the inhomogeneous MR image with a two-dimensional Gaussian function. In the multi-Gaussian space, the method retrieves the image details from the differentiation of the original image and convolution image. Then, it obtains an image whose inhomogeneity is eliminated by the weighted sum of image details in each layer in the space. Next, the bias field-corrected MR image is retrieved after the Υ correction, which enhances the contrast and brightness of the inhomogeneity-eliminated MR image. We have tested the approach on T1 MRI and T2 MRI with varying bias field levels and have achieved satisfactory results. Comparison experiments with popular software have demonstrated superior performance of the proposed method in terms of quantitative indices, especially an improvement in subsequent image segmentation.

Mobius syndrome: MRI features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markarian, Maria F.; Villarroel, Gonzalo M.; Nagel, Jorge R.

2003-01-01

Purpose: Mobius Syndrome or congenital facial diplegia is associated with paralysis of the lateral gaze movements. This syndrome may include other cranial nerve palsies and be associated to musculoskeletal anomalies. Our objective is to show the MRI findings in Mobius Syndrome. Material and methods: MRI study was performed in 3 patients with clinic diagnosis of Mobius Syndrome. RMI (1.5T); exams included axial FSE (T1 and T2), FLAIR, SE/EPI, GRE/20, sagittal FSE T2 , coronal T1, diffusion, angio MRI and Spectroscopy sequences. Results: The common features of this syndrome found in MRI were: depression or straightening of the floor of the fourth ventricle, brainstem anteroposterior diameter diminution, morphologic alteration of the pons and medulla oblongata and of the hypoglossal nuclei as well as severe micrognathia. Conclusion: The morphologic alterations of Mobius Syndrome can be clearly identified by MRI; this method has proved to be a useful diagnostic examination. (author)

Sparse PCA, a new method for unsupervised analyses of fMRI data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sjöstrand, Karl; Lund, Torben E.; Madsen, Kristoffer Hougaard

2006-01-01

favorable circumstances, one of more of these signals describe activation patterns, while others model noise and other nuisance factors. This work introduces a competing method for fMRI analysis known as sparse principal component analysis (SPCA). We argue that SPCA is less committed than ICA and show...... that similar results, with better suppression of noise, are obtained....

Developing Criteria for Lumbar Spine Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Using RAND Appropriateness Method (RAM)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keshtkaran, Ali; Bagheri, Mohammad Hadi; Ostovar, Rahim; Salari, Hedayat; Farokhi, Majid Reza; Esfandiari, Atefeh; Yousefimanesh, Hossein

2012-01-01

Studies show that a large proportion of healthcare offered may be inappropriate or unnecessary. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a new and expensive diagnostic technology which has been increasingly used all over the world. Moreover, this trend has been more rapidly increasing in Iran. Low back pain is a common disorder all over the world and MRI technique is one of the several ways to assess its cause. The present study aims to develop scenarios for lumbar spine MRI. In the present study, the RAND Appropriateness Method (RAM) was used in order to reach consensus regarding developing scenarios for lumbar spine MRI. We generated scenarios from valid clinical guidelines as well as the experts’ opinion. The panel members included nine specialists from various medical specialties that had scored scenarios in two rounds, the first of which was without interaction, while the second one was with interaction. We extracted 97 scenarios for the lumbar spine MRI in the scenario extracting phase of the study and the panel members added 18 scenarios. After implementation of two rounds, the scenarios were categorized into three ranges. Sixty seven (58%) of the scenarios were considered as appropriate, 45 (39%) as uncertain, and three (2.6%) as inappropriate. RAM is useful for identifying stakeholder views in settings with limited resources. Since RAM has precise instructions for consensus developing, a large number of scenarios were considered as uncertain. Therefore, more research has to be conducted on the issue

PET/MRI for neurologic applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Catana, Ciprian; Drzezga, Alexander; Heiss, Wolf-Dieter; Rosen, Bruce R

2012-12-01

PET and MRI provide complementary information in the study of the human brain. Simultaneous PET/MRI data acquisition allows the spatial and temporal correlation of the measured signals, creating opportunities impossible to realize using stand-alone instruments. This paper reviews the methodologic improvements and potential neurologic and psychiatric applications of this novel technology. We first present methods for improving the performance and information content of each modality by using the information provided by the other technique. On the PET side, we discuss methods that use the simultaneously acquired MRI data to improve the PET data quantification. On the MRI side, we present how improved PET quantification can be used to validate several MRI techniques. Finally, we describe promising research, translational, and clinical applications that can benefit from these advanced tools.

MRI in sarcoglycanopathies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tasca, Giorgio; Monforte, Mauro; Díaz-Manera, Jordi

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To characterise the pattern and spectrum of involvement on muscle MRI in a large cohort of patients with sarcoglycanopathies, which are limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD2C-2F) caused by mutations in one of the four genes coding for muscle sarcoglycans. METHODS: Lower limb MRI sca...

Comparison of static MRI and pseudo-dynamic MRI in temporomandibular joint disorder patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jin Ho; Yun, Kyoung In; Park, In Woo; Choi, Hang Moon; Park, Moon Soo

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to elevate comparison of static MRI and pseudo-dynamic (cine) MRI in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder patients. In this investigation, 33 patients with TMJ disorders were examined using both conventional static MRI and pseudo-dynamic MRI. Multiple spoiled gradient recalled acquisition in the steady state (SPGR) images were obtained when mouth opened and closed. Proton density weighted images were obtained at the closed and open mouth position in static MRI. Two oral and maxillofacial radiologists evaluated location of the articular disk, movement of condyle and bony change respectively and the posterior boundary of articular disk was obtained. No statistically significant difference was found in the observation of articular disk position, mandibular condylar movement and posterior boundary of articular disk using static MRI and pseudo-dynamic MRI (P>0.05). Statistically significant difference was noted in bony changes of condyle using static MRI and pseudo-dynamic MRI (P<0.05). This study showed that pseudo-dynamic MRI didn't make a difference in diagnosing internal derangement of TMJ in comparison with static MRI. But it was considered as an additional method to be supplemented in observing bony change

Comparison of static MRI and pseudo-dynamic MRI in temporomandibular joint disorder patients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jin Ho; Yun, Kyoung In [Eulji Univ. School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, In Woo; Choi, Hang Moon; Park, Moon Soo [Kangnung National Univ. College of Dentistry, Kangnung (Korea, Republic of)

2006-12-15

The purpose of this study was to elevate comparison of static MRI and pseudo-dynamic (cine) MRI in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder patients. In this investigation, 33 patients with TMJ disorders were examined using both conventional static MRI and pseudo-dynamic MRI. Multiple spoiled gradient recalled acquisition in the steady state (SPGR) images were obtained when mouth opened and closed. Proton density weighted images were obtained at the closed and open mouth position in static MRI. Two oral and maxillofacial radiologists evaluated location of the articular disk, movement of condyle and bony change respectively and the posterior boundary of articular disk was obtained. No statistically significant difference was found in the observation of articular disk position, mandibular condylar movement and posterior boundary of articular disk using static MRI and pseudo-dynamic MRI (P>0.05). Statistically significant difference was noted in bony changes of condyle using static MRI and pseudo-dynamic MRI (P<0.05). This study showed that pseudo-dynamic MRI didn't make a difference in diagnosing internal derangement of TMJ in comparison with static MRI. But it was considered as an additional method to be supplemented in observing bony change.

A new integrated dual time-point amyloid PET/MRI data analysis method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cecchin, Diego; Zucchetta, Pietro; Turco, Paolo; Bui, Franco; Barthel, Henryk; Tiepolt, Solveig; Sabri, Osama; Poggiali, Davide; Cagnin, Annachiara; Gallo, Paolo; Frigo, Anna Chiara

2017-01-01

In the initial evaluation of patients with suspected dementia and Alzheimer's disease, there is no consensus on how to perform semiquantification of amyloid in such a way that it: (1) facilitates visual qualitative interpretation, (2) takes the kinetic behaviour of the tracer into consideration particularly with regard to at least partially correcting for blood flow dependence, (3) analyses the amyloid load based on accurate parcellation of cortical and subcortical areas, (4) includes partial volume effect correction (PVEC), (5) includes MRI-derived topographical indexes, (6) enables application to PET/MRI images and PET/CT images with separately acquired MR images, and (7) allows automation. A method with all of these characteristics was retrospectively tested in 86 subjects who underwent amyloid ( 18 F-florbetaben) PET/MRI in a clinical setting (using images acquired 90-110 min after injection, 53 were classified visually as amyloid-negative and 33 as amyloid-positive). Early images after tracer administration were acquired between 0 and 10 min after injection, and later images were acquired between 90 and 110 min after injection. PVEC of the PET data was carried out using the geometric transfer matrix method. Parametric images and some regional output parameters, including two innovative ''dual time-point'' indexes, were obtained. Subjects classified visually as amyloid-positive showed a sparse tracer uptake in the primary sensory, motor and visual areas in accordance with the isocortical stage of the topographic distribution of the amyloid plaque (Braak stages V/VI). In patients classified visually as amyloid-negative, the method revealed detectable levels of tracer uptake in the basal portions of the frontal and temporal lobes, areas that are known to be sites of early deposition of amyloid plaques that probably represented early accumulation (Braak stage A) that is typical of normal ageing. There was a strong correlation between age

A new integrated dual time-point amyloid PET/MRI data analysis method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cecchin, Diego; Zucchetta, Pietro; Turco, Paolo; Bui, Franco [University Hospital of Padua, Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine - DIMED, Padua (Italy); Barthel, Henryk; Tiepolt, Solveig; Sabri, Osama [Leipzig University, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Leipzig (Germany); Poggiali, Davide; Cagnin, Annachiara; Gallo, Paolo [University Hospital of Padua, Neurology, Department of Neurosciences (DNS), Padua (Italy); Frigo, Anna Chiara [University Hospital of Padua, Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health Unit, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences, Padua (Italy)

2017-11-15

In the initial evaluation of patients with suspected dementia and Alzheimer's disease, there is no consensus on how to perform semiquantification of amyloid in such a way that it: (1) facilitates visual qualitative interpretation, (2) takes the kinetic behaviour of the tracer into consideration particularly with regard to at least partially correcting for blood flow dependence, (3) analyses the amyloid load based on accurate parcellation of cortical and subcortical areas, (4) includes partial volume effect correction (PVEC), (5) includes MRI-derived topographical indexes, (6) enables application to PET/MRI images and PET/CT images with separately acquired MR images, and (7) allows automation. A method with all of these characteristics was retrospectively tested in 86 subjects who underwent amyloid ({sup 18}F-florbetaben) PET/MRI in a clinical setting (using images acquired 90-110 min after injection, 53 were classified visually as amyloid-negative and 33 as amyloid-positive). Early images after tracer administration were acquired between 0 and 10 min after injection, and later images were acquired between 90 and 110 min after injection. PVEC of the PET data was carried out using the geometric transfer matrix method. Parametric images and some regional output parameters, including two innovative ''dual time-point'' indexes, were obtained. Subjects classified visually as amyloid-positive showed a sparse tracer uptake in the primary sensory, motor and visual areas in accordance with the isocortical stage of the topographic distribution of the amyloid plaque (Braak stages V/VI). In patients classified visually as amyloid-negative, the method revealed detectable levels of tracer uptake in the basal portions of the frontal and temporal lobes, areas that are known to be sites of early deposition of amyloid plaques that probably represented early accumulation (Braak stage A) that is typical of normal ageing. There was a strong correlation between

Corticospinal MRI tractography in space-occupying brain lesions by diffusion tensor and kurtosis imaging methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leote, Joao [epartment of Neurosurgery, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada (Portugal); Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisboa (Portugal); Nunes, Rita; Cerqueira, Luis; Ferreira, Hugo Alexandre [Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisboa (Portugal)

2015-05-18

Recently, DKI-based tractography has been developed, showing improved crossing-fiber resolution in comparison to deterministic DTI-based tractography in healthy subjects. In this work, DTI and DKI-based tractography methods were compared regarding the assessment of the corticospinal tract in patients presenting space-occupying brain lesions near cortical motor areas. Nine patients (4 males) aged 23 to 62 years old, with space-occupying brain lesions (e.g. tumors) were studied for pre-surgical planning using a 1.5T MRI scanner and a 12-channel head coil. In 5 patients diffusion data was acquired along 64 directions and in 4 patients along 32 directions both with b-values 0, 1000 and 2000 s/mm2. Corticospinal tracts were estimated using deterministic DTI and DKI methods and also using probabilistic DTI. The superior cerebellar peduncles and the motor cortical areas, ipsilateral and contralateral to the lesions, were used as seed regions-of-interest for fiber tracking. Tracts courses and volumes were documented and compared between methods. Results showed that it was possible to estimate fiber tracts using deterministic DTI and DKI methods in 8/9 patients, and using the probabilistic DTI method in all patients. Overall, it was observed that DKI-based tractography showed more voluminous fiber tracts than when using deterministic DTI. The DKI method also showed curvilinear fibers mainly above lesions margins, which were not visible with deterministic DTI in 5 patients. Similar tracts were observed when using probabilistic DTI in 3 of those patients. Results suggest that the DKI method contribute with additional information about the corticospinal tract course in comparison with the DTI method, especially with subcortical lesions and near lesions’ margins. Therefore, this study suggests that DKI-based tractography could be useful in MRI and hybrid PET-MRI pre-surgical planning protocols for improved corticospinal tract evaluation.

Evaluation of a direct motion estimation/correction method in respiratory-gated PET/MRI with motion-adjusted attenuation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bousse, Alexandre; Manber, Richard; Holman, Beverley F; Atkinson, David; Arridge, Simon; Ourselin, Sébastien; Hutton, Brian F; Thielemans, Kris

2017-06-01

Respiratory motion compensation in PET/CT and PET/MRI is essential as motion is a source of image degradation (motion blur, attenuation artifacts). In previous work, we developed a direct method for joint image reconstruction/motion estimation (JRM) for attenuation-corrected (AC) respiratory-gated PET, which uses a single attenuation-map (μ-map). This approach was successfully implemented for respiratory-gated PET/CT, but since it relied on an accurate μ-map for motion estimation, the question of its applicability in PET/MRI is open. The purpose of this work is to investigate the feasibility of JRM in PET/MRI and to assess the robustness of the motion estimation when a degraded μ-map is used. We performed a series of JRM reconstructions from simulated PET data using a range of simulated Dixon MRI sequence derived μ-maps with wrong attenuation values in the lungs, from -100% (no attenuation) to +100% (double attenuation), as well as truncated arms. We compared the estimated motions with the one obtained from JRM in ideal conditions (no noise, true μ-map as an input). We also applied JRM on 4 patient datasets of the chest, 3 of them containing hot lesions. Patient list-mode data were gated using a principal component analysis method. We compared SUV max values of the JRM reconstructed activity images and non motion-corrected images. We also assessed the estimated motion fields by comparing the deformed JRM-reconstructed activity with individually non-AC reconstructed gates. Experiments on simulated data showed that JRM-motion estimation is robust to μ-map degradation in the sense that it produces motion fields similar to the ones obtained when using the true μ-map, regardless of the attenuation errors in the lungs (PET/MRI clinical datasets. It provides a potential alternative to existing methods where the motion fields are pre-estimated from separate MRI measurements. © 2017 University College London (UCL). Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Fast CSF MRI for brain segmentation; Cross-validation by comparison with 3D T1-based brain segmentation methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Kleij, Lisa A.; de Bresser, Jeroen; Hendrikse, Jeroen

2018-01-01

ObjectiveIn previous work we have developed a fast sequence that focusses on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) based on the long T-2 of CSF. By processing the data obtained with this CSF MRI sequence, brain parenchymal volume (BPV) and intracranial volume (ICV) can be automatically obtained. The aim...... of this study was to assess the precision of the BPV and ICV measurements of the CSF MRI sequence and to validate the CSF MRI sequence by comparison with 3D T-1-based brain segmentation methods.Materials and methodsTen healthy volunteers (2 females; median age 28 years) were scanned (3T MRI) twice......cc) and CSF HR (5 +/- 5/4 +/- 2cc) were comparable to FSL HR (9 +/- 11/19 +/- 23cc), FSL LR (7 +/- 4,6 +/- 5cc),FreeSurfer HR (5 +/- 3/14 +/- 8cc), FreeSurfer LR (9 +/- 8,12 +/- 10cc), and SPM HR (5 +/- 3/4 +/- 7cc), and SPM LR (5 +/- 4,5 +/- 3cc). The correlation between the measured volumes...

Cine MRI of dissecting aneurysm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takaki, Hajime

1991-01-01

Cine MRI was performed in 25 cases of aortic dissection and comparative study among cine MRI, spin-echo static MRI, contrast-enhanced CT and intravenous digital subtraction angiography (IVDSA) was made. Cine MRI accurately detected aortic dissection. It was most accurate among various diagnostic methods in demonstration of entry site of dissection. Take-off of renal artery and its relation to true and false channels was also accurately demonstrated by cine MRI. The above results suggest that cine MRI can be an important diagnostic modality with almost equal diagnostic quality to those of conventional angiography. However, further technical improvement to shorten the imaging time seems necessary to replace angiography. (author)

Studying neuroanatomy using MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Lerch, Jason P; van der Kouwe, André J W; Raznahan, Armin; Paus, Tomáš; Johansen-Berg, Heidi; Miller, Karla L; Smith, Stephen M; Fischl, Bruce; Sotiropoulos, Stamatios N

2017-02-23

The study of neuroanatomy using imaging enables key insights into how our brains function, are shaped by genes and environment, and change with development, aging and disease. Developments in MRI acquisition, image processing and data modeling have been key to these advances. However, MRI provides an indirect measurement of the biological signals we aim to investigate. Thus, artifacts and key questions of correct interpretation can confound the readouts provided by anatomical MRI. In this review we provide an overview of the methods for measuring macro- and mesoscopic structure and for inferring microstructural properties; we also describe key artifacts and confounds that can lead to incorrect conclusions. Ultimately, we believe that, although methods need to improve and caution is required in interpretation, structural MRI continues to have great promise in furthering our understanding of how the brain works.

Advances in PET-MRI technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Xiang; Zhao Jinhua

2011-01-01

Multimodality imaging is the general trend of clinical imaging. PET-CT is one of the most classic and mature multimodality imaging methods and is widely used today. MRI is another kind of conventional imaging method, in contrast to CT, MRI can not only yield images with higher soft-tissue contrast and better spatial resolution resolution but also provide some functional information by special imaging techniques such as MRS. The combination of PET and MRI for simultaneous data acquisition should have far-reaching consequences for clinical and scientific study. This review describes the progress to date and talks about the problems met in the development of PET-MRI and look forward to its potential application. (authors)

A prospective randomized comparison between two MRI studies of the small bowel in Crohn's disease, the oral contrast method and MR enteroclysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Negaard, Anne; Paulsen, Vemund; Lygren, Idar; Sandvik, Leiv; Berstad, Audun E.; Borthne, Arne; Try, Kirsti; Storaas, Tryggve; Klow, Nils-Einar

2007-01-01

The aim was to compare bowel distension and diagnostic properties of magnetic resonance imaging of the small bowel with oral contrast (MRI per OS) with magnetic resonance enteroclysis (MRE). Forty patients with suspected Crohn's disease (CD) were examined with both MRI methods. MRI per OS was performed with a 6% mannitol solution and MRE with nasojejunal intubation and a polyethylenglycol solution. MRI protocol consisted of balanced fast field echo (B-FFE), T2 and T1 sequences with and without gadolinium. Two experienced radiologists individually evaluated bowel distension and pathological findings including wall thickness (BWT), contrast enhancement (BWE), ulcer (BWU), stenosis (BWS) and edema (EDM). The diameter of the small bowel was smaller with MRI per OS than with MRE (difference jejunum: 0.55 cm, p < 0.001; ileum: 0.35 cm, p < 0.001, terminal ileum: 0.09 cm, p = 0.08). However, CD was diagnosed with high diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values: MRI per OS 88%, 89%, 89%, 89%; MRE 88%, 84%, 82%, 89%) and inter-observer agreement (MRI per OS k = 0.95; MRE k = 1). In conclusion, bowel distension was inferior in MRI per OS compared to MRE. However, both methods diagnosed CD with a high diagnostic accuracy and reproducibility. (orig.)

An MRI-Conditional External Cardiac Defibrillator for Resuscitation Within the MRI Scanner Bore

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Ehud J.; Watkins, Ronald D.; Zviman, Menekhem M.; Guttman, Michael A.; Wang, Wei; Halperin, Henry A.

2016-01-01

Background Subjects undergoing cardiac arrest within an MRI scanner are currently removed from the bore and then from the MRI suite, prior to delivery of CPR and defibrillation, potentially increasing risk of mortality. This precludes many higher-risk (acute-ischemic, acute-stroke) patients from undergoing MRI imaging and MRI-guided intervention. An MRI-conditional cardiac defibrillator should enable scanning with defibrillation pads attached and the generator ON, enabling application of defibrillation within the MRI seconds after a cardiac event. An MRI-conditional external defibrillator may improve patient acceptance for MRI procedures. Methods and Results A commercial external defibrillator was rendered 1.5 Tesla MRI-conditional by addition of novel Radio-Frequency (RF) filters between the generator and commercial disposable surface-pads. The RF filters reduced emission into the MRI scanner, and prevented cable/surface-pad heating during imaging, while preserving all the defibrillator’s monitoring and delivery functions. Human volunteers were imaged using high Specific-Absorption-Rate sequences to validate MRI image quality (IQ) and lack of heating. Swine were electrically fibrillated (N=4) and thereafter defibrillated both outside and inside the MRI bore. MRI IQ was reduced by 0.8 or 1.6 dB, with the generator in monitoring mode and operating on battery or AC power, respectively. Commercial surface-pads did not create artifacts deeper than 6mm below the skin surface. RF heating was within FDA guidelines. Defibrillation was completely successful inside and outside the MRI bore. Conclusions A prototype MRI-conditional defibrillation system successfully defibrillated in the MRI without degrading image quality, or increasing the time needed for defibrillation. It can increase patient acceptance for MRI procedures. PMID:27729363

An update on risk factors for cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis assessed using MRI-based semiquantitative grading methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alizai, Hamza [Boston University School of Medicine, Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha (Qatar); University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Department of Radiology, San Antonio, TX (United States); Roemer, Frank W. [Boston University School of Medicine, Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha (Qatar); University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Department of Radiology, Erlangen (Germany); Hayashi, Daichi [Boston University School of Medicine, Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha (Qatar); Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, CT (United States); Crema, Michel D. [Boston University School of Medicine, Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha (Qatar); Hospital do Coracao and Teleimagem, Department of Radiology, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Felson, David T. [Boston University School of Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology Research and Training Unit, Boston, MA (United States); Guermazi, Ali [Boston University School of Medicine, Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha (Qatar); Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA (United States)

2014-11-07

Arthroscopy-based semiquantitative scoring systems such as Outerbridge and Noyes' scores were the first to be developed for the purpose of grading cartilage defects. As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) became available faor evaluation of the osteoarthritic knee joint, these systems were adapted for use with MRI. Later on, grading methods such as the Whole Organ Magnetic Resonance Score, the Boston-Leeds Osteoarthritis Knee Score and the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score were designed specifically for performing whole-organ assessment of the knee joint structures, including cartilage. Cartilage grades on MRI obtained with these scoring systems represent optimal outcome measures for longitudinal studies, and are designed to enhance understanding of the knee osteoarthritis disease process. The purpose of this narrative review is to describe cartilage assessment in knee osteoarthritis using currently available MRI-based semiquantitative whole-organ scoring systems, and to provide an update on the risk factors for cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis as assessed with these scoring systems. (orig.)

An update on risk factors for cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis assessed using MRI-based semiquantitative grading methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alizai, Hamza; Roemer, Frank W.; Hayashi, Daichi; Crema, Michel D.; Felson, David T.; Guermazi, Ali

2015-01-01

Arthroscopy-based semiquantitative scoring systems such as Outerbridge and Noyes' scores were the first to be developed for the purpose of grading cartilage defects. As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) became available faor evaluation of the osteoarthritic knee joint, these systems were adapted for use with MRI. Later on, grading methods such as the Whole Organ Magnetic Resonance Score, the Boston-Leeds Osteoarthritis Knee Score and the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score were designed specifically for performing whole-organ assessment of the knee joint structures, including cartilage. Cartilage grades on MRI obtained with these scoring systems represent optimal outcome measures for longitudinal studies, and are designed to enhance understanding of the knee osteoarthritis disease process. The purpose of this narrative review is to describe cartilage assessment in knee osteoarthritis using currently available MRI-based semiquantitative whole-organ scoring systems, and to provide an update on the risk factors for cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis as assessed with these scoring systems. (orig.)

3D MRI of the colon: methods and first results of 5 patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luboldt, W.; Bauerfeind, P.; Pelkonen, P.; Steiner, P.; Krestin, G.P.; Debatin, J.F.

1997-01-01

Purpose: 'Exoscopic' and endoscopic identification of colorectal pathologies via MRI. Methods: 5 patients (36-88 years), two normal and three with different colorectal pathologies (diverticular disease, polyps and carcinoma of the colon), were examined by MRI after colonoscopy. Subsequent to filling of the colon with a gadolinium-water mixture under MRI-monitoring, 3D-data sets of the colon were acquired in prone and supine positions over a 28 sec breathold interval. Subsequently multiplanar T 1 -weighted 2D-sequences were acquired before and following i.v. administration of Gd-DTPA (0.1 mmol/kg BW). All imaging was performed in the coronal orientation. The 3D-data were interactively analysed based on various displays: Maximum intensity projection (MIP), surface shadowed display (SSD), multiplanar reconstruction (MPR), virtual colonoscopy (VC). Results: All of the colorectal pathologies could be interactively diagnosed by MPR. On MIP images some pathologies were missed. VC presented the morphology of colon haustra as well as of all endoluminally growing lesions in a manner similar to endoscopy. The colon masses showed uptake of contrast media and could thus be differentiated from air or faeces. (orig./AJ) [de

Corroboration of in utero MRI using post-mortem MRI and autopsy in foetuses with CNS abnormalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whitby, E.H.; Variend, S.; Rutter, S.; Paley, M.N.J.; Wilkinson, I.D.; Davies, N.P.; Sparey, C.; Griffiths, P.D.

2004-01-01

AIMS: To corroborate the findings of in utero magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with autopsy and post-mortem MRI in cases of known or suspected central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities on ultrasound and to compare the diagnostic accuracy of ante-natal ultrasound and in utero MRI. METHODS: Twelve pregnant women, whose foetuses had suspected central nervous system abnormalities underwent in utero MRI. The foetuses were imaged using MRi before autopsy. The data were used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of in utero MRI when compared with a reference standard of autopsy and post-mortem MRI in 10 cases and post-mortem MRI alone in two cases. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy of antenatal ultrasound and in utero MRI in correctly characterizing brain and spine abnormalities were 42 and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In utero MRI provides a useful adjuvant to antenatal ultrasound when assessing CNS abnormalities by providing more accurate anatomical information. Post-mortem MRI assists the diagnosis of macroscopic structural abnormalities

Novel methods and applications of NMR and MRI. Low-power RF excitation and hyperpolarized Xenon-129

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amor, Nadia

2012-01-01

Since their discovery in the middle of the last century, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have become an important and very versatile tool in industry, medicine, and basic research. The aim of this work is to explore possible improvements and new applications of NMR methods. First, a recently introduced excitation NMR pulse sequence, termed Frank sequence excitation, which allows for significant reduction of rf-excitation power, is systematically analyzed and compared to conventional NMR in detail. Furthermore, its feasibility for MRI is investigated and advantages as well as drawbacks in comparison to standard MRI are discussed. The second part focuses on new biomedical applications of hyperpolarized (HP) 129 Xe which not only offers a signal enhancement of several orders of magnitude but also provides new contrast mechanisms. A setup for continuous dissolution of HP 129 Xe gas into blood and other fluids is optimized and analyzed quantitatively by NMR and MRI. On the basis of these results, blood-dissolved HP 129 Xe is used to investigate blood-gas dynamics, as well as the rheological behavior of blood.

Fully automated processing of fMRI data in SPM: from MRI scanner to PACS.

Science.gov (United States)

Maldjian, Joseph A; Baer, Aaron H; Kraft, Robert A; Laurienti, Paul J; Burdette, Jonathan H

2009-01-01

Here we describe the Wake Forest University Pipeline, a fully automated method for the processing of fMRI data using SPM. The method includes fully automated data transfer and archiving from the point of acquisition, real-time batch script generation, distributed grid processing, interface to SPM in MATLAB, error recovery and data provenance, DICOM conversion and PACS insertion. It has been used for automated processing of fMRI experiments, as well as for the clinical implementation of fMRI and spin-tag perfusion imaging. The pipeline requires no manual intervention, and can be extended to any studies requiring offline processing.

MRI of the Chest

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... structure of an organ and how it is working. MRI enables the discovery of abnormalities that might be obscured by bone with other imaging methods. The contrast material used in MRI exams is less likely to produce an allergic reaction than the ...

Breast MRI, digital mammography and breast tomosynthesis: comparison of three methods for early detection of breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Roganovic, Dragana; Djilas, Dragana; Vujnovic, Sasa; Pavic, Dag; Stojanov, Dragan

2015-11-16

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and early detection is important for its successful treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of three methods for early detection of breast cancer: breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), digital mammography, and breast tomosynthesis in comparison to histopathology, as well as to investigate the intraindividual variability between these modalities. We included 57 breast lesions, each detected by three diagnostic modalities: digital mammography, breast MRI, and breast tomosynthesis, and subsequently confirmed by histopathology. Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) was used for characterizing the lesions. One experienced radiologist interpreted all three diagnostic modalities. Twenty-nine of the breast lesions were malignant while 28 were benign. The sensitivity for digital mammography, breast MRI, and breast tomosynthesis, was 72.4%, 93.1%, and 100%, respectively; while the specificity was 46.4%, 60.7%, and 75%, respectively. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis showed an overall diagnostic advantage of breast tomosynthesis over both breast MRI and digital mammography. The difference in performance between breast tomosynthesis and digital mammography was significant (p tomosynthesis and breast MRI was not significant (p=0.20).

Teaching Dental Students to Understand the Temporomandibular Joint Using MRI: Comparison of Conventional and Digital Learning Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Arús, Nádia A; da Silva, Átila M; Duarte, Rogério; da Silveira, Priscila F; Vizzotto, Mariana B; da Silveira, Heraldo L D; da Silveira, Heloisa E D

2017-06-01

The aims of this study were to evaluate and compare the performance of dental students in interpreting the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans using two learning methods (conventional and digital interactive learning) and to examine the usability of the digital learning object (DLO). The DLO consisted of tutorials about MRI and anatomic and functional aspects of the TMJ. In 2014, dental students in their final year of study who were enrolled in the elective "MRI Interpretation of the TMJ" course comprised the study sample. After exclusions for nonattendance and other reasons, 29 of the initial 37 students participated in the study, for a participation rate of 78%. The participants were divided into two groups: a digital interactive learning group (n=14) and a conventional learning group (n=15). Both methods were assessed by an objective test applied before and after training and classes. Aspects such as support and training requirements, complexity, and consistency of the DLO were also evaluated using the System Usability Scale (SUS). A significant between-group difference in the posttest results was found, with the conventional learning group scoring better than the DLO group, indicated by mean scores of 9.20 and 8.11, respectively, out of 10. However, when the pretest and posttest results were compared, both groups showed significantly improved performance. The SUS score was 89, which represented a high acceptance of the DLO by the users. The students who used the conventional method of learning showed superior performance in interpreting the TMJ using MRI compared to the group that used digital interactive learning.

MRI of the fetal abdomen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoermann, M.; Brugger, P.C.; Witzani, L.; Prayer, D.

2006-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important diagnostic component for central nervous system and thoracic diseases during fetal development. Although ultrasound remains the method of choice for observing the fetus during pregnancy, fetal MRI is being increasingly used as an additional technique for the accurate diagnosis of abdominal diseases. Recent publications confirm the value of MRI in the diagnosis of fetal gastrointestinal tract and urogenital system diseases. The following report provides an overview of MRI-examination techniques for the most frequent diseases of the abdomen. (orig.) [de

Management of breast lesions detectable only on MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siegmann-Luz, K.C.; Bahrs, S.D.; Preibsch, H.; Hattermann, V.; Claussen, C.D.

2014-01-01

Breast MR imaging has become established as the most sensitive imaging method for diagnosing breast cancer. As a result of the increasing examination volume and improved image quality, the number of breast lesions detected only on MRI and requiring further clarification has risen in recent years. According to the S3-guideline 'Diagnosis, Therapy, and Follow-Up of Breast Cancer' as revised in July 2012, institutions performing breast MRI should provide the option of an MRI-guided intervention for clarification. This review describes the indications, methods and results of MRI-guided interventions for the clarification of breast lesions only visible on MRI. Recent guidelines and study results are also addressed and alternative methods and pitfalls are presented. (orig.)

Interventional MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harada, Junta; Dohi, Michiko; Yoshihiro, Akiko; Mogami, Takuji; Kuwada, Tomoko; Nakata, Norio [Jikei Univ., Chiba (Japan). Kashiwa Hospital

2000-06-01

Open type MR system and fast sequence is now available and MRI becomes a new modality for interventional Radiology, including biopsy, drainage operation, and monitoring for minimally invasive therapy. Experimental studies of temperature monitoring were performed under hot and cold status. Signal changes of porcine disc and meat under microwave and laser ablation were observed as low signal area by signal intensity method. Using proton chemical shift method, signal change by laser ablation was displaced color imaging and correlated with thermometric temperature measurement. The very T2 relaxation time of ice affords excellent contrast between ice and surrounding gelatin tissue allowing acute depiction of the extent of the iceball under MRI. (author)

FY1995 report on the novel methods for magnetic resonance imaging; 1995 nendo senshin MRI gazoka shuho no kiso kenkyu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

The purpose of this project is to develop new 2-dimensional ultrafast MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) methods for the Image Guided Cancer Therapy (IGT) and the non-invasive clinical diagnosis. We have developed two MRI methods. They can reconstruct a two dimensional image by only a RF excitation and slow changing of gradient fields. This paper describes theoretically how to apply the RF wave and the gradient in x, y and z direction, respectively. Echo signals are acquired under multi-frequency resonance. The frequency bandwidth of the RF wave adjusts the field of view (FOV) of the imaging plane. Biological effects of the applied RF wave was evaluated by the brain microdialysis. In animal experiments, these was not significant change of neurotransmitters subject to the RF wave. From these theoretical and experimental results, these MRI methods are applicable to IGT and the clinical diagnosis for the cancer and other diseases. (NEDO)

A tale of two methods: combining near-infrared spectroscopy with MRI for studies of brain oxygenation and metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Jeff F; Nathoo, Nabeela; Yang, Runze

2014-01-01

Combining magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) leads to excellent synergies which can improve the interpretation of either method and can provide novel data with respect to measuring brain oxygenation and metabolism. MRI has good spatial resolution, can detect a range of physiological parameters and is sensitive to changes in deoxyhemoglobin content. NIRS has lower spatial resolution, but can detect, and with specific technologies, quantify, deoxyhemoglobin, oxyhemoglobin, total hemoglobin and cytochrome oxidase. This paper reviews the application of both methods, as a multimodal technology, for assessing changes in brain oxygenation that may occur with changes in functional activation state or metabolic rate. Examples of hypoxia and ischemia are shown. Data support the concept of reduced metabolic rate resulting from hypoxia/ischemia and that metabolic rate in brain is not close to oxygen limitation during normoxia. We show that multimodal MRI and NIRS can provide novel information for studies of brain metabolism.

SU-D-207A-06: Pediatric Abdominal Organ Motion Quantified Via a Novel 4D MRI Method

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Uh, J; Krasin, MJ; Lucas, JT; Tinkle, C; Merchant, TE; Hua, C [St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To develop a 4D MRI method for assessing respiration-induced abdominal organ motion in children receiving radiation therapy. Methods: A 4D MRI using internal image-based respiratory surrogate has been developed and implemented on a clinical scanner (1.5T Siemens Avanto). Ten patients (younger group: N=6, 2–5 years, anesthetized; older group: N=4, 11–15 years) with neuroblastoma, Wilm’s tumor rhabdomyosarcoma, or desmoplastic small round cell tumor received free breathing 4D MRI scans for treatment planning. Coronal image slices of the entire abdomen were retrospectively constructed in 10 respiratory phases. A B-spline deformable registration (Metz et al. 2011) was performed on 4D datasets to automatically derive motion trajectories of selected anatomical landmarks, including the dome and the center of the liver, and the superior edges of kidneys and spleen. The extents of the motion in three dimensions (anteroposterior, AP; mediolateral, ML; superoinferior, SI) and the correlations between organ motion trajectories were quantified. Results: The 4D MRI scans were successfully performed in <20 minutes for all patients without the use of any external device. Organ motion extents were larger in adolescents (kidneys: 3–13 mm SI, liver and spleen: 6–18 mm SI) than in younger children (kidneys:<3mm in all directions; liver and spleen: 1–8 mm SI, 1–5 mm ML and AP). The magnitude of respiratory motion in some adolescents may warrant special motion management. Motion trajectories were not synchronized across selected anatomical landmarks, particularly in the ML and AP directions, indicating inter- and intra-organ variations of the respiratory-induced motion. Conclusion: The developed 4D MRI acquisition and motion analysis methods provide a non-ionizing, non-invasive approach to automatically measure the organ motion trajectory in the pediatric abdomen. It is useful for defining ITV and PRV, monitoring changes in target motion patterns during the

Novel methods and applications of NMR and MRI. Low-power RF excitation and hyperpolarized Xenon-129

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amor, Nadia

2012-07-01

Since their discovery in the middle of the last century, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have become an important and very versatile tool in industry, medicine, and basic research. The aim of this work is to explore possible improvements and new applications of NMR methods. First, a recently introduced excitation NMR pulse sequence, termed Frank sequence excitation, which allows for significant reduction of rf-excitation power, is systematically analyzed and compared to conventional NMR in detail. Furthermore, its feasibility for MRI is investigated and advantages as well as drawbacks in comparison to standard MRI are discussed. The second part focuses on new biomedical applications of hyperpolarized (HP) {sup 129}Xe which not only offers a signal enhancement of several orders of magnitude but also provides new contrast mechanisms. A setup for continuous dissolution of HP {sup 129}Xe gas into blood and other fluids is optimized and analyzed quantitatively by NMR and MRI. On the basis of these results, blood-dissolved HP {sup 129}Xe is used to investigate blood-gas dynamics, as well as the rheological behavior of blood.

MRI in ischemic heart disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazirolan, T.

2012-01-01

Full text: The role of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of ischemic heart disease has increased over the last years. Cardiac MRI is the only imaging modality that provides 'one stop shop' assessment. Information about ventricular function, myocardial ischemia and myocardial viability can be obtained in a single cardiac MRI session. Additionally, Cardiac MRI has become a gold standard method in evaluation of myocardial viability and in assessment of ventricular mass and function. As a result, cardiac MRI enable radiologist to comprehensively assess ischemic heart disease. The aim of this presentation is to provide the reader a state-of-the art on how the newest cardiac MRI techniques can be used to study ischemic heart disease patients.

Breast MRI, digital mammography and breast tomosynthesis: comparison of three methods for early detection of breast cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dragana Roganovic

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and early detection is important for its successful treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of three methods for early detection of breast cancer: breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, digital mammography, and breast tomosynthesis in comparison to histopathology, as well as to investigate the intraindividual variability between these modalities.  We included 57 breast lesions, each detected by three diagnostic modalities: digital mammography, breast MRI, and breast tomosynthesis, and subsequently confirmed by histopathology. Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS was used for characterizing the lesions. One experienced radiologist interpreted all three diagnostic modalities. Twenty-nine of the breast lesions were malignant while 28 were benign. The sensitivity for digital mammography, breast MRI, and breast tomosynthesis, was 72.4%, 93.1%, and 100%, respectively; while the specificity was 46.4%, 60.7%, and 75%, respectively. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC curve analysis showed an overall diagnostic advantage of breast tomosynthesis over both breast MRI and digital mammography. The difference in performance between breast tomosynthesis and digital mammography was significant (p < 0.001, while the difference between breast tomosynthesis and breast MRI was not significant (p = 0.20. 

Patch-based generation of a pseudo CT from conventional MRI sequences for MRI-only radiotherapy of the brain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreasen, Daniel; Van Leemput, Koen; Hansen, Rasmus H.

2015-01-01

scans. In this study, we investigate the potential of a patch-based method for creating a pCT based on conventional T1-weighted MRI scans without using deformable registrations. We compare this method against two state-of-the-art methods within the voxel-based and atlas-based categories. Methods...... based on water equivalent path lengths was carried out, comparing the upper hemisphere of the head in the pCT and the real CT. Finally, the dosimetric accuracy was tested and compared for a photon treatment plan. Results:The pCTs produced with the patch-based method had the best voxel-wise, geometric......Purpose: In radiotherapy (RT) based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the only modality, the information on electron density must be derived from the MRI scan by creating a so-called pseudo computed tomography (pCT). This is a nontrivial task, since the voxel-intensities in an MRI scan...

MRI-Based Nonrigid Motion Correction in Simultaneous PET/MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Chun, Se Young; Reese, Timothy G.; Ouyang, Jinsong; Guerin, Bastien; Catana, Ciprian; Zhu, Xuping; Alpert, Nathaniel M.; El Fakhri, Georges

2014-01-01

Respiratory and cardiac motion is the most serious limitation to whole-body PET, resulting in spatial resolution close to 1 cm. Furthermore, motion-induced inconsistencies in the attenuation measurements often lead to significant artifacts in the reconstructed images. Gating can remove motion artifacts at the cost of increased noise. This paper presents an approach to respiratory motion correction using simultaneous PET/MRI to demonstrate initial results in phantoms, rabbits, and nonhuman primates and discusses the prospects for clinical application. Methods Studies with a deformable phantom, a free-breathing primate, and rabbits implanted with radioactive beads were performed with simultaneous PET/MRI. Motion fields were estimated from concurrently acquired tagged MR images using 2 B-spline nonrigid image registration methods and incorporated into a PET list-mode ordered-subsets expectation maximization algorithm. Using the measured motion fields to transform both the emission data and the attenuation data, we could use all the coincidence data to reconstruct any phase of the respiratory cycle. We compared the resulting SNR and the channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) detection signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the motion-corrected reconstruction with the results obtained from standard gating and uncorrected studies. Results Motion correction virtually eliminated motion blur without reducing SNR, yielding images with SNR comparable to those obtained by gating with 5–8 times longer acquisitions in all studies. The CHO study in dynamic phantoms demonstrated a significant improvement (166%–276%) in lesion detection SNR with MRI-based motion correction as compared with gating (P < 0.001). This improvement was 43%–92% for large motion compared with lesion detection without motion correction (P < 0.001). CHO SNR in the rabbit studies confirmed these results. Conclusion Tagged MRI motion correction in simultaneous PET/MRI significantly improves lesion detection

Utility of the 3D GRE method in the female pelvic area with 3T MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsushita, Hiroki; Terada, Masaki; Oosugi, Masanori; Inoue, Kazuyasu; Anma, Takeshi

2008-01-01

A high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be obtained in three-Tesla (3T) MRI, and it is possible to use it to shorten imaging time and improve spatial resolution. However, reports of its disadvantages have been increasing. We attempted to describe a high-resolution evaluation image that made the best use of a decrease in specific absorption rate (SAR) and high SNR by using the LAVA (liver acquisition with volume acceleration) method, a kind of three-dimensional GRE (3D gradient echo) method that did not show the above-mentioned disadvantage in obtaining a shadow inspection of the female pelvic area with 3T MRI. A 0.8 mm isovoxel image of excellent SNR could be obtained within about one and one-half minutes by using the LAVA method as a result of the examination. Moreover, a SAR that was problematic with the 3T MR device was able to be decreased, and was useful. (author)

Feasibility study on 3D image reconstruction from 2D orthogonal cine-MRI for MRI-guided radiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Paganelli, Chiara; Lee, Danny; Kipritidis, John; Whelan, Brendan; Greer, Peter B; Baroni, Guido; Riboldi, Marco; Keall, Paul

2018-02-11

In-room MRI is a promising image guidance strategy in external beam radiotherapy to acquire volumetric information for moving targets. However, limitations in spatio-temporal resolution led several authors to use 2D orthogonal images for guidance. The aim of this work is to present a method to concurrently compensate for non-rigid tumour motion and provide an approach for 3D reconstruction from 2D orthogonal cine-MRI slices for MRI-guided treatments. Free-breathing sagittal/coronal interleaved 2D cine-MRI were acquired in addition to a pre-treatment 3D volume in two patients. We performed deformable image registration (DIR) between cine-MRI slices and corresponding slices in the pre-treatment 3D volume. Based on an extrapolation of the interleaved 2D motion fields, the 3D motion field was estimated and used to warp the pre-treatment volume. Due to the lack of a ground truth for patients, the method was validated on a digital 4D lung phantom. On the phantom, the 3D reconstruction method was able to compensate for tumour motion and compared favourably to the results of previously adopted strategies. The difference in the 3D motion fields between the phantom and the extrapolated motion was 0.4 ± 0.3 mm for tumour and 0.8 ± 1.5 mm for whole anatomy, demonstrating feasibility of performing a 3D volumetric reconstruction directly from 2D orthogonal cine-MRI slices. Application of the method to patient data confirmed the feasibility of utilizing this method in real world scenarios. Preliminary results on phantom and patient cases confirm the feasibility of the proposed approach in an MRI-guided scenario, especially for non-rigid tumour motion compensation. © 2018 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

A proposal for PET/MRI attenuation correction with μ-values measured using a fixed-position radiation source and MRI segmentation

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Kawaguchi, Hiroshi, E-mail: kwgc@nirs.go.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Hirano, Yoshiyuki, E-mail: yhirano@nirs.go.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Yoshida, Eiji, E-mail: rush@nirs.go.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Kershaw, Jeff, E-mail: len@nirs.go.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Shiraishi, Takahiro, E-mail: tshira@nirs.go.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Research Center for Charged Particle Therapy, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Suga, Mikio, E-mail: mikio.suga@faculty.chiba-u.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Graduate School of Engineering of Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522 (Japan); Ikoma, Yoko, E-mail: ikoma@nirs.go.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Obata, Takayuki, E-mail: t_obata@nirs.go.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Research Center for Charged Particle Therapy, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Ito, Hiroshi, E-mail: hito@nirs.go.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Yamaya, Taiga, E-mail: taiga@nirs.go.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan)

2014-01-11

Several MRI-based attenuation correction methods have been reported for PET/MRI; these methods are expected to make efficient use of high-quality anatomical MRIs and reduce the radiation dose for PET/MRI scanning. The accuracy of the attenuation map (μ-map) from an MRI depends on the accuracy of tissue segmentation and the attenuation coefficients to be assigned (μ-values). In this study, we proposed an MRI-based μ-value estimation method with a non-rotational radiation source to construct a suitable μ-map for PET/MRI. The proposed method uses an accurately segmented tissue map, the partial path length of each tissue, and detected intensities of attenuated radiation from a fixed-position (rather than a rotating) radiation source to obtain the μ-map. We estimated the partial path length from a virtual blank scan of fixed-point radiation with the same scanner geometry using the known tissue map from MRI. The μ-values of every tissue were estimated by inverting a linear relationship involving the partial path lengths and measured radioactivity intensity. Validation of the proposed method was performed by calculating a fixed- point data set based upon real a real transmission scan. The root-mean-square error between the μ-values derived from a conventional transmission scan and those obtained with our proposed method were 2.4±1.4%, 17.4±9.1% and 6.6±4.3% for brain, bone and soft tissue other than brain, respectively. Although the error estimates for bone and soft tissue are not insignificant, the method we propose is able to estimate the brain μ-value accurately and it is this factor that most strongly affects the quantitative value of PET images because of the large volumetric ratio of the brain. -- Highlights: • An MRI-derived µ-map for the attenuation correction of PET images is proposed. • Method relies on segmentation of MRI and a fixed-point source transmission scan. • Tissue segmentation reduces the number of unknown µ-values. • Method

A proposal for PET/MRI attenuation correction with μ-values measured using a fixed-position radiation source and MRI segmentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawaguchi, Hiroshi; Hirano, Yoshiyuki; Yoshida, Eiji; Kershaw, Jeff; Shiraishi, Takahiro; Suga, Mikio; Ikoma, Yoko; Obata, Takayuki; Ito, Hiroshi; Yamaya, Taiga

2014-01-01

Several MRI-based attenuation correction methods have been reported for PET/MRI; these methods are expected to make efficient use of high-quality anatomical MRIs and reduce the radiation dose for PET/MRI scanning. The accuracy of the attenuation map (μ-map) from an MRI depends on the accuracy of tissue segmentation and the attenuation coefficients to be assigned (μ-values). In this study, we proposed an MRI-based μ-value estimation method with a non-rotational radiation source to construct a suitable μ-map for PET/MRI. The proposed method uses an accurately segmented tissue map, the partial path length of each tissue, and detected intensities of attenuated radiation from a fixed-position (rather than a rotating) radiation source to obtain the μ-map. We estimated the partial path length from a virtual blank scan of fixed-point radiation with the same scanner geometry using the known tissue map from MRI. The μ-values of every tissue were estimated by inverting a linear relationship involving the partial path lengths and measured radioactivity intensity. Validation of the proposed method was performed by calculating a fixed- point data set based upon real a real transmission scan. The root-mean-square error between the μ-values derived from a conventional transmission scan and those obtained with our proposed method were 2.4±1.4%, 17.4±9.1% and 6.6±4.3% for brain, bone and soft tissue other than brain, respectively. Although the error estimates for bone and soft tissue are not insignificant, the method we propose is able to estimate the brain μ-value accurately and it is this factor that most strongly affects the quantitative value of PET images because of the large volumetric ratio of the brain. -- Highlights: • An MRI-derived µ-map for the attenuation correction of PET images is proposed. • Method relies on segmentation of MRI and a fixed-point source transmission scan. • Tissue segmentation reduces the number of unknown µ-values. • Method

Cardiac MRI in patients with complex CHD following primary or secondary implantation of MRI-conditional pacemaker system.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Wakeel, Nadya; O h-Ici, Darach; Schmitt, Katharina R; Messroghli, Daniel R; Riesenkampff, Eugénie; Berger, Felix; Kuehne, Titus; Peters, Bjoern

2016-02-01

In patients with CHD, cardiac MRI is often indicated for functional and anatomical assessment. With the recent introduction of MRI-conditional pacemaker systems, cardiac MRI has become accessible for patients with pacemakers. The present clinical study aims to evaluate safety, susceptibility artefacts, and image reading of cardiac MRI in patients with CHD and MRI-conditional pacemaker systems. Material and methods CHD patients with MRI-conditional pacemaker systems and a clinical need for cardiac MRI were examined with a 1.5-T MRI system. Lead function was tested before and after MRI. Artefacts and image readings were evaluated using a four-point grading scale. A total of nine patients with CHD (mean age 34.0 years, range 19.5-53.6 years) received a total of 11 cardiac MRI examinations. Owing to clinical indications, seven patients had previously been converted from conventional to MRI-conditional pacemaker systems. All MRI examinations were completed without adverse effects. Device testing immediately after MRI and at follow-up showed no alteration of pacemaker device and lead function. Clinical questions could be addressed and answered in all patients. Cardiac MRI can be performed safely with high certainty of diagnosis in CHD patients with MRI-conditional pacemaker systems. In case of clinically indicated lead and box changing, CHD patients with non-MRI-conditional pacemaker systems should be considered for complete conversion to MRI-conditional systems.

An accurate segmentation method for volumetry of brain tumor in 3D MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jiahui; Li, Qiang; Hirai, Toshinori; Katsuragawa, Shigehiko; Li, Feng; Doi, Kunio

2008-03-01

Accurate volumetry of brain tumors in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is important for evaluating the interval changes in tumor volumes during and after treatment, and also for planning of radiation therapy. In this study, an automated volumetry method for brain tumors in MRI was developed by use of a new three-dimensional (3-D) image segmentation technique. First, the central location of a tumor was identified by a radiologist, and then a volume of interest (VOI) was determined automatically. To substantially simplify tumor segmentation, we transformed the 3-D image of the tumor into a two-dimensional (2-D) image by use of a "spiral-scanning" technique, in which a radial line originating from the center of the tumor scanned the 3-D image spirally from the "north pole" to the "south pole". The voxels scanned by the radial line provided a transformed 2-D image. We employed dynamic programming to delineate an "optimal" outline of the tumor in the transformed 2-D image. We then transformed the optimal outline back into 3-D image space to determine the volume of the tumor. The volumetry method was trained and evaluated by use of 16 cases with 35 brain tumors. The agreement between tumor volumes provided by computer and a radiologist was employed as a performance metric. Our method provided relatively accurate results with a mean agreement value of 88%.

A novel integrative method for analyzing eye and hand behaviour during reaching and grasping in an MRI environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, Jane M; Abhari, Kamyar; Prime, Steven L; Meek, Benjamin P; Desanghere, Loni; Baugh, Lee A; Marotta, Jonathan J

2011-06-01

The development of noninvasive neuroimaging techniques, such as fMRI, has rapidly advanced our understanding of the neural systems underlying the integration of visual and motor information. However, the fMRI experimental design is restricted by several environmental elements, such as the presence of the magnetic field and the restricted view of the participant, making it difficult to monitor and measure behaviour. The present article describes a novel, specialized software package developed in our laboratory called Biometric Integration Recording and Analysis (BIRA). BIRA integrates video with kinematic data derived from the hand and eye, acquired using MRI-compatible equipment. The present article demonstrates the acquisition and analysis of eye and hand data using BIRA in a mock (0 Tesla) scanner. A method for collecting and integrating gaze and kinematic data in fMRI studies on visuomotor behaviour has several advantages: Specifically, it will allow for more sophisticated, behaviourally driven analyses and eliminate potential confounds of gaze or kinematic data.

Optimizing methods for linking cinematic features to fMRI data.

Science.gov (United States)

Kauttonen, Janne; Hlushchuk, Yevhen; Tikka, Pia

2015-04-15

One of the challenges of naturalistic neurosciences using movie-viewing experiments is how to interpret observed brain activations in relation to the multiplicity of time-locked stimulus features. As previous studies have shown less inter-subject synchronization across viewers of random video footage than story-driven films, new methods need to be developed for analysis of less story-driven contents. To optimize the linkage between our fMRI data collected during viewing of a deliberately non-narrative silent film 'At Land' by Maya Deren (1944) and its annotated content, we combined the method of elastic-net regularization with the model-driven linear regression and the well-established data-driven independent component analysis (ICA) and inter-subject correlation (ISC) methods. In the linear regression analysis, both IC and region-of-interest (ROI) time-series were fitted with time-series of a total of 36 binary-valued and one real-valued tactile annotation of film features. The elastic-net regularization and cross-validation were applied in the ordinary least-squares linear regression in order to avoid over-fitting due to the multicollinearity of regressors, the results were compared against both the partial least-squares (PLS) regression and the un-regularized full-model regression. Non-parametric permutation testing scheme was applied to evaluate the statistical significance of regression. We found statistically significant correlation between the annotation model and 9 ICs out of 40 ICs. Regression analysis was also repeated for a large set of cubic ROIs covering the grey matter. Both IC- and ROI-based regression analyses revealed activations in parietal and occipital regions, with additional smaller clusters in the frontal lobe. Furthermore, we found elastic-net based regression more sensitive than PLS and un-regularized regression since it detected a larger number of significant ICs and ROIs. Along with the ISC ranking methods, our regression analysis proved

The application of MRI and MRS in psychiatry and performance evaluation of magnetic field homogeneity in MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hua Hsuan

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a safe non-invasive tool to study the physiological mechanisms of the human brain. MRS has the capability to provide the information regarding neurochemicals in brains of patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. Therefore, to produce measurable and interpretable information in MRI and MRS, a quality control (QC) program is required. Magnetic field homogeneity (MFH) is an important factor for QC when the volume sizes and neurochemical levels are quantified. Poor main (B0) MFH leads to artifacts, signal losses and broadened line widths. The American College of Radiology's (ACR) MRI QC manual mandates annual checks of MFH, suggesting tests using spectral line widths (FWHM) and phase-difference (Deltaϕ) maps. A new method, dubbed the bandwidth-difference (DeltaBW) method, is proposed along with a prototype phantom for determining MFH. The DeltaBW method is compared with standard methods and has also been tested in different model MRI systems from various manufacturers. Direct comparisons of the data obtained using the DeltaBW method demonstrated good agreement with data obtained using the linewidth method and the frequency map data provided by one MRI system manufacturer. As a result, the DeltaBW method produces measurements of MFH at various Diameter Sphere Volume (DSV) values that can be obtained from a single set of phantom images. The conclusion of the study is that the accuracy of DeltaBW B0 homogeneity measurements of MFH is comparable to the other methods tested while the ease of measurement in practical clinical setting is considerably improved.

MRI in diagnosis of spinal cord diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Naotoshi; Ono, Yuko; Kakinoki, Yoshio; Kimura, Humiko; Ebihara, Reiko; Nagayama, Takashi; Okada, Takaharu; Watanabe, Hiromi

1985-01-01

64 MRI studies of 57 cases of spinal cord diseases were reviewed, and following results were obtained. (1) MRI is usefull for screening method of spinal cord diseases, as CT in cerebral diseases. (2) MRI might replaces myelography in most of spinal cord disease, and more reliable informations might be obtained by MRI than in myelography in some cases, but (3) in detection of small organic changes, some technological problems are layed regarding to the image resolution of MRI. (author)

Adaptive Analysis of Functional MRI Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friman, Ola

2003-01-01

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a recently developed neuro-imaging technique with capacity to map neural activity with high spatial precision. To locate active brain areas, the method utilizes local blood oxygenation changes which are reflected as small intensity changes in a special type of MR images. The ability to non-invasively map brain functions provides new opportunities to unravel the mysteries and advance the understanding of the human brain, as well as to perform pre-surgical examinations in order to optimize surgical interventions. This dissertation introduces new approaches for the analysis of fMRI data. The detection of active brain areas is a challenging problem due to high noise levels and artifacts present in the data. A fundamental tool in the developed methods is Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA). CCA is used in two novel ways. First as a method with the ability to fully exploit the spatio-temporal nature of fMRI data for detecting active brain areas. Established analysis approaches mainly focus on the temporal dimension of the data and they are for this reason commonly referred to as being mass-univariate. The new CCA detection method encompasses and generalizes the traditional mass-univariate methods and can in this terminology be viewed as a mass-multivariate approach. The concept of spatial basis functions is introduced as a spatial counterpart of the temporal basis functions already in use in fMRI analysis. The spatial basis functions implicitly perform an adaptive spatial filtering of the fMRI images, which significantly improves detection performance. It is also shown how prior information can be incorporated into the analysis by imposing constraints on the temporal and spatial models and a constrained version of CCA is devised to this end. A general Principal Component Analysis technique for generating and constraining temporal and spatial subspace models is proposed to be used in combination with the constrained CCA

A method for independent component graph analysis of resting-state fMRI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Paula, Demetrius Ribeiro; Ziegler, Erik; Abeyasinghe, Pubuditha M.

2017-01-01

Introduction Independent component analysis (ICA) has been extensively used for reducing task-free BOLD fMRI recordings into spatial maps and their associated time-courses. The spatially identified independent components can be considered as intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) of non-contiguou......Introduction Independent component analysis (ICA) has been extensively used for reducing task-free BOLD fMRI recordings into spatial maps and their associated time-courses. The spatially identified independent components can be considered as intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) of non......-contiguous regions. To date, the spatial patterns of the networks have been analyzed with techniques developed for volumetric data. Objective Here, we detail a graph building technique that allows these ICNs to be analyzed with graph theory. Methods First, ICA was performed at the single-subject level in 15 healthy...... parcellated regions. Third, between-node functional connectivity was established by building edge weights for each networks. Group-level graph analysis was finally performed for each network and compared to the classical network. Results Network graph comparison between the classically constructed network...

Application of stereological methods to estimate post-mortem brain surface area using 3T MRI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Furlong, Carolyn; García-Fiñana, Marta; Puddephat, Michael

2013-01-01

The Cavalieri and Vertical Sections methods of design based stereology were applied in combination with 3 tesla (i.e. 3T) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to estimate cortical and subcortical volume, area of the pial surface, area of the grey-white matter boundary, and thickness of the cerebral...

[MRI semiotics features of experimental acute intracerebral hematomas].

Science.gov (United States)

Burenchev, D V; Skvortsova, V I; Tvorogova, T V; Guseva, O I; Gubskiĭ, L V; Kupriianov, D A; Pirogov, Iu A

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of revealing intracerebral hematomas (ICH), using MRI, within the first hours after onset and to determine their MRI semiotics features. Thirty animals with experimental ICH were studied. A method of two-stage introduction of autologous blood was used to develop ICH as human spontaneous intracranial hematomas. Within 3-5h after blood introduction to the rat brain. The control MRI was performed in the 3rd and 7th days after blood injections. ICH were definitely identified in the first MRI scans. The MRI semiotics features of acute ICH and their transformations were assessed. The high sensitivity of MRI to ICH as well as the uniform manifestations in all animals were shown. In conclusion, the method has high specificity for acute ICH detection.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) -- Head

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Full Text Available ... can also provide functional information (fMRI) in selected cases. MR images of the brain and other cranial structures are clearer and more detailed than with other imaging methods. This detail makes MRI an invaluable tool in early diagnosis and evaluation of many conditions, ...

MRI in ocular drug delivery

OpenAIRE

Li, S. Kevin; Lizak, Martin J.; Jeong, Eun-Kee

2008-01-01

Conventional pharmacokinetic methods for studying ocular drug delivery are invasive and cannot be conveniently applied to humans. The advancement of MRI technology has provided new opportunities in ocular drug-delivery research. MRI provides a means to non-invasively and continuously monitor ocular drug-delivery systems with a contrast agent or compound labeled with a contrast agent. It is a useful technique in pharmacokinetic studies, evaluation of drug-delivery methods, and drug-delivery de...

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage and T2 mapping for evaluation of reparative cartilage-like tissue after autologous chondrocyte implantation associated with Atelocollagen-based scaffold in the knee

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Tadenuma, Taku; Uchio, Yuji; Kumahashi, Nobuyuki; Iwasa, Junji [Shimane University School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Izumo-shi, Shimane-ken (Japan); Fukuba, Eiji; Kitagaki, Hajime [Shimane University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Izumo-shi, Shimane-ken (Japan); Ochi, Mitsuo [Hiroshima University, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Integrated Health Sciences, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Minami-ku, Hiroshima (Japan)

2016-10-15

To elucidate the quality of tissue-engineered cartilage after an autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) technique with Atelocollagen gel as a scaffold in the knee in the short- to midterm postoperatively, we assessed delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and T2 mapping and clarified the relationship between T1 and T2 values and clinical results. In this cross-sectional study, T1 and T2 mapping were performed on 11 knees of 8 patients (mean age at ACI, 37.2 years) with a 3.0-T MRI scanner. T1{sub implant} and T2{sub implant} values were compared with those of the control cartilage region (T1{sub control} and T2{sub control}). Lysholm scores were also assessed for clinical evaluation. The relationships between the T1 and T2 values and the clinical Lysholm score were also assessed. There were no significant differences in the T1 values between the T1{sub implant} (386.64 ± 101.78 ms) and T1{sub control} (375.82 ± 62.89 ms) at the final follow-up. The implants showed significantly longer T2 values compared to the control cartilage (53.83 ± 13.89 vs. 38.21 ± 4.43 ms). The postoperative Lysholm scores were significantly higher than the preoperative scores. A significant correlation was observed between T1{sub implant} and clinical outcomes, but not between T2{sub implant} and clinical outcomes. Third-generation ACI implants might have obtained an almost equivalent glycosaminoglycan concentration compared to the normal cartilage, but they had lower collagen density at least 3 years after transplantation. The T1{sub implant} value, but not the T2 value, might be a predictor of clinical outcome after ACI. (orig.)

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage and T2 mapping for evaluation of reparative cartilage-like tissue after autologous chondrocyte implantation associated with Atelocollagen-based scaffold in the knee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tadenuma, Taku; Uchio, Yuji; Kumahashi, Nobuyuki; Iwasa, Junji; Fukuba, Eiji; Kitagaki, Hajime; Ochi, Mitsuo

2016-01-01

To elucidate the quality of tissue-engineered cartilage after an autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) technique with Atelocollagen gel as a scaffold in the knee in the short- to midterm postoperatively, we assessed delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and T2 mapping and clarified the relationship between T1 and T2 values and clinical results. In this cross-sectional study, T1 and T2 mapping were performed on 11 knees of 8 patients (mean age at ACI, 37.2 years) with a 3.0-T MRI scanner. T1 implant and T2 implant values were compared with those of the control cartilage region (T1 control and T2 control ). Lysholm scores were also assessed for clinical evaluation. The relationships between the T1 and T2 values and the clinical Lysholm score were also assessed. There were no significant differences in the T1 values between the T1 implant (386.64 ± 101.78 ms) and T1 control (375.82 ± 62.89 ms) at the final follow-up. The implants showed significantly longer T2 values compared to the control cartilage (53.83 ± 13.89 vs. 38.21 ± 4.43 ms). The postoperative Lysholm scores were significantly higher than the preoperative scores. A significant correlation was observed between T1 implant and clinical outcomes, but not between T2 implant and clinical outcomes. Third-generation ACI implants might have obtained an almost equivalent glycosaminoglycan concentration compared to the normal cartilage, but they had lower collagen density at least 3 years after transplantation. The T1 implant value, but not the T2 value, might be a predictor of clinical outcome after ACI. (orig.)

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage and T2 mapping for evaluation of reparative cartilage-like tissue after autologous chondrocyte implantation associated with Atelocollagen-based scaffold in the knee.

Science.gov (United States)

Tadenuma, Taku; Uchio, Yuji; Kumahashi, Nobuyuki; Fukuba, Eiji; Kitagaki, Hajime; Iwasa, Junji; Ochi, Mitsuo

2016-10-01

To elucidate the quality of tissue-engineered cartilage after an autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) technique with Atelocollagen gel as a scaffold in the knee in the short- to midterm postoperatively, we assessed delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and T2 mapping and clarified the relationship between T1 and T2 values and clinical results. In this cross-sectional study, T1 and T2 mapping were performed on 11 knees of 8 patients (mean age at ACI, 37.2 years) with a 3.0-T MRI scanner. T1implant and T2implant values were compared with those of the control cartilage region (T1control and T2control). Lysholm scores were also assessed for clinical evaluation. The relationships between the T1 and T2 values and the clinical Lysholm score were also assessed. There were no significant differences in the T1 values between the T1implant (386.64 ± 101.78 ms) and T1control (375.82 ± 62.89 ms) at the final follow-up. The implants showed significantly longer T2 values compared to the control cartilage (53.83 ± 13.89 vs. 38.21 ± 4.43 ms). The postoperative Lysholm scores were significantly higher than the preoperative scores. A significant correlation was observed between T1implant and clinical outcomes, but not between T2implant and clinical outcomes. Third-generation ACI implants might have obtained an almost equivalent glycosaminoglycan concentration compared to the normal cartilage, but they had lower collagen density at least 3 years after transplantation. The T1implant value, but not the T2 value, might be a predictor of clinical outcome after ACI.

Fast CSF MRI for brain segmentation; Cross-validation by comparison with 3D T1-based brain segmentation methods.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Kleij, Lisa A; de Bresser, Jeroen; Hendrikse, Jeroen; Siero, Jeroen C W; Petersen, Esben T; De Vis, Jill B

2018-01-01

In previous work we have developed a fast sequence that focusses on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) based on the long T2 of CSF. By processing the data obtained with this CSF MRI sequence, brain parenchymal volume (BPV) and intracranial volume (ICV) can be automatically obtained. The aim of this study was to assess the precision of the BPV and ICV measurements of the CSF MRI sequence and to validate the CSF MRI sequence by comparison with 3D T1-based brain segmentation methods. Ten healthy volunteers (2 females; median age 28 years) were scanned (3T MRI) twice with repositioning in between. The scan protocol consisted of a low resolution (LR) CSF sequence (0:57min), a high resolution (HR) CSF sequence (3:21min) and a 3D T1-weighted sequence (6:47min). Data of the HR 3D-T1-weighted images were downsampled to obtain LR T1-weighted images (reconstructed imaging time: 1:59 min). Data of the CSF MRI sequences was automatically segmented using in-house software. The 3D T1-weighted images were segmented using FSL (5.0), SPM12 and FreeSurfer (5.3.0). The mean absolute differences for BPV and ICV between the first and second scan for CSF LR (BPV/ICV: 12±9/7±4cc) and CSF HR (5±5/4±2cc) were comparable to FSL HR (9±11/19±23cc), FSL LR (7±4, 6±5cc), FreeSurfer HR (5±3/14±8cc), FreeSurfer LR (9±8, 12±10cc), and SPM HR (5±3/4±7cc), and SPM LR (5±4, 5±3cc). The correlation between the measured volumes of the CSF sequences and that measured by FSL, FreeSurfer and SPM HR and LR was very good (all Pearson's correlation coefficients >0.83, R2 .67-.97). The results from the downsampled data and the high-resolution data were similar. Both CSF MRI sequences have a precision comparable to, and a very good correlation with established 3D T1-based automated segmentations methods for the segmentation of BPV and ICV. However, the short imaging time of the fast CSF MRI sequence is superior to the 3D T1 sequence on which segmentation with established methods is performed.

Evaluation of MRI acquisition workflow with lean six sigma method: case study of liver and knee examinations.

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Christopher J; Boll, Daniel T; Wall, Lisa K; Merkle, Elmar M

2010-08-01

The purpose of this investigation was to assess workflow for medical imaging studies, specifically comparing liver and knee MRI examinations by use of the Lean Six Sigma methodologic framework. The hypothesis tested was that the Lean Six Sigma framework can be used to quantify MRI workflow and to identify sources of inefficiency to target for sequence and protocol improvement. Audio-video interleave streams representing individual acquisitions were obtained with graphic user interface screen capture software in the examinations of 10 outpatients undergoing MRI of the liver and 10 outpatients undergoing MRI of the knee. With Lean Six Sigma methods, the audio-video streams were dissected into value-added time (true image data acquisition periods), business value-added time (time spent that provides no direct patient benefit but is requisite in the current system), and non-value-added time (scanner inactivity while awaiting manual input). For overall MRI table time, value-added time was 43.5% (range, 39.7-48.3%) of the time for liver examinations and 89.9% (range, 87.4-93.6%) for knee examinations. Business value-added time was 16.3% of the table time for the liver and 4.3% of the table time for the knee examinations. Non-value-added time was 40.2% of the overall table time for the liver and 5.8% for the knee examinations. Liver MRI examinations consume statistically significantly more non-value-added and business value-added times than do knee examinations, primarily because of respiratory command management and contrast administration. Workflow analyses and accepted inefficiency reduction frameworks can be applied with use of a graphic user interface screen capture program.

A new operational method of functional neurosurgery combining micro-recording and MRI stereotaxy for the treatment of Parkinson's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimura, Hiroyuki; Hirai, Tatsuo.

1993-01-01

We have developed a new operational method for stereotactic functional neurosurgery using MRI stereotaxy combined with microelectrode recording. MRI stereotaxy shows us the individual variations of thalamic configurations. The tentative target points were determined using the MRI stereotaxy assisted software system which revised the distortion of MRI images. Consequently, the accuracy and safety of the microelectrode recording were increased. This, in turn, increased the accuracy and stereotactic thalamotomy while producing encouraging operational outcomes. The effectiveness of stereotactic thalamotomy for Parkinson's disease was confirmed by these excellent operative results. The symptoms improved and the dosage of medications, including L-DOPA, decreased. Furthermore, our results indicate that the distributing area of deep sensory neurons in the thalamus extended more posteriorly and upward than previously expected. Therefore, the functional and anatomical similarity between the human and monkey thalamus was reaffirmed. In this report, based on the above data, we reevaluated the neural mechanism of tremor and the role of stereotactic functional neurosurgery for Parkinson's disease. (author)

A new operational method of functional neurosurgery combining micro-recording and MRI stereotaxy for the treatment of Parkinson's disease

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Nishimura, Hiroyuki [Kochi Medical School, Nankoku (Japan); Hirai, Tatsuo

1993-02-01

We have developed a new operational method for stereotactic functional neurosurgery using MRI stereotaxy combined with microelectrode recording. MRI stereotaxy shows us the individual variations of thalamic configurations. The tentative target points were determined using the MRI stereotaxy assisted software system which revised the distortion of MRI images. Consequently, the accuracy and safety of the microelectrode recording were increased. This, in turn, increased the accuracy and stereotactic thalamotomy while producing encouraging operational outcomes. The effectiveness of stereotactic thalamotomy for Parkinson's disease was confirmed by these excellent operative results. The symptoms improved and the dosage of medications, including L-DOPA, decreased. Furthermore, our results indicate that the distributing area of deep sensory neurons in the thalamus extended more posteriorly and upward than previously expected. Therefore, the functional and anatomical similarity between the human and monkey thalamus was reaffirmed. In this report, based on the above data, we reevaluated the neural mechanism of tremor and the role of stereotactic functional neurosurgery for Parkinson's disease. (author).

MRI in osteochondrosis dissecans

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Lehner, K.; Heuck, A.; Rodammer, G.; Raff, W.; Haller, W.

1987-08-01

The osseous manifestations of osteochondrosis dissecans are well demonstrated by conventional and computerised tomography. Beyond that, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is effective in evaluating the vitality and loosening of an osseous dissecate. Subchondral cavities and cartilaginous defects are detected with high acccuracy. Further, MRI seems to be a useful method in childhood to differentiate a variant irregularity of the osseous articular surface from definite osteochondrosis dissecans.

CT and MRI of the epigastrium - is the MRI competitive?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamm, B. von

1993-01-01

The conclusion drawn in this article is: - CT will continue to rank first as a method for diagnostic evaluation of the entire abdomen. - MRI now offers advantages over CT for diagnostic identification of focal liver lesions, both with regard to detection as such and to a differential diagnosis of liver tumors. - CT continues to be the modality of first choice for diagnostic evaluation of acute pancreatitis. - CT offers advantages for the diagnostic evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract (as e.g. in case of complications in the course of inflammatory intestinal affection). - Interventional measures such as biopsies or abscess drainage will still be best controlled by CT, and MRI is not likely to become a really competitive method for such tasks in the foreseeable future. (orig.) [de

Ovarian cysts on prenatal MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nemec, Ursula; Nemec, Stefan F.; Bettelheim, Dieter; Brugger, Peter C.; Horcher, Ernst; Schöpf, Veronika; Graham, John M.; Rimoin, David L.; Weber, Michael; Prayer, Daniela

2012-01-01

Objective: Ovarian cysts are the most frequently encountered intra-abdominal masses in females in utero. They may, at times, require perinatal intervention. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an adjunct to ultrasonography (US) in prenatal diagnosis, we sought to demonstrate the ability to visualize ovarian cysts on prenatal MRI. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 17 fetal MRI scans from 16 female fetuses (23–37 gestational weeks) with an MRI diagnosis of ovarian cysts after suspicious US findings. A multiplanar MRI protocol was applied to image and to characterize the cysts. The US and MRI findings were compared, and the prenatal findings were compared with postnatal imaging findings or histopathology. Results: Simple ovarian cysts were found in 10/16 cases and complex cysts in 7/16 cases, including one case with both. In 11/16 (69%) cases, US and MRI diagnoses were in agreement, and, in 5/16 (31%) cases, MRI specified or expanded the US diagnosis. In 6/16 cases, postnatal US showed that the cysts spontaneously resolved or decreased in size, and in 1/16 cases, postnatal imaging confirmed a hemorrhagic cyst. In 4/16 cases, the prenatal diagnoses were confirmed by surgery/histopathology, and for the rest, postnatal correlation was not available. Conclusion: Our results illustrate the MRI visualization of ovarian cysts in utero. In most cases, MRI will confirm the US diagnosis. In certain cases, MRI may provide further diagnostic information, additional to US, which is the standard technique for diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment planning.

Ovarian cysts on prenatal MRI

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Nemec, Ursula [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Medical University Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna (Austria); Nemec, Stefan F., E-mail: stefan.nemec@meduniwien.ac.at [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Medical University Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna (Austria); Medical Genetics Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Boulevard, PACT Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90048 (United States); Bettelheim, Dieter [Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Division of Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy, Medical University Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna (Austria); Brugger, Peter C. [Center of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Integrative Morphology Group, Medical University Vienna, Waehringerstrasse 13, A-1090 Vienna (Austria); Horcher, Ernst [Department of Pediatric Surgery, Medical University Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna (Austria); Schoepf, Veronika [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Medical University Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna (Austria); Graham, John M.; Rimoin, David L. [Medical Genetics Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Boulevard, PACT Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90048 (United States); Weber, Michael; Prayer, Daniela [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Medical University Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna (Austria)

2012-08-15

Objective: Ovarian cysts are the most frequently encountered intra-abdominal masses in females in utero. They may, at times, require perinatal intervention. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an adjunct to ultrasonography (US) in prenatal diagnosis, we sought to demonstrate the ability to visualize ovarian cysts on prenatal MRI. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 17 fetal MRI scans from 16 female fetuses (23-37 gestational weeks) with an MRI diagnosis of ovarian cysts after suspicious US findings. A multiplanar MRI protocol was applied to image and to characterize the cysts. The US and MRI findings were compared, and the prenatal findings were compared with postnatal imaging findings or histopathology. Results: Simple ovarian cysts were found in 10/16 cases and complex cysts in 7/16 cases, including one case with both. In 11/16 (69%) cases, US and MRI diagnoses were in agreement, and, in 5/16 (31%) cases, MRI specified or expanded the US diagnosis. In 6/16 cases, postnatal US showed that the cysts spontaneously resolved or decreased in size, and in 1/16 cases, postnatal imaging confirmed a hemorrhagic cyst. In 4/16 cases, the prenatal diagnoses were confirmed by surgery/histopathology, and for the rest, postnatal correlation was not available. Conclusion: Our results illustrate the MRI visualization of ovarian cysts in utero. In most cases, MRI will confirm the US diagnosis. In certain cases, MRI may provide further diagnostic information, additional to US, which is the standard technique for diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment planning.

Imaging transplanted stem cells in real time using an MRI dual-contrast method

Science.gov (United States)

Ngen, Ethel J.; Wang, Lee; Kato, Yoshinori; Krishnamachary, Balaji; Zhu, Wenlian; Gandhi, Nishant; Smith, Barbara; Armour, Michael; Wong, John; Gabrielson, Kathleen; Artemov, Dmitri

2015-01-01

Stem cell therapies are currently being investigated for the repair of brain injuries. Although exogenous stem cell labelling with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) prior to transplantation provides a means to noninvasively monitor stem cell transplantation by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), monitoring cell death is still a challenge. Here, we investigate the feasibility of using an MRI dual-contrast technique to detect cell delivery, cell migration and cell death after stem cell transplantation. Human mesenchymal stem cells were dual labelled with SPIONs and gadolinium-based chelates (GdDTPA). The viability, proliferation rate, and differentiation potential of the labelled cells were then evaluated. The feasibility of this MRI technique to distinguish between live and dead cells was next evaluated using MRI phantoms, and in vivo using both immune-competent and immune-deficient mice, following the induction of brain injury in the mice. All results were validated with bioluminescence imaging. In live cells, a negative (T2/T2*) MRI contrast predominates, and is used to track cell delivery and cell migration. Upon cell death, a diffused positive (T1) MRI contrast is generated in the vicinity of the dead cells, and serves as an imaging marker for cell death. Ultimately, this technique could be used to manage stem cell therapies. PMID:26330231

A review of MRI evaluation of demyelination in cuprizone murine model

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Krutenkova, E., E-mail: len--k@yandex.ru; Pan, E.; Khodanovich, M., E-mail: khodanovich@mail.tsu.ru [National Research Tomsk State University, Lenina pr., 36, Tomsk (Russian Federation)

2015-11-17

The cuprizone mouse model of non-autoimmune demyelination reproduces some phenomena of multiple sclerosis and is appropriate for validation and specification of a new method of non-invasive diagnostics. In the review new data which are collected using the new MRI method are compared with one or more conventional MRI tools. Also the paper reviewed the validation of MRI approaches using histological or immunohistochemical methods. Luxol fast blue histological staining and myelin basic protein immunostaining is widespread. To improve the accuracy of non-invasive conventional MRI, multimodal scanning could be applied. The new quantitative MRI method of fast mapping of the macromolecular proton fraction is a reliable biomarker of myelin in the brain and can be used for research of demyelination in animals. To date, a validation of MPF method on the CPZ mouse model of demyelination is not performed, although this method is probably the best way to evaluate demyelination using MRI.

Advanced flow MRI: emerging techniques and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markl, M.; Schnell, S.; Wu, C.; Bollache, E.; Jarvis, K.; Barker, A.J.; Robinson, J.D.; Rigsby, C.K.

2016-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques provide non-invasive and non-ionising methods for the highly accurate anatomical depiction of the heart and vessels throughout the cardiac cycle. In addition, the intrinsic sensitivity of MRI to motion offers the unique ability to acquire spatially registered blood flow simultaneously with the morphological data, within a single measurement. In clinical routine, flow MRI is typically accomplished using methods that resolve two spatial dimensions in individual planes and encode the time-resolved velocity in one principal direction, typically oriented perpendicular to the two-dimensional (2D) section. This review describes recently developed advanced MRI flow techniques, which allow for more comprehensive evaluation of blood flow characteristics, such as real-time flow imaging, 2D multiple-venc phase contrast MRI, four-dimensional (4D) flow MRI, quantification of complex haemodynamic properties, and highly accelerated flow imaging. Emerging techniques and novel applications are explored. In addition, applications of these new techniques for the improved evaluation of cardiovascular (aorta, pulmonary arteries, congenital heart disease, atrial fibrillation, coronary arteries) as well as cerebrovascular disease (intra-cranial arteries and veins) are presented.

MRI in Optic Neuritis: Structure, Function, Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fuglø, Dan

2011-01-01

resonance imaging (MRI), and the visual evoked potential (VEP) continues to show a delayed P100 indicating persistent demyelination. The explanation for this apparent discrepancy between structure and function could be due to either a redundancy in the visual pathways so that some degree of signal loss...... will have very few or no clinical symptoms, or it could be due to compensatory mechanisms in the visual pathway or the visual cortex. In order to understand the pathophysiology and recovery processes in ON it is essential to have sensitive methods to asses both structure and function. These methods...... are low. Functional MRI (fMRI) is a non-invasive technique that can measure brain activity with a high spatial resolution. Recently, technical and methodological advancements have made it feasible to record VEPs and fMRI simultaneously and the relationship between averaged VEPs and averaged fMRI signals...

Clinical evaluation of pulmonary perfusion MRI using FAIR (flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery)-HASTE (Half-Fourier Single-Shot TurboSE) method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Togami, Izumi; Sasai, Nobuya; Tsunoda, Masatoshi; Sei, Tetsurou; Sato, Shuhei; Yabuki, Takayuki; Hiraki, Yoshio

2002-01-01

The FAIR-HASTE method is a kind of noninvasive perfusion MR imaging obtained without the use of contrast media. By subtracting a flow-insensitive image from a flow-sensitive image, contrast enhancement of inflowing blood achieved. In the present study, we applied pulmonary perfusion FAIR-HASTE sequence for 23 patients with various pulmonary diseases, and compared the findings with those by pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy and Gadolinium perfusion MRI. Pulmonary perfusion imaging with the FAIR-HASTE method was possible in all clinical cases, and the findings corresponded well to those obtained by perfusion MRI using contrast media or pulmonary scintigraphy. The FAIR-HASTE method is a promising method for the evaluation of pulmonary perfusion. (author)

Comprehensive MRI simulation methodology using a dedicated MRI scanner in radiation oncology for external beam radiation treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paulson, Eric S.; Erickson, Beth; Schultz, Chris; Allen Li, X.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiation oncology is expanding rapidly, and more clinics are integrating MRI into their radiation therapy workflows. However, radiation therapy presents a new set of challenges and places additional constraints on MRI compared to diagnostic radiology that, if not properly addressed, can undermine the advantages MRI offers for radiation treatment planning (RTP). The authors introduce here strategies to manage several challenges of using MRI for virtual simulation in external beam RTP. Methods: A total of 810 clinical MRI simulation exams were performed using a dedicated MRI scanner for external beam RTP of brain, breast, cervix, head and neck, liver, pancreas, prostate, and sarcoma cancers. Patients were imaged in treatment position using MRI-optimal immobilization devices. Radiofrequency (RF) coil configurations and scan protocols were optimized based on RTP constraints. Off-resonance and gradient nonlinearity-induced geometric distortions were minimized or corrected prior to using images for RTP. A multidisciplinary MRI simulation guide, along with window width and level presets, was created to standardize use of MR images during RTP. A quality assurance program was implemented to maintain accuracy and repeatability of MRI simulation exams. Results: The combination of a large bore scanner, high field strength, and circumferentially wrapped, flexible phased array RF receive coils permitted acquisition of thin slice images with high contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image intensity uniformity, while simultaneously accommodating patient setup and immobilization devices. Postprocessing corrections and alternative acquisition methods were required to reduce or correct off-resonance and gradient nonlinearity induced geometric distortions. Conclusions: The methodology described herein contains practical strategies the authors have implemented through lessons learned performing clinical MRI simulation exams. In

Comprehensive MRI simulation methodology using a dedicated MRI scanner in radiation oncology for external beam radiation treatment planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paulson, Eric S., E-mail: epaulson@mcw.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226 and Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226 (United States); Erickson, Beth; Schultz, Chris; Allen Li, X. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226 (United States)

2015-01-15

Purpose: The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiation oncology is expanding rapidly, and more clinics are integrating MRI into their radiation therapy workflows. However, radiation therapy presents a new set of challenges and places additional constraints on MRI compared to diagnostic radiology that, if not properly addressed, can undermine the advantages MRI offers for radiation treatment planning (RTP). The authors introduce here strategies to manage several challenges of using MRI for virtual simulation in external beam RTP. Methods: A total of 810 clinical MRI simulation exams were performed using a dedicated MRI scanner for external beam RTP of brain, breast, cervix, head and neck, liver, pancreas, prostate, and sarcoma cancers. Patients were imaged in treatment position using MRI-optimal immobilization devices. Radiofrequency (RF) coil configurations and scan protocols were optimized based on RTP constraints. Off-resonance and gradient nonlinearity-induced geometric distortions were minimized or corrected prior to using images for RTP. A multidisciplinary MRI simulation guide, along with window width and level presets, was created to standardize use of MR images during RTP. A quality assurance program was implemented to maintain accuracy and repeatability of MRI simulation exams. Results: The combination of a large bore scanner, high field strength, and circumferentially wrapped, flexible phased array RF receive coils permitted acquisition of thin slice images with high contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image intensity uniformity, while simultaneously accommodating patient setup and immobilization devices. Postprocessing corrections and alternative acquisition methods were required to reduce or correct off-resonance and gradient nonlinearity induced geometric distortions. Conclusions: The methodology described herein contains practical strategies the authors have implemented through lessons learned performing clinical MRI simulation exams. In

[Determination of joint contact area using MRI].

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshida, Hidenori; Kobayashi, Koichi; Sakamoto, Makoto; Tanabe, Yuji

2009-10-20

Elevated contact stress on the articular joints has been hypothesized to contribute to articular cartilage wear and joint pain. However, given the limitations of using contact stress and areas from human cadaver specimens to estimate articular joint stress, there is need for an in vivo method to obtain such data. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been shown to be a valid method of quantifying the human joint contact area, indicating the potential for in vivo assessment. The purpose of this study was to describe a method of quantifying the tibiofemoral joint contact area using MRI. The validity of this technique was established in porcine cadaver specimens by comparing the contact area obtained from MRI with the contact area obtained using pressure-sensitive film (PSF). In particular, we assessed the actual condition of contact by using the ratio of signal intensity of MR images of cartilage surfaces. Two fresh porcine cadaver knees were used. A custom loading apparatus was designed to apply a compressive load to the tibiofemoral joint. We measured the contact area by using MRI and PSF methods. When the ratio of signal intensity of the cartilage surface was 0.9, the error of the contact area between the MR image and PSF was about 6%. These results suggest that this MRI method may be a valuable tool in quantifying joint contact area in vivo.

Determination of joint contact area using MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Hidenori; Kobayashi, Koichi; Sakamoto, Makoto; Tanabe, Yuji

2009-01-01

Elevated contact stress on the articular joints has been hypothesized to contribute to articular cartilage wear and joint pain. However, given the limitations of using contact stress and areas from human cadaver specimens to estimate articular joint stress, there is need for an in vivo method to obtain such data. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been shown to be a valid method of quantifying the human joint contact area, indicating the potential for in vivo assessment. The purpose of this study was to describe a method of quantifying the tibiofemoral joint contact area using MRI. The validity of this technique was established in porcine cadaver specimens by comparing the contact area obtained from MRI with the contact area obtained using pressure-sensitive film (PSF). In particular, we assessed the actual condition of contact by using the ratio of signal intensity of MR images of cartilage surfaces. Two fresh porcine cadaver knees were used. A custom loading apparatus was designed to apply a compressive load to the tibiofemoral joint. We measured the contact area by using MRI and PSF methods. When the ratio of signal intensity of the cartilage surface was 0.9, the error of the contact area between the MR image and PSF was about 6%. These results suggest that this MRI method may be a valuable tool in quantifying joint contact area in vivo. (author)

TH-C-BRD-06: A Novel MRI Based CT Artifact Correction Method for Improving Proton Range Calculation in the Presence of Severe CT Artifacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, P; Schreibmann, E; Fox, T; Roper, J; Elder, E; Tejani, M; Crocker, I; Curran, W; Dhabaan, A

2014-01-01

Purpose: Severe CT artifacts can impair our ability to accurately calculate proton range thereby resulting in a clinically unacceptable treatment plan. In this work, we investigated a novel CT artifact correction method based on a coregistered MRI and investigated its ability to estimate CT HU and proton range in the presence of severe CT artifacts. Methods: The proposed method corrects corrupted CT data using a coregistered MRI to guide the mapping of CT values from a nearby artifact-free region. First patient MRI and CT images were registered using 3D deformable image registration software based on B-spline and mutual information. The CT slice with severe artifacts was selected as well as a nearby slice free of artifacts (e.g. 1cm away from the artifact). The two sets of paired MRI and CT images at different slice locations were further registered by applying 2D deformable image registration. Based on the artifact free paired MRI and CT images, a comprehensive geospatial analysis was performed to predict the correct CT HU of the CT image with severe artifact. For a proof of concept, a known artifact was introduced that changed the ground truth CT HU value up to 30% and up to 5cm error in proton range. The ability of the proposed method to recover the ground truth was quantified using a selected head and neck case. Results: A significant improvement in image quality was observed visually. Our proof of concept study showed that 90% of area that had 30% errors in CT HU was corrected to 3% of its ground truth value. Furthermore, the maximum proton range error up to 5cm was reduced to 4mm error. Conclusion: MRI based CT artifact correction method can improve CT image quality and proton range calculation for patients with severe CT artifacts

Clinical outcome following a low-suspicion multiparametric prostate MRI or benign MRI-guided biopsy to detect prostate cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boesen, Lars; Nørgaard, Nis; Løgager, Vibeke

2017-01-01

follow-up [132/156 (85%)] had decreasing levels of prostate-specific-antigen and could be monitored in primary care. CONCLUSION: A low-suspicion MRI in men with prior negative systematic biopsies has a high negative predictive value in ruling out longer term significant cancer. Therefore, immediate...... repeated biopsies are of limited clinical value and could be avoided even if prostate-specific-antigen levels are persistently elevated.......PURPOSE: To assess the future risk of detecting significant prostate cancer following either a low-suspicion MRI or suspicious MRI with benign MRI-guided biopsies in men with prior negative systematic biopsies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 289 prospectively enrolled men underwent MRI followed by repeated...

Atlas-guided generation of pseudo-CT images for MRI-only and hybrid PET-MRI-guided radiotherapy treatment planning

Science.gov (United States)

Arabi, Hossein; Koutsouvelis, Nikolaos; Rouzaud, Michel; Miralbell, Raymond; Zaidi, Habib

2016-09-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided attenuation correction (AC) of positron emission tomography (PET) data and/or radiation therapy (RT) treatment planning is challenged by the lack of a direct link between MRI voxel intensities and electron density. Therefore, even if this is not a trivial task, a pseudo-computed tomography (CT) image must be predicted from MRI alone. In this work, we propose a two-step (segmentation and fusion) atlas-based algorithm focusing on bone tissue identification to create a pseudo-CT image from conventional MRI sequences and evaluate its performance against the conventional MRI segmentation technique and a recently proposed multi-atlas approach. The clinical studies consisted of pelvic CT, PET and MRI scans of 12 patients with loco-regionally advanced rectal disease. In the first step, bone segmentation of the target image is optimized through local weighted atlas voting. The obtained bone map is then used to assess the quality of deformed atlases to perform voxel-wise weighted atlas fusion. To evaluate the performance of the method, a leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) scheme was devised to find optimal parameters for the model. Geometric evaluation of the produced pseudo-CT images and quantitative analysis of the accuracy of PET AC were performed. Moreover, a dosimetric evaluation of volumetric modulated arc therapy photon treatment plans calculated using the different pseudo-CT images was carried out and compared to those produced using CT images serving as references. The pseudo-CT images produced using the proposed method exhibit bone identification accuracy of 0.89 based on the Dice similarity metric compared to 0.75 achieved by the other atlas-based method. The superior bone extraction resulted in a mean standard uptake value bias of  -1.5  ±  5.0% (mean  ±  SD) in bony structures compared to  -19.9  ±  11.8% and  -8.1  ±  8.2% achieved by MRI segmentation-based (water

Efficient method to design RF pulses for parallel excitation MRI using gridding and conjugate gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Shuo; Ji, Jim

2014-04-01

Parallel excitation (pTx) techniques with multiple transmit channels have been widely used in high field MRI imaging to shorten the RF pulse duration and/or reduce the specific absorption rate (SAR). However, the efficiency of pulse design still needs substantial improvement for practical real-time applications. In this paper, we present a detailed description of a fast pulse design method with Fourier domain gridding and a conjugate gradient method. Simulation results of the proposed method show that the proposed method can design pTx pulses at an efficiency 10 times higher than that of the conventional conjugate-gradient based method, without reducing the accuracy of the desirable excitation patterns.

Behavior, neuropsychology and fMRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Maxwell R; Hatton, Sean; Hermens, Daniel F; Lagopoulos, Jim

Cognitive neuroscientists in the late 20th century began the task of identifying the part(s) of the brain concerned with normal behavior as manifest in the psychological capacities as affective powers, reasoning, behaving purposively and the pursuit of goals, following introduction of the 'functional magnetic resonance imaging' (fMRI) method for identifying brain activity. For this research program to be successful two questions require satisfactory answers. First, as the fMRI method can currently only be used on stationary subjects, to what extent can neuropsychological tests applicable to such stationary subjects be correlated with normal behavior. Second, to what extent can correlations between the various neuropsychological tests on the one hand, and sites of brain activity determined with fMRI on the other, be regarded as established. The extent to which these questions have yet received satisfactory answers is reviewed, and suggestions made both for improving correlations of neuropsychological tests with behavior as well as with the results of fMRI-based observations. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Image fusion of MRI and fMRI with intraoperative MRI data: methods and clinical relevance for neurosurgical interventions; Fusion von MRT-, fMRT- und intraoperativen MRT-Daten. Methode und klinische Bedeutung am Beispiel neurochirurgischer Interventionen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moche, M.; Busse, H.; Dannenberg, C.; Schulz, T.; Schmidt, F.; Kahn, T. [Universitaetsklinikum Leipzig (Germany). Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Diagnostische Radiologie; Schmitgen, A. [GMD Forschungszentrum Informationstechnik GmbH-FIT, Sankt Augustin (Germany); Trantakis, C.; Winkler, D. [Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Neurochirurgie, Universitaetsklinikum Leipzig (Germany)

2001-11-01

The aim of this work was to realize and clinically evaluate an image fusion platform for the integration of preoperative MRI and fMRI data into the intraoperative images of an interventional MRI system with a focus on neurosurgical procedures. A vertically open 0.5 T MRI scanner was equipped with a dedicated navigation system enabling the registration of additional imaging modalities (MRI, fMRI, CT) with the intraoperatively acquired data sets. These merged image data served as the basis for interventional planning and multimodal navigation. So far, the system has been used in 70 neurosurgical interventions (13 of which involved image data fusion - requiring 15 minutes extra time). The augmented navigation system is characterized by a higher frame rate and a higher image quality as compared to the system-integrated navigation based on continuously acquired (near) real time images. Patient movement and tissue shifts can be immediately detected by monitoring the morphological differences between both navigation scenes. The multimodal image fusion allowed a refined navigation planning especially for the resection of deeply seated brain lesions or pathologies close to eloquent areas. Augmented intraoperative orientation and instrument guidance improve the safety and accuracy of neurosurgical interventions. (orig.) [German] Ziel dieser Arbeit waren die Realisierung und klinische Bewertung einer Bildfusion praeoperativer MRT- und fMRT-Bilder mit intraoperativen Datensaetzen eines interventionellen MRT-Systems am Beispiel neurochirurgischer Eingriffe. Ein vertikal offenes 0,5-T-MRT-System wurde mit einem erweiterten Navigationssystem ausgestattet, welches eine Integration zusaetzlicher Bildinformationen (Hochfeld-MRT, fMRT, CT) in die intraoperativ akquirierten Datensaetze erlaubt. Diese fusionierten Bilddaten wurden zur Interventionsplanung und multimodalen Navigation verwendet. Bisher wurde das System bei insgesamt 70 neurochirurgischen Eingriffen eingesetzt, davon 13

Using multivariate machine learning methods and structural MRI to classify childhood onset schizophrenia and healthy controls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deanna eGreenstein

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Multivariate machine learning methods can be used to classify groups of schizophrenia patients and controls using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI. However, machine learning methods to date have not been extended beyond classification and contemporaneously applied in a meaningful way to clinical measures. We hypothesized that brain measures would classify groups, and that increased likelihood of being classified as a patient using regional brain measures would be positively related to illness severity, developmental delays and genetic risk. Methods: Using 74 anatomic brain MRI sub regions and Random Forest, we classified 98 COS patients and 99 age, sex, and ethnicity-matched healthy controls. We also used Random Forest to determine the likelihood of being classified as a schizophrenia patient based on MRI measures. We then explored relationships between brain-based probability of illness and symptoms, premorbid development, and presence of copy number variation associated with schizophrenia. Results: Brain regions jointly classified COS and control groups with 73.7% accuracy. Greater brain-based probability of illness was associated with worse functioning (p= 0.0004 and fewer developmental delays (p=0.02. Presence of copy number variation (CNV was associated with lower probability of being classified as schizophrenia (p=0.001. The regions that were most important in classifying groups included left temporal lobes, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal regions, and left medial parietal lobes. Conclusions: Schizophrenia and control groups can be well classified using Random Forest and anatomic brain measures, and brain-based probability of illness has a positive relationship with illness severity and a negative relationship with developmental delays/problems and CNV-based risk.

Does spinal MRI add incremental diagnostic value to MRI of the sacroiliac joints alone in patients with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weber, Ulrich; Zubler, Veronika; Zhao, Zheng

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incremental diagnostic value of spine MRI evaluated separately from and combined with sacroiliac joint (SIJ) MRI in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) compared with SIJ MRI alone. METHODS: The study sample comprised two independent cohorts A/B of 130...

Whole-body MRI in preoperative diagnostics of breast cancer. A comparison with staging methods according to the S 3 guidelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hausmann, D.; Schoenberg, S.O.; Neff, K.W.; Dinter, D.J.; Kern, C.; Schroeder, M.T.; Suetterlin, M.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The German Society of Senology (step-3 guidelines for the early recognition of breast cancer in Germany) recommends whole-body staging including chest X-ray, ultrasound of the liver and bone scintigraphy before systemic therapy in patients with breast cancer. The performance of these three examinations is time-consuming and involves radiation exposure. Whole-body MR imaging (WB-MRI) allows staging in a single examination without radiation exposure. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of WB-MRI with staging according to the guidelines. Materials and Methods: During 04/07 and 06/09, the initial staging in 51 patients (56 ± 12 yrs) with breast cancer (24 patients with lymph node metastases) was performed according to the S 3-guidelines. Additionally, all patients underwent contrast-enhanced WB-MRI (1.5-Tesla-Magnetom Avanto, Siemens, Erlangen). The findings of the different modalities were compared after correlation of the lesions by follow-up. The detection of suspicious findings and the accuracy of prediction of malignancy of the detected lesions were evaluated. Results: Overall, 14 metastases were detected in 4 of 51 patients after completion of the follow-up. By means of WB-MRI, all 14 metastases could be detected, while just 4 of these metastases were identified by the conventional methods. Conclusion: The detection of distant metastases has an important impact on patient management. In this study WB-MRI in breast cancer staging has shown promising results in regard to possible clinical implementation as a matter of routine staging. (orig.)

SU-F-BRF-10: Deformable MRI to CT Validation Employing Same Day Planning MRI for Surrogate Analysis

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Padgett, K; Stoyanova, R; Johnson, P; Dogan, N; Pollack, A [University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL (United States); Piper, J; Javorek, A [MIM Software, Inc., Beachwood, OH (United States)

2014-06-15

Purpose: To compare rigid and deformable registrations of the prostate in the multi-modality setting (diagnostic-MRI to planning-CT) by utilizing a planning-MRI as a surrogate. The surrogate allows for the direct quantitative analysis which can be difficult in the multi-modality domain where intensity mapping differs. Methods: For ten subjects, T2 fast-spin-echo images were acquired at two different time points, the first several weeks prior to planning (diagnostic-MRI) and the second on the same day in which the planning CT was collected (planning-MRI). Significant effort in patient positioning and bowel/bladder preparation was undertaken to minimize distortion of the prostate in all datasets. The diagnostic-MRI was deformed to the planning-CT utilizing a commercially available deformable registration algorithm synthesized from local registrations. The deformed MRI was then rigidly aligned to the planning MRI which was used as the surrogate for the planning-CT. Agreement between the two MRI datasets was scored using intensity based metrics including Pearson correlation and normalized mutual information, NMI. A local analysis was performed by looking only within the prostate, proximal seminal vesicles, penile bulb and combined areas. A similar method was used to assess a rigid registration between the diagnostic-MRI and planning-CT. Results: Utilizing the NMI, the deformable registrations were superior to the rigid registrations in 9 of 10 cases demonstrating a 15.94% improvement (p-value < 0.001) within the combined area. The Pearson correlation showed similar results with the deformable registration superior in the same number of cases and demonstrating a 6.97% improvement (p-value <0.011). Conclusion: Validating deformable multi-modality registrations using spatial intensity based metrics is difficult due to the inherent differences in intensity mapping. This population provides an ideal testing ground for MRI to CT deformable registrations by obviating the need

Cardiac MRI in ischemic heart disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishida, Masaki; Kato, Shingo; Sakuma, Hajime

2009-01-01

Considerable progress has been made in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cine MRI is recognized as the most accurate method for evaluating ventricular function. Late gadolinium-enhanced MRI can clearly delineate subendocardial infarction, and the assessment of transmural extent of infarction on MRI is widely useful for predicting myocardial viability. Stress myocardial perfusion MRI allows for detection of subendocardial myocardial ischemia, and the diagnostic accuracy of stress perfusion MRI is superior to stress perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). In recent years, image quality, volume coverage, acquisition speed and arterial contrast of 3-dimensional coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) have been substantially improved with use of steady-state free precession sequences and parallel imaging techniques, permitting the acquisition of high-quality, whole-heart coronary MRA within a reasonably short imaging time. It is now widely recognized that cardiac MRI has tremendous potential for the evaluation of ischemic heart disease. However, cardiac MRI is technically complicated and its use in clinical practice is relatively limited. With further improvements in education and training, as well as standardization of appropriate study protocols, cardiac MRI will play a central role in managing patients with CAD. (author)

Assessment of left ventricular hemodynamics by Gd-DTPA enhanced high speed cine MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumura, Kentaro; Nakase, Emiko; Kawai, Ichiro

1992-01-01

To assess the validity of Gd-DTPA enhanced high speed cine MRI in left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF), high speed cine MRI was compared with intra-venous digital subtraction left ventriculography (IV-DSA) in 14 patients. All patients underwent conventional cine MRI and Gd-DTPA enhanced high speed MRI, simultaneously. The pulse sequences of high speed MRI were TR 8 ms (TR 6 ms plus rewind pulse 2 ms), TE 3.2 ms, matrix 128, phase encode 8 or 6 and NEX 1. Comparison with LV-volume showed a high correlation (y = 0.854x + 1,699, r = 0.985) between high speed cine MRI and VI-DSA. To make left ventricular volume curve by area-length method in cine MRI, manual tracing of LV-cavity was more difficult in conventional cine MRI-method than enhanced high speed cine MRI-method. In conclusion, first pass-Gd-DTPA enhanced high speed cine MRI, using the horizontal long axis approach and the multiphase study, is a highly, accurate reproducible method of evaluating LV-volumetry. (author)

MRI with intrathecal MRI gadolinium contrast medium administration: a possible method to assess glymphatic function in human brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eide, Per Kristian; Ringstad, Geir

2015-01-01

Recently, the “glymphatic system” of the brain has been discovered in rodents, which is a paravascular, transparenchymal route for clearance of excess brain metabolites and distribution of compounds in the cerebrospinal fluid. It has already been demonstrated that intrathecally administered gadolinium (Gd) contrast medium distributes along this route in rats, but so far not in humans. A 27-year-old woman underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with intrathecal administration of gadobutrol, which distributed throughout her entire brain after 1 and 4.5 h. MRI with intrathecal Gd may become a tool to study glymphatic function in the human brain

MRI with intrathecal MRI gadolinium contrast medium administration: a possible method to assess glymphatic function in human brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Eide, Per Kristian; Ringstad, Geir

2015-11-01

Recently, the "glymphatic system" of the brain has been discovered in rodents, which is a paravascular, transparenchymal route for clearance of excess brain metabolites and distribution of compounds in the cerebrospinal fluid. It has already been demonstrated that intrathecally administered gadolinium (Gd) contrast medium distributes along this route in rats, but so far not in humans. A 27-year-old woman underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with intrathecal administration of gadobutrol, which distributed throughout her entire brain after 1 and 4.5 h. MRI with intrathecal Gd may become a tool to study glymphatic function in the human brain.

MRI of articular cartilaginous lesions. MRI findings in osteoarthritis of the knee joint

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nozaki, Hiroyuki; Takezawa, Yuuichi; Suguro, Tohru; Igata, Atsuomi; Kudo, Yukihiko; Motegi, Mitsuo.

1995-01-01

An investigation was carried out to assess the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging for imaging of the knee joint, especially for detecting articular cartilaginous lesions associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. A total of 141 patients with osteoarthritis were examined (23 males, 118 females). Their age range was 40-93 (mean age 66.2). Using radiotherapy examinations, patients were classified according to Hokkaido University Classification Criteria; 22, 49, 46, 16, and 8 patients were classified as Type I, II, III, IV and V, respectively. Articular cartilage defects were examined using MRI, and the number of such defects increased as the X-ray stage progressed. The appearance of a low signal intensity area in the bone marrow was examined using MRI, and the number of patients observed to have such areas increased as the x-ray stages progressed. JOA OA scores were significantly low for patients with meniscal tears. Patients were classified and results reviewed using MRI examinations. Classification by MRI of articular cartilage lesions correlated with the JOA OA scores. Low signal intensity areas in the bone marrow were frequently observed in advanced osteoarthritis cases, and there was correlation between FTA and MRI classifications of these areas. MRI is extremely valuable in detecting articular cartilage lesions in the knee joint, showing those lesions which cannot be detected by conventional radiography examinations. Thus, MRI is judged to be a clinically useful method for diagnosis of osteoarthritis. (author)

Statistical analysis of MRI-only based dose planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korsholm, M. E.; Waring, L. W.; Paulsen, Rasmus Reinhold

2012-01-01

. MRIonly based RT eliminates these errors and reduce the time and costs of a CT scan. The aim of this study is to investigate the dosimetric differences of a treatment plan when the dose calculation is based on MRI as compared to CT. Materials and Methods: Four diagnostic groups are investigated; 12...... as a clinically approved treatment plan. The treatment planning software is Eclipse v.10.0 (Varian Medical Systems). The dose calculation based on MRI data is evaluated in two different ways; a homogeneous density assigned MRI (MRI unit), where the entire body is assigned an HU equal to water and a heterogeneous...... density assigned MRI (MRI bulk) where in addition the CT segmented bone is transferred to the MRI and assigned an age dependent HU based on ICRU report 46. The CT based clinical treatment plan and structure set are registered to the corresponding MRI unit and MRI bulk. The body is outlined on both the MRI...

Heart MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Magnetic resonance imaging - cardiac; Magnetic resonance imaging - heart; Nuclear magnetic resonance - cardiac; NMR - cardiac; MRI of the heart; Cardiomyopathy - MRI; Heart failure - MRI; Congenital heart disease - MRI

Is the Number of Different MRI Findings More Strongly Associated with Low Back Pain Than Single MRI Findings?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hancock, Mark J; Kjaer, Per; Kent, Peter

2017-01-01

STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis using 2 different data sets OBJECTIVE.: To investigate if the number of different MRI findings present is more strongly associated with low back pain (LBP) than single MRI findings. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Most previous studies have....... The outcome for the cross-sectional study was presence of LBP during the last year. The outcome for the longitudinal study was days to recurrence of activity limiting LBP. In both data sets we created an aggregate score of the number of different MRI findings present in each individual and assessed...... investigated the associations between single MRI findings and back pain rather than investigating combinations of MRI findings. If different individuals have different pathoanatomic sources contributing to their pain, then combinations of MRI findings may be more strongly associated with LBP. METHODS...

MRI features of chondroblastoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Xiaoguang; Liu Xia; Cheng Kebin; Liu Wei

2009-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the MR imaging features of chondroblastoma. Methods: MRI examinations of 20 patients with histological proven chondmblastoma were reviewed retrospectively. The MRI findings of chondroblastoma including the signal intensity, the shape, the growth patterns, and the surrounding bone marrow edema and the adjacent soft tissue edema, the periosteal reaction, the adjacent joint effusion were analyzed. Results: All 20 cases demonstrated heterogeneous MR signal intensity on T 1 WI and T 2 WI images and showed lobular margins. Sixteen cases demonstrated expansive growth patterns. Surrounding bone marrow edema was found in 18 cases and adjacent soft tissue edema in 14 cases. Periosteal reaction was identified in 6 cases. In 7 cases the tumor extended to adjacent soft tissue. Adjacent joint effusion was visible on MRI in 6 cases. Conclusion: Heterogeneous signal intensity, lobular margins and expansive growth pattern, adjacent bone marrow and soft tissue edema were the common features of chondroblastoma on MRI. (authors)

Uterus MRI. Normal and pathological aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moulin, G.; Bartoli, J.M.; Gaubert, J.Y.; Bayle, O.; Distefano-Louineau, D.; Kasbarian, M.

1991-01-01

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a non invasive procedure, is taking a place of growing importance as a means of radiological exploration. Its use in uterine pathologies has shown considerable developments. This requires an excellent knowledge of the normal and pathological aspects of the uterus. In fact it exists a zonal anatomy of the uterus which varies according to hormonal impregnation and this is very well seen by MRI. MRI gives excellent results in the diagnosis and study of different uterine pathologies. The radiological appearance of leiomyomas differs depending on the presence or not of degenerative changes within them. Uterine adenomyosis is also well studied by MRI. Lastly different studies in the literature have shown MRI to be a reliable method of exploration with a high degree of fiability, specificity and sensibility to study the local spread of malignant uterine diseases. The authors report their experience and also that present in the literature concerning the study of the uterus by MRI [fr

MRI diagnosis of pigmented villonodular synovitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shang Zhongpu; Sui Zhengyan; Xue Jianrong; Song Cuizhi; Liu Yuekui; Li Jinwang

2007-01-01

Objective: To explore the MRI characteristics of pigmented villonodular synovitis. Methods: MRI and clinic data of 14 patients with pigmented villonodular synovitis proved by pathology were reviewed retrospectively. Results: MRI showed diffusible lesions in all 14 cases. 12 cases were located in knee joint, 2 in hip. MRI revealed nodules and masses formed by villis hyperplasia in the joints. MRI demonstrated the nodules with slightly low signal intensity on both T 1 WI and T 2 WI in 13 cases, the destruction of the cartilage in 8 cases, the destruction of the ligament in 5 cases, and the hydropsy in joint cavity in 10 cases, the destruction of the meniscus in 2 cases. Conclusion: The typical features of pigmented villonodular synovitis on MRI revealed the nodules formed by villis hyperplasia in the joint. Hemosiderin in the nodules demonstrated slightly low signal intensity on both T 1 WI and T 2 WI, with the presence of typical features like 'foam rubber cushion' sign and 'lichen' sign. (authors)

Imaging of prostate cancer: a platform for 3D co-registration of in-vivo MRI ex-vivo MRI and pathology

Science.gov (United States)

Orczyk, Clément; Mikheev, Artem; Rosenkrantz, Andrew; Melamed, Jonathan; Taneja, Samir S.; Rusinek, Henry

2012-02-01

Objectives: Multi-parametric MRI is emerging as a promising method for prostate cancer diagnosis. prognosis and treatment planning. However, the localization of in-vivo detected lesions and pathologic sites of cancer remains a significant challenge. To overcome this limitation we have developed and tested a system for co-registration of in-vivo MRI, ex-vivo MRI and histology. Materials and Methods: Three men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer (ages 54-72, PSA levels 5.1-7.7 ng/ml) were prospectively enrolled in this study. All patients underwent 3T multi-parametric MRI that included T2W, DCEMRI, and DWI prior to robotic-assisted prostatectomy. Ex-vivo multi-parametric MRI was performed on fresh prostate specimen. Excised prostates were then sliced at regular intervals and photographed both before and after fixation. Slices were perpendicular to the main axis of the posterior capsule, i.e., along the direction of the rectal wall. Guided by the location of the urethra, 2D digital images were assembled into 3D models. Cancer foci, extra-capsular extensions and zonal margins were delineated by the pathologist and included in 3D histology data. A locally-developed software was applied to register in-vivo, ex-vivo and histology using an over-determined set of anatomical landmarks placed in anterior fibro-muscular stroma, central. transition and peripheral zones. The mean root square distance across corresponding control points was used to assess co-registration error. Results: Two specimens were pT3a and one pT2b (negative margin) at pathology. The software successfully fused invivo MRI. ex-vivo MRI fresh specimen and histology using appropriate (rigid and affine) transformation models with mean square error of 1.59 mm. Coregistration accuracy was confirmed by multi-modality viewing using operator-guided variable transparency. Conclusion: The method enables successful co-registration of pre-operative MRI, ex-vivo MRI and pathology and it provides initial evidence

[Research on K-means clustering segmentation method for MRI brain image based on selecting multi-peaks in gray histogram].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhaoxue; Yu, Haizhong; Chen, Hao

2013-12-01

To solve the problem of traditional K-means clustering in which initial clustering centers are selected randomly, we proposed a new K-means segmentation algorithm based on robustly selecting 'peaks' standing for White Matter, Gray Matter and Cerebrospinal Fluid in multi-peaks gray histogram of MRI brain image. The new algorithm takes gray value of selected histogram 'peaks' as the initial K-means clustering center and can segment the MRI brain image into three parts of tissue more effectively, accurately, steadily and successfully. Massive experiments have proved that the proposed algorithm can overcome many shortcomings caused by traditional K-means clustering method such as low efficiency, veracity, robustness and time consuming. The histogram 'peak' selecting idea of the proposed segmentootion method is of more universal availability.

WE-G-BRD-06: Volumetric Cine MRI (VC-MRI) Estimated Based On Prior Knowledge for On-Board Target Localization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, W; Yin, F; Cai, J; Zhang, Y; Ren, L

2015-01-01

Purpose: To develop a technique to generate on-board VC-MRI using patient prior 4D-MRI, motion modeling and on-board 2D-cine MRI for real-time 3D target verification of liver and lung radiotherapy. Methods: The end-expiration phase images of a 4D-MRI acquired during patient simulation are used as patient prior images. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to extract 3 major respiratory deformation patterns from the Deformation Field Maps (DFMs) generated between end-expiration phase and all other phases. On-board 2D-cine MRI images are acquired in the axial view. The on-board VC-MRI at any instant is considered as a deformation of the prior MRI at the end-expiration phase. The DFM is represented as a linear combination of the 3 major deformation patterns. The coefficients of the deformation patterns are solved by matching the corresponding 2D slice of the estimated VC-MRI with the acquired single 2D-cine MRI. The method was evaluated using both XCAT (a computerized patient model) simulation of lung cancer patients and MRI data from a real liver cancer patient. The 3D-MRI at every phase except end-expiration phase was used to simulate the ground-truth on-board VC-MRI at different instances, and the center-tumor slice was selected to simulate the on-board 2D-cine images. Results: Image subtraction of ground truth with estimated on-board VC-MRI shows fewer differences than image subtraction of ground truth with prior image. Excellent agreement between profiles was achieved. The normalized cross correlation coefficients between the estimated and ground-truth in the axial, coronal and sagittal views for each time step were >= 0.982, 0.905, 0.961 for XCAT data and >= 0.998, 0.911, 0.9541 for patient data. For XCAT data, the maximum-Volume-Percent-Difference between ground-truth and estimated tumor volumes was 1.6% and the maximum-Center-of-Mass-Shift was 0.9 mm. Conclusion: Preliminary studies demonstrated the feasibility to estimate real-time VC-MRI for on

WE-G-BRD-06: Volumetric Cine MRI (VC-MRI) Estimated Based On Prior Knowledge for On-Board Target Localization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harris, W; Yin, F; Cai, J; Zhang, Y; Ren, L [Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To develop a technique to generate on-board VC-MRI using patient prior 4D-MRI, motion modeling and on-board 2D-cine MRI for real-time 3D target verification of liver and lung radiotherapy. Methods: The end-expiration phase images of a 4D-MRI acquired during patient simulation are used as patient prior images. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to extract 3 major respiratory deformation patterns from the Deformation Field Maps (DFMs) generated between end-expiration phase and all other phases. On-board 2D-cine MRI images are acquired in the axial view. The on-board VC-MRI at any instant is considered as a deformation of the prior MRI at the end-expiration phase. The DFM is represented as a linear combination of the 3 major deformation patterns. The coefficients of the deformation patterns are solved by matching the corresponding 2D slice of the estimated VC-MRI with the acquired single 2D-cine MRI. The method was evaluated using both XCAT (a computerized patient model) simulation of lung cancer patients and MRI data from a real liver cancer patient. The 3D-MRI at every phase except end-expiration phase was used to simulate the ground-truth on-board VC-MRI at different instances, and the center-tumor slice was selected to simulate the on-board 2D-cine images. Results: Image subtraction of ground truth with estimated on-board VC-MRI shows fewer differences than image subtraction of ground truth with prior image. Excellent agreement between profiles was achieved. The normalized cross correlation coefficients between the estimated and ground-truth in the axial, coronal and sagittal views for each time step were >= 0.982, 0.905, 0.961 for XCAT data and >= 0.998, 0.911, 0.9541 for patient data. For XCAT data, the maximum-Volume-Percent-Difference between ground-truth and estimated tumor volumes was 1.6% and the maximum-Center-of-Mass-Shift was 0.9 mm. Conclusion: Preliminary studies demonstrated the feasibility to estimate real-time VC-MRI for on

Situs anomalies on prenatal MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nemec, Stefan F.; Brugger, Peter C.; Nemec, Ursula; Bettelheim, Dieter; Kasprian, Gregor; Amann, Gabriele; Rimoin, David L.; Graham, John M.; Prayer, Daniela

2012-01-01

Objective: Situs anomalies refer to an abnormal organ arrangement, which may be associated with severe errors of development. Due regard being given to prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an adjunct to ultrasonography (US), this study sought to demonstrate the in utero visualization of situs anomalies on MRI, compared to US. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 12 fetuses with situs anomalies depicted on fetal MRI using prenatal US as a comparison modality. With an MRI standard protocol, the whole fetus was assessed for anomalies, with regard to the position and morphology of the following structures: heart; venous drainage and aorta; stomach and intestines; liver and gallbladder; and the presence and number of spleens. Results: Situs inversus totalis was found in 3/12 fetuses; situs inversus with levocardia in 1/12 fetuses; situs inversus abdominis in 2/12 fetuses; situs ambiguous with polysplenia in 3/12 fetuses, and with asplenia in 2/12 fetuses; and isolated dextrocardia in 1/12 fetuses. Congenital heart defects (CHDs), vascular anomalies, and intestinal malrotations were the most frequent associated malformations. In 5/12 cases, the US and MRI diagnoses were concordant. Compared to US, in 7/12 cases, additional MRI findings specified the situs anomaly, but CHDs were only partially visualized in six cases. Conclusions: Our initial MRI results demonstrate the visualization of situs anomalies and associated malformations in utero, which may provide important information for perinatal management. Using a standard protocol, MRI may identify additional findings, compared to US, which confirm and specify the situs anomaly, but, with limited MRI visualization of fetal CHDs.

Signal to noise comparison of metabolic imaging methods on a clinical 3T MRI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller, C. A.; Hansen, Rie Beck; Skinner, J. G.

MRI with hyperpolarized tracers has enabled new diagnostic applications, e.g. metabolic imaging in cancer research. However, the acquisition of the transient, hyperpolarized signal with spatial and frequency resolution requires dedicated imaging methods. Here, we compare three promising candidate...... for 2D MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI): (i) multi-echo balanced steady-state free precession (me-bSSFP), 1,2 (ii) echo planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) sequence and (iii) phase-encoded, pulseacquisition chemical-shift imaging (CSI)...

Strategies for sensing neurotransmitters with responsive MRI contrast agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Angelovski, Goran; Tóth, Éva

2017-01-23

A great deal of research involving multidisciplinary approaches is currently dedicated to the understanding of brain function. The complexity of physiological processes that underlie neural activity is the greatest hurdle to faster advances. Among imaging techniques, MRI has great potential to enable mapping of neural events with excellent specificity, spatiotemporal resolution and unlimited tissue penetration depth. To this end, molecular imaging approaches using neurotransmitter-sensitive MRI agents have appeared recently to study neuronal activity, along with the first successful in vivo MRI studies. Here, we review the pioneering steps in the development of molecular MRI methods that could allow functional imaging of the brain by sensing the neurotransmitter activity directly. We provide a brief overview of other imaging and analytical methods to detect neurotransmitter activity, and describe the approaches to sense neurotransmitters by means of molecular MRI agents. Based on these initial steps, further progress in probe chemistry and the emergence of innovative imaging methods to directly monitor neurotransmitters can be envisaged.

A five-colour colour-coded mapping method for DCE-MRI analysis of head and neck tumours

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, J.; Chow, S.K.K.; Yeung, D.K.W.; King, A.D.

2012-01-01

Aim: To devise a method to convert the time–intensity curves (TICs) of head and neck dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data into a pixel-by-pixel colour-coded map for identifying normal tissues and tumours. Materials and methods: Twenty-three patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) underwent DCE-MRI. TIC patterns of primary tumours, metastatic nodes, and normal tissues were assessed and a program was devised to convert the patterns into a classified colour-coded map. The enhancement patterns of tumours and normal tissue structures were evaluated and categorized into nine grades (0–8) based on the predominance of coloured pixels on maps. Results: Five identified TIC patterns were converted into a colour-coded map consisting of red (maximum enhancement), brown (continuous slow rise-up), yellow (rapid wash-in and wash-out), green (rapid wash-in and plateau), and blue (rapid wash-in and rise-up). The colour-coded map distinguished all 21 primary tumours and 15 metastatic nodes from normal structures. Primary tumours and metastatic nodes were colour coded as predominantly yellow (grades 1–2) in 17/21 and 6/15, green (grades 3–5) in 3/21 and 5/15, and blue (grades 6–7) in 1/21 and 4/15, respectively. Vessels were coded red in 46/46 (grade 0) and muscles were coded brown in 23/23 (grade 8). Salivary glands, thyroid glands, and palatine tonsils were coded into predominantly yellow (grade 1) in 46/46 and 10/10 and 18/22, respectively. Conclusion: DCE-MRI derived five-colour-coded mapping provides an objective easy-to-interpret method to assess the dynamic enhancement pattern of head and neck cancers.

Optimization of the reference region method for dual pharmacokinetic modeling using Gd-DTPA/MRI and (18) F-FDG/PET.

Science.gov (United States)

Poulin, Éric; Lebel, Réjean; Croteau, Étienne; Blanchette, Marie; Tremblay, Luc; Lecomte, Roger; Bentourkia, M'hamed; Lepage, Martin

2015-02-01

The combination of MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) offers new possibilities for the development of novel methodologies. In pharmacokinetic image analysis, the blood concentration of the imaging compound as a function of time, [i.e., the arterial input function (AIF)] is required for MRI and PET. In this study, we tested whether an AIF extracted from a reference region (RR) in MRI can be used as a surrogate for the manually sampled (18) F-FDG AIF for pharmacokinetic modeling. An MRI contrast agent, gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) and a radiotracer, (18) F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18) F-FDG), were simultaneously injected in a F98 glioblastoma rat model. A correction to the RR AIF for Gd-DTPA is proposed to adequately represent the manually sampled AIF. A previously published conversion method was applied to convert this AIF into a (18) F-FDG AIF. The tumor metabolic rate of glucose (TMRGlc) calculated with the manually sampled (18) F-FDG AIF, the (18) F-FDG AIF converted from the RR AIF and the (18) F-FDG AIF converted from the corrected RR AIF were found not statistically different (P>0.05). An AIF derived from an RR in MRI can be accurately converted into a (18) F-FDG AIF and used in PET pharmacokinetic modeling. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An MRI Method To Map Tumor Hypoxia Using Red Blood Cells Loaded with a pO2-Responsive Gd-Agent.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Gregorio, Enza; Ferrauto, Giuseppe; Gianolio, Eliana; Lanzardo, Stefania; Carrera, Carla; Fedeli, Franco; Aime, Silvio

2015-08-25

Hypoxia is a typical hallmark of many solid tumors and often leads to therapy resistance and the development of a more aggressive cancer phenotype. Oxygen content in tissues has been evaluated using numerous different methods for several imaging modalities, but none has yet reached the required standard of spatial and temporal resolution. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) appears to be the technique of choice and several pO2-responsive probes have been designed for it over the years. In vivo translation is often hampered in Gd-relaxation agents as it is not possible to separate effects that arise from changes in local concentration from those associated with responsive properties. A novel procedure for the MRI based assessment of hypoxia is reported herein. The method relies on the combined use of Gd-DOTP- and Gd-HPDO3A-labeled red blood cells (RBCs) where the first probe acts as a vascular oxygenation-responsive agent, while the second reports the local labeled RBC concentration in a transplanted breast tumor mouse model. The MRI assessment of oxygenation state has been validated by photoacoustic imaging and ex vivo immunofluorescence. The method refines tumor staging in preclinical models and makes possible an accurate monitoring of the relationship between oxygenation and tumor growth.

Prenatal MRI in correlation with ultrasound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balev, B.; Baleva, D.; Ivanova, D.; Popova, R.

2012-01-01

Full text: Fetal MRI is an already established method in prenatal imaging, with complementary to US role. Most common considerations for fetal MRI are CNS anomalies and urogenital anomalies. Practically, the most frequent indication is ultrasonographically established ventriculomegaly. We introduce our experience in fetal MRI, presenting the distribution of pathological findings and our protocols. We have examined 33 fetuses for a 3-year period. Among these 13 cases were affected by CNS anomalies (neural tube defects, Dandy-Walker, cerebellar hypoplasia, agenesis of corpus callosum, aqueductal atresia, etc.), 11 fetuses are affected by urogenital anomalies (pieloureteral stenosis, VUR, renal agenesis, etc.), 5 with other pathology (congenital tumor, ovarian cysts, etc.) and 4 are normal fetuses. The findings in most interesting cases are reviewed; in some of them we present imaging-pathological correlation and/or follow up imaging. Main advantages of fetal MRI over US consist of acquiring objective and reproducible images, giving the opportunity of multiple expert-leveled reviews; exceptionally high detail concerning CNS-anatomy; additional confidence in excluding presence of concomitant anomalies; independence from calavarial ossification and maternal obesity. Ultrasound remains the main tool for prenatal imaging. MRI has similar sensitivity and higher specificity, thus serving as an arbitrage method and improving accuracy about outcome prognosis

Fetal MRI in experimental tracheal occlusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wedegaertner, Ulrike [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Universitaetsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20251 Hamburg (Germany)]. E-mail: wedegaer@uke.uni-hamburg.de; Schroeder, Hobe J. [Experimental Gynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Universitaetsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany); Adam, Gerhard [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Universitaetsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany)

2006-02-15

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is associated with a high mortality, which is mainly due to pulmonary hypoplasia and secondary pulmonary hypertension. In severely affected fetuses, tracheal occlusion (TO) is performed prenatally to reverse pulmonary hypoplasia, because TO leads to accelerated lung growth. Prenatal imaging is important to identify fetuses with pulmonary hypoplasia, to diagnose high-risk fetuses who would benefit from TO, and to monitor the effect of TO after surgery. In fetal imaging, ultrasound (US) is the method of choice, because it is widely available, less expensive, and less time-consuming to perform than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, there are some limitations for US in the evaluation of CDH fetuses. In those cases, MRI is helpful because of a better tissue contrast between liver and lung, which enables evaluation of liver herniation for the diagnosis of a high-risk fetus. MRI provides the ability to determine absolute lung volumes to detect lung hypoplasia. In fetal sheep with normal and hyperplastic lungs after TO, lung growth was assessed on the basis of cross-sectional US measurements, after initial lung volume determination by MRI. To monitor fetal lung growth after prenatal TO, both MRI and US seem to be useful methods.

Brain venous pathologies: MRI findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salvatico, Rosana; Gonzalez, Alejandro; Yanez, Paulina; Romero, Carlos; Trejo, Mariano; Lambre, Hector

2006-01-01

Purpose: To describe MRI findings of the different brain venous pathologies. Material and Methods: Between January 2002 and March 2004, 18 patients were studied 10 males and 8 females between 6 and 63 years old; with different brain venous pathologies. In all cases brain MRI were performed including morphological sequences with and without gadolinium injection and angiographic venous sequences. Results: 10 venous occlusions were found, 6 venous angiomas, and 2 presented varices secondary to arteriovenous dural fistula. Conclusion: Brain venous pathologies can appear in many different clinical contexts, with different prognosis and treatment. In all the cases brain MRI was the best imaging study to disclose typical morphologic abnormalities. (author) [es

Functional MRI of Language Processing and Recovery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C. Méndez Orellana (Carolina)

2015-01-01

markdownabstract__Abstract__ My thesis describe the utility of implementing fMRI to investigate how the language system is reorganized in brain damaged patients. Specifically for aphasia research fMRI allows to show how specific language treatment methods have the potential to enhance language

2015 MICCAI Workshop on Computational Diffusion MRI

CERN Document Server

Ghosh, Aurobrata; Kaden, Enrico; Rathi, Yogesh; Reisert, Marco

2016-01-01

These Proceedings of the 2015 MICCAI Workshop “Computational Diffusion MRI” offer a snapshot of the current state of the art on a broad range of topics within the highly active and growing field of diffusion MRI. The topics vary from fundamental theoretical work on mathematical modeling, to the development and evaluation of robust algorithms, new computational methods applied to diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data, and applications in neuroscientific studies and clinical practice. Over the last decade interest in diffusion MRI has exploded. The technique provides unique insights into the microstructure of living tissue and enables in-vivo connectivity mapping of the brain. Computational techniques are key to the continued success and development of diffusion MRI and to its widespread transfer into clinical practice. New processing methods are essential for addressing issues at each stage of the diffusion MRI pipeline: acquisition, reconstruction, modeling and model fitting, image processing, fiber t...

fMRI. Basics and clinical applications. 2. ed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ulmer, Stephan [Medizinisch Radiologisces Institut (MRI), Zuerich (Switzerland); Universitaetsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel (Germany). Inst. fuer Neuroradiologie; Jansen, Olav (eds.) [Universitaetsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel (Germany). Inst. fuer Neuroradiologie

2013-11-01

State of the art overview of fMRI. Covers technical issues, methods of statistical analysis, and the full range of clinical applications. Revised and expanded edition including discussion of novel aspects of analysis and further important applications. Includes comparisons with other brain mapping techniques and discussion of potential combined uses. Since functional MRI (fMRI) and the basic method of BOLD imaging were introduced in 1993 by Seiji Ogawa, fMRI has evolved into an invaluable clinical tool for routine brain imaging, and there have been substantial improvements in both the imaging technique itself and the associated statistical analysis. This book provides a state of the art overview of fMRI and its use in clinical practice. Experts in the field share their knowledge and explain how to overcome diverse potential technical barriers and problems. Starting from the very basics on the origin of the BOLD signal, the book covers technical issues, anatomical landmarks, the full range of clinical applications, methods of statistical analysis, and special issues in various clinical fields. Comparisons are made with other brain mapping techniques, such as DTI, PET, TMS, EEG, and MEG, and their combined use with fMRI is also discussed. Since the first edition, original chapters have been updated and new chapters added, covering both novel aspects of analysis and further important clinical applications.

fMRI. Basics and clinical applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ulmer, Stephan; Jansen, Olav (eds.) [University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel (Germany). Inst. of Neuroradiology, Neurocenter

2010-07-01

Functional MRI (fMRI) and the basic method of BOLD imaging were introduced in 1993 by Seiji Ogawa. From very basic experiments, fMRI has evolved into a clinical application for daily routine brain imaging. There have been various improvements in both the imaging technique as such as well as in the statistical analysis. In this volume, experts in the field share their knowledge and point out possible technical barriers and problems explaining how to solve them. Starting from the very basics on the origin of the BOLD signal, the book covers technical issues, anatomical landmarks, presurgical applications, and special issues in various clinical fields. Other modalities for brain mapping such as PET, TMS, and MEG are also compared with fMRI. This book is intended to give a state-of-the-art overview and to serve as a reference and guide for clinical applications of fMRI. (orig.)

Comparison between PET template-based method and MRI-based method for cortical quantification of florbetapir (AV-45) uptake in vivo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saint-Aubert, L.; Nemmi, F.; Peran, P. [Inserm, Imagerie Cerebrale et Handicaps neurologiques UMR 825, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse (France); Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Universite de Toulouse, UPS, Imagerie Cerebrale et Handicaps Neurologiques UMR 825, Toulouse (France); Barbeau, E.J. [Universite de Toulouse, UPS, Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, France, CNRS, CerCo, Toulouse (France); Service de Neurologie, Pole Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse (France); Payoux, P. [Inserm, Imagerie Cerebrale et Handicaps neurologiques UMR 825, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse (France); Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Universite de Toulouse, UPS, Imagerie Cerebrale et Handicaps Neurologiques UMR 825, Toulouse (France); Service de Medecine Nucleaire, Pole Imagerie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse (France); Chollet, F.; Pariente, J. [Inserm, Imagerie Cerebrale et Handicaps neurologiques UMR 825, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse (France); Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Universite de Toulouse, UPS, Imagerie Cerebrale et Handicaps Neurologiques UMR 825, Toulouse (France); Service de Neurologie, Pole Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse (France)

2014-05-15

Florbetapir (AV-45) has been shown to be a reliable tool for assessing in vivo amyloid load in patients with Alzheimer's disease from the early stages. However, nonspecific white matter binding has been reported in healthy subjects as well as in patients with Alzheimer's disease. To avoid this issue, cortical quantification might increase the reliability of AV-45 PET analyses. In this study, we compared two quantification methods for AV-45 binding, a classical method relying on PET template registration (route 1), and a MRI-based method (route 2) for cortical quantification. We recruited 22 patients at the prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease and 17 matched controls. AV-45 binding was assessed using both methods, and target-to-cerebellum mean global standard uptake values (SUVr) were obtained for each of them, together with SUVr in specific regions of interest. Quantification using the two routes was compared between the clinical groups (intragroup comparison), and between groups for each route (intergroup comparison). Discriminant analysis was performed. In the intragroup comparison, differences in uptake values were observed between route 1 and route 2 in both groups. In the intergroup comparison, AV-45 uptake was higher in patients than controls in all regions of interest using both methods, but the effect size of this difference was larger using route 2. In the discriminant analysis, route 2 showed a higher specificity (94.1 % versus 70.6 %), despite a lower sensitivity (77.3 % versus 86.4 %), and D-prime values were higher for route 2. These findings suggest that, although both quantification methods enabled patients at early stages of Alzheimer's disease to be well discriminated from controls, PET template-based quantification seems adequate for clinical use, while the MRI-based cortical quantification method led to greater intergroup differences and may be more suitable for use in current clinical research. (orig.)

Numbering of vertebrae on MRI using a PACS cross-referencing tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paik, Nam Chull; Lim, Chun Soo; Jang, Ho Suk

2012-01-01

Background: For the detection and documentation of numeric variations on spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), different techniques have previously been introduced. However, these methods require additional special imaging algorithms, software, or devices. We intend to introduce a vertebral numbering method using the existing picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and MRI system. Purpose: To assess the accuracy of a method for numbering presacral vertebrae based on the cross-referencing of two sagittal MRI series. Material and Methods: This study was a retrospective review of 224 consecutive patients who underwent both lumbar MRI with cervicothoracic scan and whole spine radiographic examinations. A radiologist and a neurosurgeon independently counted the number of presacral vertebrae in a cranial-to-caudal approach with cross-referencing of cervicothoracic and lumbar MRI sagittal series on the PACS workstation. Radiographic numbering from the cervical through the thoracic to the lumbar vertebrae, as a reference standard, was completed independently by the two reviewers. An analysis of the inter-observer and intermodality agreements of radiography and MRI was done. Results: In all cases except one, concordant numbering existed between the two modalities of MRI cross-referencing and radiographs combination. Both observers agreed completely, with no inter-observer discordance. Conclusion: The number of vertebrae could be identified consistently by counting caudally from C2 with cross-referencing cervicothoracic and lumbosacral sagittal MRI scans on the PACS workstation

Numbering of vertebrae on MRI using a PACS cross-referencing tool

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paik, Nam Chull [Dept. of Radiology, Arumdaun Wooldul Spine Hospital, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)], e-mail: srsna@freechal.com; Lim, Chun Soo; Jang, Ho Suk [Dept. of Neurosurgery, Arumdaun Wooldul Spine Hospital, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2012-09-15

Background: For the detection and documentation of numeric variations on spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), different techniques have previously been introduced. However, these methods require additional special imaging algorithms, software, or devices. We intend to introduce a vertebral numbering method using the existing picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and MRI system. Purpose: To assess the accuracy of a method for numbering presacral vertebrae based on the cross-referencing of two sagittal MRI series. Material and Methods: This study was a retrospective review of 224 consecutive patients who underwent both lumbar MRI with cervicothoracic scan and whole spine radiographic examinations. A radiologist and a neurosurgeon independently counted the number of presacral vertebrae in a cranial-to-caudal approach with cross-referencing of cervicothoracic and lumbar MRI sagittal series on the PACS workstation. Radiographic numbering from the cervical through the thoracic to the lumbar vertebrae, as a reference standard, was completed independently by the two reviewers. An analysis of the inter-observer and intermodality agreements of radiography and MRI was done. Results: In all cases except one, concordant numbering existed between the two modalities of MRI cross-referencing and radiographs combination. Both observers agreed completely, with no inter-observer discordance. Conclusion: The number of vertebrae could be identified consistently by counting caudally from C2 with cross-referencing cervicothoracic and lumbosacral sagittal MRI scans on the PACS workstation.

MRI-determined liver proton density fat fraction, with MRS validation: Comparison of regions of interest sampling methods in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Vu, Kim-Nhien; Gilbert, Guillaume; Chalut, Marianne; Chagnon, Miguel; Chartrand, Gabriel; Tang, An

2016-05-01

To assess the agreement between published magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based regions of interest (ROI) sampling methods using liver mean proton density fat fraction (PDFF) as the reference standard. This retrospective, internal review board-approved study was conducted in 35 patients with type 2 diabetes. Liver PDFF was measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) using a stimulated-echo acquisition mode sequence and MRI using a multiecho spoiled gradient-recalled echo sequence at 3.0T. ROI sampling methods reported in the literature were reproduced and liver mean PDFF obtained by whole-liver segmentation was used as the reference standard. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), Bland-Altman analysis, repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and paired t-tests were performed. ICC between MRS and MRI-PDFF was 0.916. Bland-Altman analysis showed excellent intermethod agreement with a bias of -1.5 ± 2.8%. The repeated-measures ANOVA found no systematic variation of PDFF among the nine liver segments. The correlation between liver mean PDFF and ROI sampling methods was very good to excellent (0.873 to 0.975). Paired t-tests revealed significant differences (P sampling methods that exclusively or predominantly sampled the right lobe. Significant correlations with mean PDFF were found with sampling methods that included higher number of segments, total area equal or larger than 5 cm(2) , or sampled both lobes (P = 0.001, 0.023, and 0.002, respectively). MRI-PDFF quantification methods should sample each liver segment in both lobes and include a total surface area equal or larger than 5 cm(2) to provide a close estimate of the liver mean PDFF. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

TU-CD-BRA-04: Evaluation of An Atlas-Based Segmentation Method for Prostate and Peripheral Zone Regions On MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, AS; Piper, J; Curry, K; Swallen, A; Padgett, K; Pollack, A; Stoyanova, RS

2015-01-01

Purpose: Prostate MRI plays an important role in diagnosis, biopsy guidance, and therapy planning for prostate cancer. Prostate MRI contours can be used to aid in image fusion for ultrasound biopsy guidance and delivery of radiation. Our goal in this study is to evaluate an automatic atlas-based segmentation method for generating prostate and peripheral zone (PZ) contours on MRI. Methods: T2-weighted MRIs were acquired on 3T-Discovery MR750 System (GE, Milwaukee). The Volumes of Interest (VOIs): prostate and PZ were outlined by an expert radiation oncologist and used to create an atlas library for atlas-based segmentation. The atlas-segmentation accuracy was evaluated using a leave-one-out analysis. The method involved automatically finding the atlas subject that best matched the test subject followed by a normalized intensity-based free-form deformable registration of the atlas subject to the test subject. The prostate and PZ contours were transformed to the test subject using the same deformation. For each test subject the three best matches were used and the final contour was combined using Majority Vote. The atlas-segmentation process was fully automatic. Dice similarity coefficients (DSC) and mean Hausdorff values were used for comparison. Results: VOIs contours were available for 28 subjects. For the prostate, the atlas-based segmentation method resulted in an average DSC of 0.88+/−0.08 and a mean Hausdorff distance of 1.1+/−0.9mm. The number of patients (#) in DSC ranges are as follows: 0.60–0.69(1), 0.70–0.79(2), 0.80–0.89(13), >0.89(11). For the PZ, the average DSC was 0.72+/−0.17 and average Hausdorff of 0.9+/−0.9mm. The number of patients (#) in DSC ranges are as follows: 0.89(1). Conclusion: The MRI atlas-based segmentation method achieved good results for both the whole prostate and PZ compared to expert defined VOIs. The technique is fast, fully automatic, and has the potential to provide significant time savings for prostate VOI

An automated method for mapping human tissue permittivities by MRI in hyperthermia treatment planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farace, Paolo; Antolini, Renzo [CMBM-ITC, Centro Materiali e Biofisica Medica, 38050 Povo-Trento (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM, Universita di Trento, 38050 Povo-Trento (Italy); Pontalti, Rolando; Cristoforetti, Luca [CMBM-ITC, Centro Materiali e Biofisica Medica, 38050 Povo-Trento (Italy); Scarpa, Marina [Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM, Universita di Trento, 38050 Povo-Trento (Italy)

1997-11-01

This paper presents an automatic method to obtain tissue complex permittivity values to be used as input data in the computer modelling for hyperthermia treatment planning. Magnetic resonance (MR) images were acquired and the tissue water content was calculated from the signal intensity of the image pixels. The tissue water content was converted into complex permittivity values by monotonic functions based on mixture theory. To obtain a water content map by MR imaging a gradient-echo pulse sequence was used and an experimental procedure was set up to correct for relaxation and radiofrequency field inhomogeneity effects on signal intensity. Two approaches were followed to assign the permittivity values to fat-rich tissues: (i) fat-rich tissue localization by a segmentation procedure followed by assignment of tabulated permittivity values; (ii) water content evaluation by chemical shift imaging followed by permittivity calculation. Tests were performed on phantoms of known water content to establish the reliability of the proposed method. MRI data were acquired and processed pixel-by-pixel according to the outlined procedure. The signal intensity in the phantom images correlated well with water content. Experiments were performed on volunteers' healthy tissue. In particular two anatomical structures were chosen to calculate permittivity maps: the head and the thigh. The water content and electric permittivity values were obtained from the MRI data and compared to others in the literature. A good agreement was found for muscle, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and white and grey matter. The advantages of the reported method are discussed in the light of possible application in hyperthermia treatment planning. (author)

An automated method for mapping human tissue permittivities by MRI in hyperthermia treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farace, Paolo; Antolini, Renzo; Pontalti, Rolando; Cristoforetti, Luca; Scarpa, Marina

1997-01-01

This paper presents an automatic method to obtain tissue complex permittivity values to be used as input data in the computer modelling for hyperthermia treatment planning. Magnetic resonance (MR) images were acquired and the tissue water content was calculated from the signal intensity of the image pixels. The tissue water content was converted into complex permittivity values by monotonic functions based on mixture theory. To obtain a water content map by MR imaging a gradient-echo pulse sequence was used and an experimental procedure was set up to correct for relaxation and radiofrequency field inhomogeneity effects on signal intensity. Two approaches were followed to assign the permittivity values to fat-rich tissues: (i) fat-rich tissue localization by a segmentation procedure followed by assignment of tabulated permittivity values; (ii) water content evaluation by chemical shift imaging followed by permittivity calculation. Tests were performed on phantoms of known water content to establish the reliability of the proposed method. MRI data were acquired and processed pixel-by-pixel according to the outlined procedure. The signal intensity in the phantom images correlated well with water content. Experiments were performed on volunteers' healthy tissue. In particular two anatomical structures were chosen to calculate permittivity maps: the head and the thigh. The water content and electric permittivity values were obtained from the MRI data and compared to others in the literature. A good agreement was found for muscle, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and white and grey matter. The advantages of the reported method are discussed in the light of possible application in hyperthermia treatment planning. (author)

An automated method for mapping human tissue permittivities by MRI in hyperthermia treatment planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Farace, P; Pontalti, R; Cristoforetti, L; Antolini, R; Scarpa, M

1997-11-01

This paper presents an automatic method to obtain tissue complex permittivity values to be used as input data in the computer modelling for hyperthermia treatment planning. Magnetic resonance (MR) images were acquired and the tissue water content was calculated from the signal intensity of the image pixels. The tissue water content was converted into complex permittivity values by monotonic functions based on mixture theory. To obtain a water content map by MR imaging a gradient-echo pulse sequence was used and an experimental procedure was set up to correct for relaxation and radiofrequency field inhomogeneity effects on signal intensity. Two approaches were followed to assign the permittivity values to fat-rich tissues: (i) fat-rich tissue localization by a segmentation procedure followed by assignment of tabulated permittivity values; (ii) water content evaluation by chemical shift imaging followed by permittivity calculation. Tests were performed on phantoms of known water content to establish the reliability of the proposed method. MRI data were acquired and processed pixel-by-pixel according to the outlined procedure. The signal intensity in the phantom images correlated well with water content. Experiments were performed on volunteers' healthy tissue. In particular two anatomical structures were chosen to calculate permittivity maps: the head and the thigh. The water content and electric permittivity values were obtained from the MRI data and compared to others in the literature. A good agreement was found for muscle, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and white and grey matter. The advantages of the reported method are discussed in the light of possible application in hyperthermia treatment planning.

An automated method for mapping human tissue permittivities by MRI in hyperthermia treatment planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farace, Paolo; Antolini, Renzo [CMBM-ITC, Centro Materiali e Biofisica Medica, 38050 Povo-Trento (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM, Universita di Trento, 38050 Povo-Trento (Italy); Pontalti, Rolando; Cristoforetti, Luca [CMBM-ITC, Centro Materiali e Biofisica Medica, 38050 Povo-Trento (Italy); Scarpa, Marina [Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM, Universita di Trento, 38050 Povo-Trento (Italy)

1997-11-01

This paper presents an automatic method to obtain tissue complex permittivity values to be used as input data in the computer modelling for hyperthermia treatment planning. Magnetic resonance (MR) images were acquired and the tissue water content was calculated from the signal intensity of the image pixels. The tissue water content was converted into complex permittivity values by monotonic functions based on mixture theory. To obtain a water content map by MR imaging a gradient-echo pulse sequence was used and an experimental procedure was set up to correct for relaxation and radiofrequency field inhomogeneity effects on signal intensity. Two approaches were followed to assign the permittivity values to fat-rich tissues: (i) fat-rich tissue localization by a segmentation procedure followed by assignment of tabulated permittivity values; (ii) water content evaluation by chemical shift imaging followed by permittivity calculation. Tests were performed on phantoms of known water content to establish the reliability of the proposed method. MRI data were acquired and processed pixel-by-pixel according to the outlined procedure. The signal intensity in the phantom images correlated well with water content. Experiments were performed on volunteers' healthy tissue. In particular two anatomical structures were chosen to calculate permittivity maps: the head and the thigh. The water content and electric permittivity values were obtained from the MRI data and compared to others in the literature. A good agreement was found for muscle, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and white and grey matter. The advantages of the reported method are discussed in the light of possible application in hyperthermia treatment planning. (author)

CT and MRI of hip arthroplasty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cahir, J.G.; Toms, A.P.; Marshall, T.J.; Wimhurst, J.; Nolan, J.

2007-01-01

Plain films are the initial imaging method of choice for evaluation of hip arthroplasty. Recent advances in technology and imaging techniques have largely overcome the problems of beam hardening in computed tomography (CT) and magnetic susceptibility artefact in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CT and MRI have now become useful imaging techniques in the assessment of hip arthroplasty

Defining active sacroiliitis on MRI for classification of axial spondyloarthritis: update by the ASAS MRI working group

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lambert, Robert G W; Bakker, Pauline A C; van der Heijde, Désirée

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To review and update the existing definition of a positive MRI for classification of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA). METHODS: The Assessment in SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) MRI working group conducted a consensus exercise to review the definition of a positive MRI...... for inclusion in the ASAS classification criteria of axial SpA. Existing definitions and new data relevant to the MRI diagnosis and classification of sacroiliitis and spondylitis in axial SpA, published since the ASAS definition first appeared in print in 2009, were reviewed and discussed. The precise wording...... of the existing definition was examined in detail and the data and a draft proposal were presented to and voted on by the ASAS membership. RESULTS: The clear presence of bone marrow oedema on MRI in subchondral bone is still considered to be the defining observation that determines the presence of active...

MRI diagnosis of eyeball diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao Xiaofeng; Shi Zengru; Xiao Xiangsheng; Yu Hong; Wei Ruili

2003-01-01

Objective: To review the MR imaging of eyeball mass in 75 patients with the intention to enhance the acknowledgement to eyeball diseases. Methods: Seventy-five patients, 45 males and 30 females, were examined with MRI before treatment. Most MRI studies were performed with head coil and a few with orbit surface coil. Sagittal, coronal, and axial images were attained. Enhanced MRI studies were performed in 37 cases. High magnetic field MRI studies were performed with additional fat saturation technique. Results: Retinoblastoma (20 cases) showed isointensity in 11 and low signal intensity in 9 on T 1 WI, and isointensity in 5 and slight high signal in 15 on T 2 WI. Coats' disease (5 cases) involved single eyeball in all cases without calcification or eyeball enlargement, and presented as slight high signal on T 1 WI and high signal on T 2 WI. Choroidal angioma (3 cases) showed slight high signal on T 1 WI and high signal on T 2 WI. Metastasis (20 cases) was located in the posterior wall of the eyeball. Extra-global invasion occurred in 8 cases and intra-global invasion in 20. Marked thickening of the global wall with isointensity (8 cases) or low signal intensity (12 cases) was detected on T 1 WI, and isointensity (6 cases) or slight high signal intensity (14 cases) was demonstrated on T 2 WI. Marked enhancement was revealed in all 15 cases. Melanoma (7 cases) showed high signal intensity (5) and isointensity (2) on T 1 WI, and low signal (7) on T 2 WI. Retinal detachment (19 cases) showed high signal on both T 1 and T 2 WI, etc. In the diagnosis of eyeball diseases with MRI, the total sensitivity was 100% and specificity was 86.7%. Conclusions: MRI imaging is an important examination method to eyeball diseases, and most diagnosis and differential diagnosis of eyeball diseases can be made correctly with MRI

Type gaucher disease: radiographic and MRI manifestations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Yanqing; Li Kuncheng; Wang Yunzhao; Tian Ding

1999-01-01

Objective: To enhance the understanding of Gaucher disease (GD) type I bone involvement on imaging findings. Methods: The X-ray plain film and MRI findings of GD type I were reported, and literature reviewed. Results: The X-ray plain film of GD had characteristic change. The extent of bone involvement demonstrated could be depicted in longitudinal direction and the changes of marrow involvement on MRI. Conclusions: MRI is the best way to diagnose the bone involvement of GD

Predicting response before initiation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer using new methods for the analysis of dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE MRI) data

Science.gov (United States)

DeGrandchamp, Joseph B.; Whisenant, Jennifer G.; Arlinghaus, Lori R.; Abramson, V. G.; Yankeelov, Thomas E.; Cárdenas-Rodríguez, Julio

2016-03-01

The pharmacokinetic parameters derived from dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI have shown promise as biomarkers for tumor response to therapy. However, standard methods of analyzing DCE MRI data (Tofts model) require high temporal resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and the Arterial Input Function (AIF). Such models produce reliable biomarkers of response only when a therapy has a large effect on the parameters. We recently reported a method that solves the limitations, the Linear Reference Region Model (LRRM). Similar to other reference region models, the LRRM needs no AIF. Additionally, the LRRM is more accurate and precise than standard methods at low SNR and slow temporal resolution, suggesting LRRM-derived biomarkers could be better predictors. Here, the LRRM, Non-linear Reference Region Model (NRRM), Linear Tofts model (LTM), and Non-linear Tofts Model (NLTM) were used to estimate the RKtrans between muscle and tumor (or the Ktrans for Tofts) and the tumor kep,TOI for 39 breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). These parameters and the receptor statuses of each patient were used to construct cross-validated predictive models to classify patients as complete pathological responders (pCR) or non-complete pathological responders (non-pCR) to NAC. Model performance was evaluated using area under the ROC curve (AUC). The AUC for receptor status alone was 0.62, while the best performance using predictors from the LRRM, NRRM, LTM, and NLTM were AUCs of 0.79, 0.55, 0.60, and 0.59 respectively. This suggests that the LRRM can be used to predict response to NAC in breast cancer.

SU-E-J-192: Verification of 4D-MRI Internal Target Volume Using Cine MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lafata, K; Czito, B; Palta, M; Bashir, M; Yin, F; Cai, J [Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: To investigate the accuracy of 4D-MRI in determining the Internal Target Volume (ITV) used in radiation oncology treatment planning of liver cancers. Cine MRI is used as the standard baseline in establishing the feasibility and accuracy of 4D-MRI tumor motion within the liver. Methods: IRB approval was obtained for this retrospective study. Analysis was performed on MR images from four patients receiving external beam radiation therapy for liver cancer at our institution. Eligible patients received both Cine and 4D-MRI scans before treatment. Cine images were acquired sagittally in real time at a slice bisecting the tumor, while 4D images were acquired volumetrically. Cine MR DICOM headers were manipulated such that each respiratory frame was assigned a unique slice location. This approach permitted the treatment planning system (Eclipse, Varian Medical Systems) to recognize a complete respiratory cycle as a “volume”, where the gross tumor was contoured temporally. Software was developed to calculate the union of all frame contours in the structure set, resulting in the corresponding plane of the ITV projecting through the middle of the tumor, defined as the Internal Target Area (ITA). This was repeated for 4D-MRI, at the corresponding slice location, allowing a direct comparison of ITAs obtained from each modality. Results: Four patients have been analyzed. ITAs contoured from 4D-MRI correlate with contours from Cine MRI. The mean error of 4D values relative to Cine values is 7.67 +/− 2.55 %. No single ITA contoured from 4D-MRI demonstrated more than 10.5 % error compared to its Cine MRI counterpart. Conclusion: Motion management is a significant aspect of treatment planning within dynamic environments such as the liver, where diaphragmatic and cardiac activity influence plan accuracy. This small pilot study suggests that 4D-MRI based ITA measurements agree with Cine MRI based measurements, an important step towards clinical implementation. NIH 1R21

SU-E-J-192: Verification of 4D-MRI Internal Target Volume Using Cine MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lafata, K; Czito, B; Palta, M; Bashir, M; Yin, F; Cai, J

2014-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the accuracy of 4D-MRI in determining the Internal Target Volume (ITV) used in radiation oncology treatment planning of liver cancers. Cine MRI is used as the standard baseline in establishing the feasibility and accuracy of 4D-MRI tumor motion within the liver. Methods: IRB approval was obtained for this retrospective study. Analysis was performed on MR images from four patients receiving external beam radiation therapy for liver cancer at our institution. Eligible patients received both Cine and 4D-MRI scans before treatment. Cine images were acquired sagittally in real time at a slice bisecting the tumor, while 4D images were acquired volumetrically. Cine MR DICOM headers were manipulated such that each respiratory frame was assigned a unique slice location. This approach permitted the treatment planning system (Eclipse, Varian Medical Systems) to recognize a complete respiratory cycle as a “volume”, where the gross tumor was contoured temporally. Software was developed to calculate the union of all frame contours in the structure set, resulting in the corresponding plane of the ITV projecting through the middle of the tumor, defined as the Internal Target Area (ITA). This was repeated for 4D-MRI, at the corresponding slice location, allowing a direct comparison of ITAs obtained from each modality. Results: Four patients have been analyzed. ITAs contoured from 4D-MRI correlate with contours from Cine MRI. The mean error of 4D values relative to Cine values is 7.67 +/− 2.55 %. No single ITA contoured from 4D-MRI demonstrated more than 10.5 % error compared to its Cine MRI counterpart. Conclusion: Motion management is a significant aspect of treatment planning within dynamic environments such as the liver, where diaphragmatic and cardiac activity influence plan accuracy. This small pilot study suggests that 4D-MRI based ITA measurements agree with Cine MRI based measurements, an important step towards clinical implementation. NIH 1R21

Breast MRI of ductal carcinoma in situ. Is there MRI role?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francescutti, G.E.; Londero, V.; Berra, I.; Del Frate, C.; Zuiani, C.; Bazzocchi, M.

2002-01-01

Background. The purpose of this study is to report our personal experience of 22 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) studied with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patients and methods. From September 1995 to December 2001, 22 women diagnosed with DCIS lesions underwent contrast enhanced MRI within 7 days after mammographic examination. Dynamic MRI was performed with a 1 T system, using a three dimensional fast low angle shot (FLASH) pulse sequence before and after contrast media administration. We evaluated the morphologic features of the enhancement, the enhancement rate and the signal time intensity curve. Pathology was obtained in all cases. Results. The results of histopatological examination included: 15 DCIS and 7 DCIS with associated microinvasive component or microfoci of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). On MRI, 21 of 22 (95%) DCIS lesions showed contrast enhancement. Fourteen out of 15 pure DCIS lesions demonstrated respectively a low (3), undeterminate (5), and strong (6) enhancement. Morphologically, the enhancing lesion was focal in 7, segmental in 4, and with linear branching in 3 cases. Wash out was found in 4 cases, plateau curve in 8 and Type I curve in 2 cases. Multifocality was present in 5 cases. All DCIS with associated microinvasion demonstrated contrast enhancement: 1/7 cases showed a low enhancement, 2/7 showed an indeterminate enhancement and 4/7 showed a strong enhancement. Morphologically, the enhancing lesion was focal in 3/9, segmental in 5 and with linear branching in 1 case. The wash out was demonstrated in 3/7 cases, plateau curve in 3 and Type 1 curve in 1 case. Multifocality was present in 3 cases. Conclusions. In conclusion, the sensitivity of MRI for DCIS detection is lower than that achieved for invasive breast cancer; however, contrast-enhanced MRI can depict foci of DCIS that are mammographically occult. The MRI technique is of complementary value for a better description of tumor size and detection of additional

Clinical and MRI evaluation of tuberculous meningitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Chunjing; Shu Jiner; Chen Jian; Sheng Sanlan; Lu Jinhua; Cai Xiaoxiao; Li Huimin

2010-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the relationship of clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM), and to improve the understanding of TBM. Methods: The clinical and MRI findings in 42 patients with confirmed TBM were analyzed retrospectively. MRI examination was performed using a 1 Tesla system, including SE T 1 WI and T 2 WI. Intravenous contrast was injected in 29 patients, and follow-up scans were performed on 17 patients. Results: Of 24 patients with early TBM, MRI was abnormal in 5(21%) with slight Tl-hypointense meningeal (4) or ependymal thickening (1). MRI on 33/35 (94%) patients with late stage TBM was abnormal with T 1 hypointensity and T 2 hyperintensity including meningeal thickening (19), mild surrounding brain edema (10), nodules (11), tuberculoma (5) and abscess (2). There was significant plaque-like, nodular or rim enhancement with surrounding brain edema. Conclusion: Tuberculous meningitis has minimal clinical and MRI findings in the early phase and significant clinical and MRI findings in the late phase. The enhanced scan may help to detect the abnormality. (authors)

MRI of plants and foods

Science.gov (United States)

Van As, Henk; van Duynhoven, John

2013-04-01

The importance and prospects for MRI as applied to intact plants and to foods are presented in view of one of humanity's most pressing concerns, the sustainable and healthy feeding of a worldwide increasing population. Intact plants and foods have in common that their functionality is determined by complex multiple length scale architectures. Intact plants have an additional level of complexity since they are living systems which critically depend on transport and signalling processes between and within tissues and organs. The combination of recent cutting-edge technical advances and integration of MRI accessible parameters has the perspective to contribute to breakthroughs in understanding complex regulatory plant performance mechanisms. In food science and technology MRI allows for quantitative multi-length scale structural assessment of food systems, non-invasive monitoring of heat and mass transport during shelf-life and processing, and for a unique view on food properties under shear. These MRI applications are powerful enablers of rationally (re)designed food formulations and processes. Limitations and bottlenecks of the present plant and food MRI methods are mainly related to short T2 values and susceptibility artefacts originating from small air spaces in tissues/materials. We envisage cross-fertilisation of solutions to overcome these hurdles in MRI applications in plants and foods. For both application areas we witness a development where MRI is moving from highly specialised equipment to mobile and downscaled versions to be used by a broad user base in the field, greenhouse, food laboratory or factory.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in patients with luminal Crohn's disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ziech, M. L. W.; Lavini, C.; Caan, M. W. A.; Nio, C. Y.; Stokkers, P. C. F.; Bipat, S.; Ponsioen, C. Y.; Nederveen, A. J.; Stoker, J.

2012-01-01

Objectives: To prospectively assess dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE-)MRI as compared to conventional sequences in patients with luminal Crohn's disease. Methods: Patients with Crohn's disease undergoing MRI and ileocolonoscopy within 1 month had DCE-MRI (3T) during intravenous contrast injection of

MRI findings and correlative study of MRI and visual evoked potentials in optic neuritis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Fei; Li Jing; Wang Zhenchang; Liu Shoubin; Zhang Xiaojun

2008-01-01

Objective: To investigate the effective MRI sequences and describe the correlation between MRI and visual evoked potential (VEP) in diagnosing optic neuritis. Methods: One hundred and fifty-four eyes with visual impairment of 98 patients with diagnoses of optic neuritis, papillitis, multiple sclerosis and Devic's disease underwent MRI and VEP examination. The MRI findings were analyzed and correlated with VEP results and clinical presentation by using X 2 test, wilco xon test and Kappa test. Results Out of the 154 sick eyes, 56 eyes presented thickened optic nerves, 76 eyes had normal diameter of the optic nerve, and 22 eyes had thin optic nerves. A total of 132 optic nerves showed abnormally high signal in STIR sequences, including involvement of intraocular segment in 7, intraorbital segment in 1.35, intracanalicular segment in 109, intracranial segment in 97, optic chiasm in 56, and optic tract in 23. A total of 54 patients underwent postcontrast MRI. Seventy-four optic nerves of 87 eyes showed enhancement. Among the 196 eyes of 98 patients, 132 eyes presented visual impairment and simultaneous abnormal MR signal of the optic nerve, and 26 eyes had both normal vision and normal MR signal of optic nerve. The consistency of MRI findings and vision status was 80. 61% (Kappa 0.453,P 1 -weighted MR sequence combined with fat- suppression are helpful in diagnosis of optic neuritis. VEP is helpful in diagnosing optic neuritis and in finding subclinical visual problem. The MRI combined with VEP could improve the diagnostic accuracy of optic neuritis. (authors)

Complete Fourier Direct Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CFD-MRI for Diffusion MRI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alpay eÖzcan

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The foundation for an accurate and unifying Fourier based theory of diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI is constructed by carefully re-examining the first principles of DW-MRI signal formation and deriving its mathematical model from scratch. The derivations are specifically obtained for DW-MRI signal by including all of its elements (e.g., imaging gradients using complex values. Particle methods are utilized in contrast to conventional partial differential equations approach. The signal is shown to be the Fourier transform of the joint distribution of number of the magnetic moments (at a given location at the initial time and magnetic moment displacement integrals. In effect, the k-space is augmented by three more dimensions, corresponding to the frequency variables dual to displacement integral vectors. The joint distribution function is recovered by applying the Fourier transform to the complete high-dimensional data set. In the process, to obtain a physically meaningful real valued distribution function, phase corrections are applied for the re-establishment of Hermitian symmetry in the signal. Consequently, the method is fully unconstrained and directly presents the distribution of displacement integrals without any assumptions such as symmetry or Markovian property. The joint distribution function is visualized with isosurfaces, which describe the displacement integrals, overlaid on the distribution map of the number of magnetic moments with low mobility. The model provides an accurate description of the molecular motion measurements via DW-MRI. The improvement of the characterization of tissue microstructure leads to a better localization, detection and assessment of biological properties such as white matter integrity. The results are demonstrated on the experimental data obtained from an ex-vivo baboon brain.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) -- Head

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... are clearer and more detailed than other imaging methods. This exam does not use ionizing radiation and ... clearer and more detailed than with other imaging methods. This detail makes MRI an invaluable tool in ...

MO-C-17A-02: A Novel Method for Evaluating Hepatic Stiffness Based On 4D-MRI and Deformable Image Registration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cui, T [Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Liang, X [Duke Unversity, Durham, NC (United States); Czito, B; Palta, M; Bashir, M; Yin, F; Cai, J [Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (United States)

2014-06-15

Purpose: Quantitative imaging of hepatic stiffness has significant potential in radiation therapy, ranging from treatment planning to response assessment. This study aims to develop a novel, noninvasive method to quantify liver stiffness with 3D strains liver maps using 4D-MRI and deformable image registration (DIR). Methods: Five patients with liver cancer were imaged with an institutionally developed 4D-MRI technique under an IRB-approved protocol. Displacement vector fields (DVFs) across the liver were generated via DIR of different phases of 4D-MRI. Strain tensor at each voxel of interest (VOI) was computed from the relative displacements between the VOI and each of the six adjacent voxels. Three principal strains (E{sub 1}, E{sub 2} and E{sub 3}) of the VOI were derived as the eigenvalue of the strain tensor, which represent the magnitudes of the maximum and minimum stretches. Strain tensors for two regions of interest (ROIs) were calculated and compared for each patient, one within the tumor (ROI{sub 1}) and the other in normal liver distant from the heart (ROI{sub 2}). Results: 3D strain maps were successfully generated fort each respiratory phase of 4D-MRI for all patients. Liver deformations induced by both respiration and cardiac motion were observed. Differences in strain values adjacent to the distant from the heart indicate significant deformation caused by cardiac expansion during diastole. The large E{sub 1}/E{sub 2} (∼2) and E{sub 1}/E{sub 2} (∼10) ratios reflect the predominance of liver deformation in the superior-inferior direction. The mean E{sub 1} in ROI{sub 1} (0.12±0.10) was smaller than in ROI{sub 2} (0.15±0.12), reflecting a higher degree of stiffness of the cirrhotic tumor. Conclusion: We have successfully developed a novel method for quantitatively evaluating regional hepatic stiffness based on DIR of 4D-MRI. Our initial findings indicate that liver strain is heterogeneous, and liver tumors may have lower principal strain values

MO-C-17A-02: A Novel Method for Evaluating Hepatic Stiffness Based On 4D-MRI and Deformable Image Registration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, T; Liang, X; Czito, B; Palta, M; Bashir, M; Yin, F; Cai, J

2014-01-01

Purpose: Quantitative imaging of hepatic stiffness has significant potential in radiation therapy, ranging from treatment planning to response assessment. This study aims to develop a novel, noninvasive method to quantify liver stiffness with 3D strains liver maps using 4D-MRI and deformable image registration (DIR). Methods: Five patients with liver cancer were imaged with an institutionally developed 4D-MRI technique under an IRB-approved protocol. Displacement vector fields (DVFs) across the liver were generated via DIR of different phases of 4D-MRI. Strain tensor at each voxel of interest (VOI) was computed from the relative displacements between the VOI and each of the six adjacent voxels. Three principal strains (E 1 , E 2 and E 3 ) of the VOI were derived as the eigenvalue of the strain tensor, which represent the magnitudes of the maximum and minimum stretches. Strain tensors for two regions of interest (ROIs) were calculated and compared for each patient, one within the tumor (ROI 1 ) and the other in normal liver distant from the heart (ROI 2 ). Results: 3D strain maps were successfully generated fort each respiratory phase of 4D-MRI for all patients. Liver deformations induced by both respiration and cardiac motion were observed. Differences in strain values adjacent to the distant from the heart indicate significant deformation caused by cardiac expansion during diastole. The large E 1 /E 2 (∼2) and E 1 /E 2 (∼10) ratios reflect the predominance of liver deformation in the superior-inferior direction. The mean E 1 in ROI 1 (0.12±0.10) was smaller than in ROI 2 (0.15±0.12), reflecting a higher degree of stiffness of the cirrhotic tumor. Conclusion: We have successfully developed a novel method for quantitatively evaluating regional hepatic stiffness based on DIR of 4D-MRI. Our initial findings indicate that liver strain is heterogeneous, and liver tumors may have lower principal strain values than normal liver. Thorough validation of our method is

A non-invasive method of quantifying pancreatic volume in mice using micro-MRI.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose L Paredes

Full Text Available In experimental models of pancreatic growth and recovery, changes in pancreatic size are assessed by euthanizing a large cohort of animals at varying time points and measuring organ mass. However, to ascertain this information in clinical practice, patients with pancreatic disorders routinely undergo non-invasive cross-sectional imaging of the pancreas using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI or computed tomography (CT. The aim of the current study was to develop a thin-sliced, optimized sequence protocol using a high field MRI to accurately calculate pancreatic volumes in the most common experimental animal, the mouse. Using a 7 Telsa Bruker micro-MRI system, we performed abdominal imaging in whole-fixed mice in three standard planes: axial, sagittal, and coronal. The contour of the pancreas was traced using Vitrea software and then transformed into a 3-dimensional (3D reconstruction, from which volumetric measurements were calculated. Images were optimized using heart perfusion-fixation, T1 sequence analysis, and 0.2 to 0.4 mm thick slices. As proof of principle, increases in pancreatic volume among mice of different ages correlated tightly with increasing body weight. In summary, this is the first study to measure pancreatic volumes in mice, using a high field 7 Tesla micro-MRI and a thin-sliced, optimized sequence protocol. We anticipate that micro-MRI will improve the ability to non-invasively quantify changes in pancreatic size and will dramatically reduce the number of animals required to serially assess pancreatic growth and recovery.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of congenital cardiovascular malformations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakakibara, Makoto; Kobayashi, Shirou; Imai, Hitoshi; Watanabe, Shigeru; Masuda, Yoshiaki; Inagaki, Yoshiaki; Morita, Huminori; Uematsu, Sadao; Arimizu, Noboru

1986-01-01

In order to determine the value of MRI in diagnosing congenital cardiovascular malformations, MR Images were obtained in 25 adult patients with congenital cardiovascular malformations. Gated MRI detected all of 13 atrial septal defects, and all of 4 ventricular septal defects, but ungated MRI detected none of 3 atrial septal defects. Other congenital cardiovascular malformations (2 with Ebstein's disease, 1 with Fallot's pentalogy, and 1 with Pulmonary stenosis) were well visualized. Vascular malformations (1 with Patent ducts arteriosus, 1 with Supravalvelar aortic stenosis, 1 with Coarctation of Aorta, 1 with Right Aortic Arch) were well visualized in all of 7 patients by ungated MRI. MRI was a valuable noninvasive method of diagnosing congenital heart disease. (author)

Anatomo-clinical overlapping maps (AnaCOM): a new method to create anatomo-functional maps from neuropsychological tests and structural MRI scan of subjects with brain lesions

Science.gov (United States)

Kinkingnehun, Serge R. J.; du Boisgueheneuc, Foucaud; Golmard, Jean-Louis; Zhang, Sandy X.; Levy, Richard; Dubois, Bruno

2004-04-01

We have developed a new technique to analyze correlations between brain anatomy and its neurological functions. The technique is based on the anatomic MRI of patients with brain lesions who are administered neuropsychological tests. Brain lesions of the MRI scans are first manually segmented. The MRI volumes are then normalized to a reference map, using the segmented area as a mask. After normalization, the brain lesions of the MRI are segmented again in order to redefine the border of the lesions in the context of the normalized brain. Once the MRI is segmented, the patient's score on the neuropsychological test is assigned to each voxel in the lesioned area, while the rest of the voxels of the image are set to 0. Subsequently, the individual patient's MRI images are superimposed, and each voxel is reassigned the average score of the patients who have a lesion at that voxel. A threshold is applied to remove regions having less than three overlaps. This process leads to an anatomo-functional map that links brain areas to functional loss. Other maps can be created to aid in analyzing the functional maps, such as one that indicates the 95% confidence interval of the averaged scores for each area. This anatomo-clinical overlapping map (AnaCOM) method was used to obtain functional maps from patients with lesions in the superior frontal gyrus. By finding particular subregions more responsible for a particular deficit, this method can generate new hypotheses to be tested by conventional group methods.

MRI to determine the chronological age of Ghanaian footballers

African Journals Online (AJOL)

of fusion of the distal radius on magentic resonance imaging (MRI) and comparing it with the Fédération Internationale de Football. Association (FIFA) MRI grading. Methods. MRI scans of the left wrists of 86 players aspiring to play for the national U17 football team were recruited for the study during a. 'justify your inclusion ...

CT and MRI characteristics of vertebral tuberculosis (34 cases)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Wenbing; Liao Qinghou; Wu Shiqiang; Huang Tao; Deng Yufang; Liu Jianming

2007-01-01

Objective: To explore CT and MRI characteristics of vertebral tuberculosis. Methods: 34 patients with vertebral tuberculosis proved by clinic or pathology were analyzed retrospectively. Of these patients, 20 were performed with CT examination and 24 with MRI, 10 with both CT and MRI. The results were compared mutually. Results: The CT features of vertebral tuberculosis were bone destruction, paraspinal abscess, spinal canal involvement. The MRI features of vertebral tuberculosis were bone destruction, intervertebral disc destruction, paraspinal abscess, spinal canal involvement, sub-ligamental spread. Conclusion: Vertebral tuberculosis showed multiple characteristics on CT and MRI. CT is useful in showing sequester and calcification, and MRI is useful in showing sub-ligamental spread, epidural and spinal cord involvement. Combining CT with and MRI is helpful for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of vertebral tuberculosis. (authors)

MRI for peripheral artery disease: Introductory physics for vascular physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Trisha L; Forbes, Thomas L; Dueck, Andrew D; Wright, Graham A

2018-04-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has advanced significantly in the past decade and provides a safe and non-invasive method of evaluating peripheral artery disease (PAD), with and without using exogenous contrast agents. MRI offers a promising alternative for imaging patients but the complexity of MRI can make it less accessible for physicians to understand or use. This article provides a brief introduction to the technical principles of MRI for physicians who manage PAD patients. We discuss the basic principles of how MRI works and tailor the discussion to how MRI can evaluate anatomic characteristics of peripheral arterial lesions.

Feature-Space Clustering for fMRI Meta-Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goutte, Cyril; Hansen, Lars Kai; Liptrot, Mathew G.

2001-01-01

MRI sequences containing several hundreds of images, it is sometimes necessary to invoke feature extraction to reduce the dimensionality of the data space. A second interesting application is in the meta-analysis of fMRI experiment, where features are obtained from a possibly large number of single......-voxel analyses. In particular this allows the checking of the differences and agreements between different methods of analysis. Both approaches are illustrated on a fMRI data set involving visual stimulation, and we show that the feature space clustering approach yields nontrivial results and, in particular......, shows interesting differences between individual voxel analysis performed with traditional methods. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc....

[Recent advances in newborn MRI].

Science.gov (United States)

Morel, B; Hornoy, P; Husson, B; Bloch, I; Adamsbaum, C

2014-07-01

The accurate morphological exploration of the brain is a major challenge in neonatology that advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can now provide. MRI is the gold standard if an hypoxic ischemic pathology is suspected in a full term neonate. In prematures, the specific role of MRI remains to be defined, secondary to US in any case. We present a state of the art of hardware and software technical developments in MRI. The increase in magnetic field strength (3 tesla) and the emergence of new MRI sequences provide access to new information. They both have positive and negative consequences on the daily clinical data acquisition use. The semiology of brain imaging in full term newborns and prematures is more extensive and complex and thereby more difficult to interpret. The segmentation of different brain structures in the newborn, even very premature, is now available. It is now possible to dissociate the cortex and basal ganglia from the cerebral white matter, to calculate the volume of anatomical structures, which improves the morphometric quantification and the understanding of the normal and abnormal brain development. MRI is a powerful tool to analyze the neonatal brain. The relevance of the diagnostic contribution requires an adaptation of the parameters of the sequences to acquire and of the image processing methods. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

MRI in patients with low back pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Rikke Krüger; Manniche, Claus; Leboeuf-Yde, Charlotte

MRI in LBP patients: good or bad? Background: The routine use of radiology is presently discouraged in patients with low back pain (LBP). MRI provides clinicians and patients with detailed knowledge of the spinal structures and has no known physical side effects. It is possible that detailed...... of MRI (the "old" group). As a new approach, all patients with certain criteria are now referred to MRI before the clinical examination (the "new" group).   Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate if the two different MRI approaches, the "old" and "new", resulted in differences in relation...... to: 1) duration of treatment, 2) number of contacts with clinicians and participation in group exercise, and 3) admission to primary care or another hospital department.   Design: Retrospective inspection of patient files. Method: Files were retrieved from consecutive patients from the "old" and "new...

MRI diagnosis of criss-cross heart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Jing; Jiang Tao; Lv Biao; Zhang Zhaoqi; Du Jiahui

2007-01-01

Objective: To investigate the value of MRI and MRA in the diagnosis of criss-cross heart(CCH). Methods: Four cases diagnosed as CCH received MRI examination. According to the methods and considerations of segmental analysis, the scan was performed with multiple sequences, multiple angles, and multiple positions in order to show the complicated anatomical malformations of CCH. Results: In all patients, atrioventricular connection was concordant. Both atrioventricular valves were aligned vertically from the anterior-superior to the posterior-inferior position in four patients. The blood streams in the inlet of both ventricles crossed in the midheart. The morphologic right ventricle was superiorly positioned on the morphologic left ventricle. There was horizontal ventricular septum and huge VSD in all patients. The ventriculoarterial connections were discordant, including total transposition of great arteries in 1 patient and double-outlet right ventricle in 3 patients. In addition, associated anomalies were found, including pulmonary stenosis (n=3), pulmonary hypertension (n=1), ASD (n=1), and right aortic arch and decending aorta (n=1). Conclusions: CCH can be accurately diagnosed by using MRI, and MRI has important value in clinical application. (authors)

Benign and malignant skull-involved lesions: discriminative value of conventional CT and MRI combined with diffusion-weighted MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Zhanhai; Xiao, Zebin; Zheng, Yingyan; Huang, Hongjie; Yang, Libin; Cao, Dairong

2018-01-01

Background Little is known about the value of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in distinguishing malignant from benign skull-involved lesions. Purpose To evaluate the discriminative value of DWI combined with conventional CT and MRI for differentiating between benign and malignant skull-involved lesions. Material and Methods CT and MRI findings of 58 patients with pathologically proven skull-involved lesions (43 benign and 15 malignant) were retrospectively reviewed. Conventional CT and MRI characteristics and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of the two groups were evaluated and compared. Multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the differential performance of each parameter separately and together. Results The presence of cortical defects or break-through and ill-defined margins were associated with malignant skull-involved lesions (both P benign and malignant skull-involved lesions. Conclusion The combination of CT, MRI, and DWI can help to differentiate malignant from benign skull-involved lesions. CT + MRI + DWI offers optimal sensitivity, while DWI offers optimal specificity.

Task-Related Edge Density (TED)-A New Method for Revealing Dynamic Network Formation in fMRI Data of the Human Brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohmann, Gabriele; Stelzer, Johannes; Zuber, Verena; Buschmann, Tilo; Margulies, Daniel; Bartels, Andreas; Scheffler, Klaus

2016-01-01

The formation of transient networks in response to external stimuli or as a reflection of internal cognitive processes is a hallmark of human brain function. However, its identification in fMRI data of the human brain is notoriously difficult. Here we propose a new method of fMRI data analysis that tackles this problem by considering large-scale, task-related synchronisation networks. Networks consist of nodes and edges connecting them, where nodes correspond to voxels in fMRI data, and the weight of an edge is determined via task-related changes in dynamic synchronisation between their respective times series. Based on these definitions, we developed a new data analysis algorithm that identifies edges that show differing levels of synchrony between two distinct task conditions and that occur in dense packs with similar characteristics. Hence, we call this approach "Task-related Edge Density" (TED). TED proved to be a very strong marker for dynamic network formation that easily lends itself to statistical analysis using large scale statistical inference. A major advantage of TED compared to other methods is that it does not depend on any specific hemodynamic response model, and it also does not require a presegmentation of the data for dimensionality reduction as it can handle large networks consisting of tens of thousands of voxels. We applied TED to fMRI data of a fingertapping and an emotion processing task provided by the Human Connectome Project. TED revealed network-based involvement of a large number of brain areas that evaded detection using traditional GLM-based analysis. We show that our proposed method provides an entirely new window into the immense complexity of human brain function.

Task-Related Edge Density (TED-A New Method for Revealing Dynamic Network Formation in fMRI Data of the Human Brain.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriele Lohmann

Full Text Available The formation of transient networks in response to external stimuli or as a reflection of internal cognitive processes is a hallmark of human brain function. However, its identification in fMRI data of the human brain is notoriously difficult. Here we propose a new method of fMRI data analysis that tackles this problem by considering large-scale, task-related synchronisation networks. Networks consist of nodes and edges connecting them, where nodes correspond to voxels in fMRI data, and the weight of an edge is determined via task-related changes in dynamic synchronisation between their respective times series. Based on these definitions, we developed a new data analysis algorithm that identifies edges that show differing levels of synchrony between two distinct task conditions and that occur in dense packs with similar characteristics. Hence, we call this approach "Task-related Edge Density" (TED. TED proved to be a very strong marker for dynamic network formation that easily lends itself to statistical analysis using large scale statistical inference. A major advantage of TED compared to other methods is that it does not depend on any specific hemodynamic response model, and it also does not require a presegmentation of the data for dimensionality reduction as it can handle large networks consisting of tens of thousands of voxels. We applied TED to fMRI data of a fingertapping and an emotion processing task provided by the Human Connectome Project. TED revealed network-based involvement of a large number of brain areas that evaded detection using traditional GLM-based analysis. We show that our proposed method provides an entirely new window into the immense complexity of human brain function.

Automated fibroglandular tissue segmentation and volumetric density estimation in breast MRI using an atlas-aided fuzzy C-means method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Shandong; Weinstein, Susan P.; Conant, Emily F.; Kontos, Despina, E-mail: despina.kontos@uphs.upenn.edu [Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 (United States)

2013-12-15

Purpose: Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an important role in the clinical management of breast cancer. Studies suggest that the relative amount of fibroglandular (i.e., dense) tissue in the breast as quantified in MR images can be predictive of the risk for developing breast cancer, especially for high-risk women. Automated segmentation of the fibroglandular tissue and volumetric density estimation in breast MRI could therefore be useful for breast cancer risk assessment. Methods: In this work the authors develop and validate a fully automated segmentation algorithm, namely, an atlas-aided fuzzy C-means (FCM-Atlas) method, to estimate the volumetric amount of fibroglandular tissue in breast MRI. The FCM-Atlas is a 2D segmentation method working on a slice-by-slice basis. FCM clustering is first applied to the intensity space of each 2D MR slice to produce an initial voxelwise likelihood map of fibroglandular tissue. Then a prior learned fibroglandular tissue likelihood atlas is incorporated to refine the initial FCM likelihood map to achieve enhanced segmentation, from which the absolute volume of the fibroglandular tissue (|FGT|) and the relative amount (i.e., percentage) of the |FGT| relative to the whole breast volume (FGT%) are computed. The authors' method is evaluated by a representative dataset of 60 3D bilateral breast MRI scans (120 breasts) that span the full breast density range of the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. The automated segmentation is compared to manual segmentation obtained by two experienced breast imaging radiologists. Segmentation performance is assessed by linear regression, Pearson's correlation coefficients, Student's pairedt-test, and Dice's similarity coefficients (DSC). Results: The inter-reader correlation is 0.97 for FGT% and 0.95 for |FGT|. When compared to the average of the two readers’ manual segmentation, the proposed FCM-Atlas method achieves a

Automated fibroglandular tissue segmentation and volumetric density estimation in breast MRI using an atlas-aided fuzzy C-means method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Shandong; Weinstein, Susan P.; Conant, Emily F.; Kontos, Despina

2013-01-01

Purpose: Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an important role in the clinical management of breast cancer. Studies suggest that the relative amount of fibroglandular (i.e., dense) tissue in the breast as quantified in MR images can be predictive of the risk for developing breast cancer, especially for high-risk women. Automated segmentation of the fibroglandular tissue and volumetric density estimation in breast MRI could therefore be useful for breast cancer risk assessment. Methods: In this work the authors develop and validate a fully automated segmentation algorithm, namely, an atlas-aided fuzzy C-means (FCM-Atlas) method, to estimate the volumetric amount of fibroglandular tissue in breast MRI. The FCM-Atlas is a 2D segmentation method working on a slice-by-slice basis. FCM clustering is first applied to the intensity space of each 2D MR slice to produce an initial voxelwise likelihood map of fibroglandular tissue. Then a prior learned fibroglandular tissue likelihood atlas is incorporated to refine the initial FCM likelihood map to achieve enhanced segmentation, from which the absolute volume of the fibroglandular tissue (|FGT|) and the relative amount (i.e., percentage) of the |FGT| relative to the whole breast volume (FGT%) are computed. The authors' method is evaluated by a representative dataset of 60 3D bilateral breast MRI scans (120 breasts) that span the full breast density range of the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. The automated segmentation is compared to manual segmentation obtained by two experienced breast imaging radiologists. Segmentation performance is assessed by linear regression, Pearson's correlation coefficients, Student's pairedt-test, and Dice's similarity coefficients (DSC). Results: The inter-reader correlation is 0.97 for FGT% and 0.95 for |FGT|. When compared to the average of the two readers’ manual segmentation, the proposed FCM-Atlas method achieves a correlation ofr = 0

Connective tissue of cervical carcinoma xenografts: associations with tumor hypoxia and interstitial fluid pressure and its assessment by DCE-MRI and DW-MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Hompland, Tord; Ellingsen, Christine; Galappathi, Kanthi; Rofstad, Einar K

2014-01-01

Abstract Background. A high fraction of stroma in malignant tissues is associated with tumor progression, metastasis, and poor prognosis. Possible correlations between the stromal and physiologic microenvironments of tumors and the potential of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) and diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in quantification of the stromal microenvironment were investigated in this study. Material and methods. CK-160 cervical carcinoma xenografts were used as preclinical tumor model. A total of 43 tumors were included in the study, and of these tumors, 17 were used to search for correlations between the stromal and physiologic microenvironments, 11 were subjected to DCE-MRI, and 15 were subjected to DW-MRI. DCE-MRI and DW-MRI were carried out at 1.5 T with a clinical MR scanner and a slotted tube resonator transceiver coil constructed for mice. Fraction of connective tissue (CTFCol) and fraction of hypoxic tissue (HFPim) were determined by immunohistochemistry. A Millar SPC 320 catheter was used to measure tumor interstitial fluid pressure (IFP). Results. CTFCol showed a positive correlation to IFP and an inverse correlation to HFPim. The apparent diffusion coefficient assessed by DW-MRI was inversely correlated to CTFCol, whereas no correlation was found between DCE-MRI-derived parameters and CTFCol. Conclusion. DW-MRI is a potentially useful method for characterizing the stromal microenvironment of tumors.

WE-B-BRD-00: MRI for Radiation Oncology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2015-06-15

The use of MRI in radiation therapy is rapidly increasing. Applications vary from the MRI simulator, to the MRI fused with CT, and to the integrated MRI+RT system. Compared with the standard MRI QA, a broader scope of QA features has to be defined in order to maximize the benefits of using MRI in radiation therapy. These QA features include geometric fidelity, image registration, motion management, cross-system alignment, and hardware interference. Advanced MRI techniques require a specific type of QA, as they are being widely used in radiation therapy planning, dose calculations, post-implant dosimetry, and prognoses. A vigorous and adaptive QA program is crucial to defining the responsibility of the entire radiation therapy group and detecting deviations from the performance of high-quality treatment. As a drastic departure from CT simulation, MRI simulation requires changes in the work flow of treatment planning and image guidance. MRI guided radiotherapy platforms are being developed and commercialized to take the advantage of the advance in knowledge, technology and clinical experience. This symposium will from an educational perspective discuss the scope and specific issues related to MRI guided radiotherapy. Learning Objectives: Understand the difference between a standard and a radiotherapy-specific MRI QA program. Understand the effects of MRI artifacts (geometric distortion and motion) on radiotherapy. Understand advanced MRI techniques (ultrashort echo, fast MRI including dynamic MRI and 4DMRI, diffusion, perfusion, and MRS) and related QA. Understand the methods to prepare MRI for treatment planning (electron density assignment, multimodality image registration, segmentation and motion management). Current status of MRI guided treatment platforms. Dr. Jihong Wang has a research grant with Elekta-MRL project. Dr. Ke Sheng receives research grants from Varian Medical systems.

Three-dimensional liver motion tracking using real-time two-dimensional MRI

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Brix, Lau, E-mail: lau.brix@stab.rm.dk [Department of Procurement and Clinical Engineering, Region Midt, Olof Palmes Allé 15, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark and MR Research Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Brendstrupgaardsvej 100, 8200 Aarhus N (Denmark); Ringgaard, Steffen [MR Research Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Brendstrupgaardsvej 100, 8200 Aarhus N (Denmark); Sørensen, Thomas Sangild [Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Aabogade 34, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark and Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Brendstrupgaardsvej 100, 8200 Aarhus N (Denmark); Poulsen, Per Rugaard [Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Brendstrupgaardsvej 100, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark and Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, 8000 Aarhus C (Denmark)

2014-04-15

Purpose: Combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and linear accelerators for radiotherapy (MR-Linacs) are currently under development. MRI is noninvasive and nonionizing and can produce images with high soft tissue contrast. However, new tracking methods are required to obtain fast real-time spatial target localization. This study develops and evaluates a method for tracking three-dimensional (3D) respiratory liver motion in two-dimensional (2D) real-time MRI image series with high temporal and spatial resolution. Methods: The proposed method for 3D tracking in 2D real-time MRI series has three steps: (1) Recording of a 3D MRI scan and selection of a blood vessel (or tumor) structure to be tracked in subsequent 2D MRI series. (2) Generation of a library of 2D image templates oriented parallel to the 2D MRI image series by reslicing and resampling the 3D MRI scan. (3) 3D tracking of the selected structure in each real-time 2D image by finding the template and template position that yield the highest normalized cross correlation coefficient with the image. Since the tracked structure has a known 3D position relative to each template, the selection and 2D localization of a specific template translates into quantification of both the through-plane and in-plane position of the structure. As a proof of principle, 3D tracking of liver blood vessel structures was performed in five healthy volunteers in two 5.4 Hz axial, sagittal, and coronal real-time 2D MRI series of 30 s duration. In each 2D MRI series, the 3D localization was carried out twice, using nonoverlapping template libraries, which resulted in a total of 12 estimated 3D trajectories per volunteer. Validation tests carried out to support the tracking algorithm included quantification of the breathing induced 3D liver motion and liver motion directionality for the volunteers, and comparison of 2D MRI estimated positions of a structure in a watermelon with the actual positions. Results: Axial, sagittal

Three-dimensional liver motion tracking using real-time two-dimensional MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brix, Lau; Ringgaard, Steffen; Sørensen, Thomas Sangild; Poulsen, Per Rugaard

2014-01-01

Purpose: Combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and linear accelerators for radiotherapy (MR-Linacs) are currently under development. MRI is noninvasive and nonionizing and can produce images with high soft tissue contrast. However, new tracking methods are required to obtain fast real-time spatial target localization. This study develops and evaluates a method for tracking three-dimensional (3D) respiratory liver motion in two-dimensional (2D) real-time MRI image series with high temporal and spatial resolution. Methods: The proposed method for 3D tracking in 2D real-time MRI series has three steps: (1) Recording of a 3D MRI scan and selection of a blood vessel (or tumor) structure to be tracked in subsequent 2D MRI series. (2) Generation of a library of 2D image templates oriented parallel to the 2D MRI image series by reslicing and resampling the 3D MRI scan. (3) 3D tracking of the selected structure in each real-time 2D image by finding the template and template position that yield the highest normalized cross correlation coefficient with the image. Since the tracked structure has a known 3D position relative to each template, the selection and 2D localization of a specific template translates into quantification of both the through-plane and in-plane position of the structure. As a proof of principle, 3D tracking of liver blood vessel structures was performed in five healthy volunteers in two 5.4 Hz axial, sagittal, and coronal real-time 2D MRI series of 30 s duration. In each 2D MRI series, the 3D localization was carried out twice, using nonoverlapping template libraries, which resulted in a total of 12 estimated 3D trajectories per volunteer. Validation tests carried out to support the tracking algorithm included quantification of the breathing induced 3D liver motion and liver motion directionality for the volunteers, and comparison of 2D MRI estimated positions of a structure in a watermelon with the actual positions. Results: Axial, sagittal

PET-MRI: the likely future of molecular imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Xiang; Zhao Jinhua; Zhao Jun

2008-01-01

PET-CT is a successful combination of functional and morphologic information, and it has already been shown to have great value both in clinics and in scientific research. MRI is another kind of morphologic imaging method, in contrast to CT, MRI can yield images with higher soft-tissue contrast and better spatial resolution. The combination of PET and MRI for simultaneous data acquisition should have far- reaching consequences for molecular imaging. This review will talk about the problems met in the development of PET-MRI and describe the progress to date and look forward to its potential application. (authors)

The role of MRI in suspected inner ear malformations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koesling, S.; Juettemann, S.; Amaya, B.; Rasinski, C.; Bloching, M.; Koenig, E.

2003-01-01

Purpose: This is a prospective analysis of the value of MRI in suspected inner ear malformations. Materials and Methods: In 50 patients (43 children and young adults, 7 adults) with suspected inner ear malformation MRI (1.5 T) was performed. In addition, 42 of these patients underwent CT. For the analysis of the inner ear structures, the constructive interference in steady state (CISS) sequence with 0.7 mm slice thickness was used. Functional tests revealed a sensorineural hearing loss or deafness in 82 temporal bones (TB) and a combined hearing loss in 4 TB. The hearing loss was unilateral in 14 patients. MRI and CT findings were compared. Results: Imaging findings were normal in 58 TB. The pathological findings included inner ear malformations (35 TB), inflammatory changes (4 TB), partial obliteration of labyrinth (2 TB) and congenital aural atresia (1 TB). An isolated absence of the cochlear nerve (1 TB) could only be found by MRI. In the remaining cases, an inner ear malformation was diagnosed by MRI and CT with the same confidence but MRI was superior in displaying the fine details. Conclusions: MRI will become the method of choice in the diagnosis of inner ear malformations. (orig.) [de

The MRI appearances of early vertebral osteomyelitis and discitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunbar, J.A.T.; Sandoe, J.A.T.; Rao, A.S.; Crimmins, D.W.; Baig, W.; Rankine, J.J.

2010-01-01

Aim: To describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearances in patients with a clinical history suggestive of vertebral osteomyelitis and discitis who underwent MRI very early in their clinical course. Materials and methods: A retrospective review of the database of spinal infections from a spinal microbiological liaison team was performed over a 2 year period to identify cases with clinical features suggestive of spinal infection and an MRI that did not show features typical of vertebral osteomyelitis and discitis. All patients had positive microbiology and a follow up MRI showing typical features of spinal infection. Results: In four cases the features typical of spinal infection were not evident at the initial MRI. In three cases there was very subtle endplate oedema associated with disc degeneration, which was interpreted as Modic type I degenerative endplate change. Intravenous antibiotic therapy was continued prior to repeat MRI examinations. The mean time to the repeat examination was 17 days with a range of 8-22 days. The second examinations clearly demonstrated vertebral osteomyelitis and discitis. Conclusion: Although MRI is the imaging method of choice for vertebral osteomyelitis and discitis in the early stages, it may show subtle, non-specific endplate subchondral changes; a repeat examination may be required to show the typical features.

Sensitivity and specificity of a new MRI method evaluating temporo-mandibular joint disc-condyle relationships: an in vivo study.

Science.gov (United States)

Benbelaïd, R; Fleiter, B

2006-03-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of a new method to locate temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) disc using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and analyze disc-condyle relationships, in asymptomatic subjects and patients with disc displacement. Twenty-nine sagittal MRI of 16 subjects, 8 asymptomatic volunteers and 8 subjects with anterior disc displacement, were carried out during controlled opening from intercuspal position up to a 25 mm opening. Selected sections were analyzed with a graphic computerized system of coordinates. The total surface area (TS) of disc section was separated into anterior surface area (AS) and posterior surface area. Areas were determined by computer. Two trained examiners drew images at random. The reliability of AS/TS ratio index was evaluated in a previous study. AS/TS ratio sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) were calculated closed mouth, 5 mm open and 25 mm open mouth. Best sensitivity (Se=0.63) and specificity (Sp=0.81) were obtained when MRI was realized with closed mouth and 25 mm open mouth. Lower sensitivity was observed when MRI was performed either with closed mouth (Se=0.54) or 25 mm open mouth (Se=0.18). Lower specificity was observed with 5 mm open mouth (Sp=0.68). In conclusion, it was confirmed as well that MRI of anterior disc displacement should be performed with closed mouth and opened mouth. Thus, further studies are required to assess disc displacement and mechanical alterations and to evaluate the risk of direct damage on TMJ tissues.

Quantitative chemical shift-encoded MRI is an accurate method to quantify hepatic steatosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kühn, Jens-Peter; Hernando, Diego; Mensel, Birger; Krüger, Paul C; Ittermann, Till; Mayerle, Julia; Hosten, Norbert; Reeder, Scott B

2014-06-01

To compare the accuracy of liver fat quantification using a three-echo chemical shift-encoded magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique without and with correction for confounders with spectroscopy (MRS) as the reference standard. Fifty patients (23 women, mean age 56.6 ± 13.2 years) with fatty liver disease were enrolled. Patients underwent T2-corrected single-voxel MRS and a three-echo chemical shift-encoded gradient echo (GRE) sequence at 3.0T. MRI fat fraction (FF) was calculated without and with T2* and T1 correction and multispectral modeling of fat and compared with MRS-FF using linear regression. The spectroscopic range of liver fat was 0.11%-38.7%. Excellent correlation between MRS-FF and MRI-FF was observed when using T2* correction (R(2)  = 0.96). With use of T2* correction alone, the slope was significantly different from 1 (1.16 ± 0.03, P fat were addressed, the results showed equivalence between fat quantification using MRI and MRS (slope: 1.02 ± 0.03, P = 0.528; intercept: 0.26% ± 0.46%, P = 0.572). Complex three-echo chemical shift-encoded MRI is equivalent to MRS for quantifying liver fat, but only with correction for T2* decay and T1 recovery and use of spectral modeling of fat. This is necessary because T2* decay, T1 recovery, and multispectral complexity of fat are processes which may otherwise bias the measurements. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hippocampal malrotation: MRI findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanez, Paulina; Martinez, Adriana; Romero, Carlos; Lopez, Miriam; Zaffaroni, Alejandra; Lopez, Adriana

2001-01-01

Purpose: To demonstrate the common features of hippocampus malrotation in patients with epilepsy by volumetric and high-resolution MRI. Material and methods: MRI study was performed in 5 patients (2 females and 3 males) ages ranged between 6-41 years (average: 25 years), all of them with epilepsy diagnosis. MRI was performed with a 1.5 T (GE Signa). The epilepsy protocol include sagittal T1, axial T1 and T2, coronal FLAIR, coronal T2 (high-resolution) and volumetric 3D SPGR IR 1.5 mm thick sequences. Results: The common features found in all patients were: a) Incomplete inversion and round configuration of the hippocampus; b) Unilateral affectation; c) Variable affectation of the hippocampus; d) Normal signal intensity; e) Modification of the inner structure of the hippocampus; f) Abnormal angularity of the collateral sulcus; g) Abnormal position and size of the fornix; h) Normal size of the temporal lobe; and i) Enlargement of the temporal horn with particular configuration. Conclusion: Hippocampus malrotation is a malformation that should be included in the differential diagnosis of the epilepsy patients. MRI provides accurate information for the diagnosis. (author)

Fetal MRI; Fetales MRT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blondin, D. [Inst. fuer Diagn. Radiologie, Uniklinikum Duesseldorf (Germany); Turowski, B. [Inst. fuer Diagn. Radiologie, Neuroradiologie, Uniklinikum Duesseldorf (Germany); Schaper, J. [Inst. fuer Diagn. Radiologie, Kinderradiologie, Uniklinikum Duesseldorf (Germany)

2007-02-15

Ultrasonography is the method of choice for prenatal malformation screening, but it does not always provide sufficient information for correct diagnosis or adequate abnormality evaluation. Fetal MRI is increasingly being used to complete sonographic findings. It was initially used for evaluation of cerebral abnormalities but is increasingly being applied to other fetal areas. In vivo investigation of fetal brain maturation has been enhanced by MRI. An adequate analysis of fetal chest and abdomen can be achieved with fast T2-, T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The advantages include the great field of view and the excellent soft tissue contrast. This allows correct diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia and evaluation of the consequences on pulmonary growth. Other pulmonary malformations, such as cystic adenomatoid malformation, sequestration and brochogenic cysts, can also be easily identified. Renal position can be quickly determined using DWI sequences and renal agenesia can be easily diagnosed with only one sequence. Prenatal MRI is virtually as effective as postnatal examination, dispenses with transport of a potentially very ill newborn, and provides logistic advantages. Therefore, prenatal MRI is useful for adequate postnatal treatment of newborns with malformations. (orig.)

The evaluation of FDG-PET imaging for epileptogenic focus localization in patients with MRI positive and MRI negative temporal lobe epilepsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gok, Beril; Jallo, George; Hayeri, Reza; Wahl, Richard; Aygun, Nafi

2013-01-01

We studied the contribution of interictal FDG-PET ([18 F] fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography) in epileptic focus identification in temporal lobe epilepsy patients with positive, equivocal and negative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ninety-eight patients who underwent surgical treatment for drug resistant temporal lobe epilepsy after neuropsychological evaluation, scalp video EEG monitoring, FDG-PET, MRI and/or long-term intracranial EEG and with >12 months clinical follow-up were included in this study. FDG-PET findings were compared to MRI, histopathology, scalp video EEG and long-term intracranial EEG monitoring. FDG-PET lateralized the seizure focus in 95 % of MRI positive, 69 % of MRI equivocal and 84 % of MRI negative patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the surgical outcomes among the groups with Engel class I and II outcomes achieved in 86 %, 86 %, 84 % of MRI positive, equivocal and negative temporal lobe epilepsy patients, respectively. The patients with positive unilateral FDG-PET demonstrated excellent postsurgical outcomes, with 96 % Engel class I and II. Histopathology revealed focal lesions in 75 % of MRI equivocal, 84 % of MRI positive, and 23 % of MRI negative temporal lobe epilepsy cases. FDG-PET is an accurate noninvasive method in lateralizing the epileptogenic focus in temporal lobe epilepsy, especially in patients with normal or equivocal MRIs, or non-lateralized EEG monitoring. Very subtle findings in MRI are often associated with histopathological lesions and should be described in MRI reports. The patients with negative or equivocal MRI temporal lobe epilepsy are good surgical candidates with comparable postsurgical outcomes to patients with MRI positive temporal lobe epilepsy. (orig.)

The evaluation of FDG-PET imaging for epileptogenic focus localization in patients with MRI positive and MRI negative temporal lobe epilepsy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gok, Beril [Drexel University, Department of Radiology, Mercy Catholic Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Johns Hopkins University, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Baltimore, MD (United States); Jallo, George [Johns Hopkins University, Department of Neurosurgery, Baltimore, MD (United States); Hayeri, Reza [Drexel University, Department of Radiology, Mercy Catholic Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Wahl, Richard [Johns Hopkins University, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Baltimore, MD (United States); Aygun, Nafi [Johns Hopkins University, Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2013-05-15

We studied the contribution of interictal FDG-PET ([18 F] fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography) in epileptic focus identification in temporal lobe epilepsy patients with positive, equivocal and negative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ninety-eight patients who underwent surgical treatment for drug resistant temporal lobe epilepsy after neuropsychological evaluation, scalp video EEG monitoring, FDG-PET, MRI and/or long-term intracranial EEG and with >12 months clinical follow-up were included in this study. FDG-PET findings were compared to MRI, histopathology, scalp video EEG and long-term intracranial EEG monitoring. FDG-PET lateralized the seizure focus in 95 % of MRI positive, 69 % of MRI equivocal and 84 % of MRI negative patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the surgical outcomes among the groups with Engel class I and II outcomes achieved in 86 %, 86 %, 84 % of MRI positive, equivocal and negative temporal lobe epilepsy patients, respectively. The patients with positive unilateral FDG-PET demonstrated excellent postsurgical outcomes, with 96 % Engel class I and II. Histopathology revealed focal lesions in 75 % of MRI equivocal, 84 % of MRI positive, and 23 % of MRI negative temporal lobe epilepsy cases. FDG-PET is an accurate noninvasive method in lateralizing the epileptogenic focus in temporal lobe epilepsy, especially in patients with normal or equivocal MRIs, or non-lateralized EEG monitoring. Very subtle findings in MRI are often associated with histopathological lesions and should be described in MRI reports. The patients with negative or equivocal MRI temporal lobe epilepsy are good surgical candidates with comparable postsurgical outcomes to patients with MRI positive temporal lobe epilepsy. (orig.)

MRI findings of achilles tendon rupture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xuezhe

2009-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the MRI findings of achilles tendon rupture. Methods: The MRI data of 7 patients with achilles tendon rupture were retrospectively analysed. All 7 patients were male with the age ranging from 34 to 71 years. Routine MR scanning was performed in axial and sagittal planes, including T 1 WI, T 2 WI and a fat suppression MRI (SPIR). Results: Among 7 patients, complete achilles tendon rupture was seen in 6 cases, partial achilles tendon rupture 1 case. The site of tendon disruption were 2.6-11.0 cm( mean 5.4 cm) proximal to the insertion in the calcaneus. The MRI findings of a partial or complete rupture of the achilles tendon included enlarged and thickened achilles tendon (7 cases), wavy lax achilles tendon (2 cases), discontinuity of some or all of its fibers and intratendinous regions of increased signal intensity (7 cases). In the cases of complete tendon rupture, the size of the tendinous gap varied from 3.0-8.0 mm, which was filled with blood and appeared as edema of increase signal intensity on T 2 WI and SPIR. In all 7 patients, MR scanning showed medium signal intensity (7 cases) on T 1 WI, or medium signal intensity (1 cases), medium-high signal intensity (3 cases ), high signal intensity (3 cases) on T 2 WI, and medium-high signal intensity (2 cases), high signal intensity (5 cases) on fat suppression MRI. The preachilles fat pad showed obscure in 6 cases of complete achilles tendon rupture. Conclusion: MRI is an excellent method for revealing achilles tendon rupture and confirming the diagnosis. (authors)

MRI findings in acute Hendra virus meningoencephalitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakka, P.; Amos, G.J. [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Qld 4102 (Australia); Saad, N., E-mail: nivena100@hotmail.com [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Qld 4102 (Australia); Jeavons, S. [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Qld 4102 (Australia)

2012-05-15

Aim: To describe serial changes in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in acute human infection from two outbreaks of Hendra virus (HeV), relate these changes to disease prognosis, and compare HeV encephalitis to reported cases of Nipah virus encephalitis. Materials and methods: The MRI images of three human cases (two of which were fatal) of acute HeV meningoencephalitis were reviewed. Results: Cortical selectivity early in the disease is evident in all three patients, while deep white matter involvement appears to be a late and possibly premorbid finding. This apparent early grey matter selectivity may be related to viral biology or ribavirin pharmacokinetics. Neuronal loss is evident at MRI, and the rate of progression of MRI abnormalities can predict the outcome of the infection. In both fatal cases, the serial changes in the MRI picture mirrored the clinical course. Conclusion: This is the first comprehensive report of serial MRI findings in acute human cerebral HeV infection from two outbreaks. The cortical selectivity appears to be an early finding while deep white matter involvement a late, and possibly premorbid, finding. In both fatal cases, the serial changes in MRI mirrored the clinical course.

MRI findings in acute Hendra virus meningoencephalitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakka, P.; Amos, G.J.; Saad, N.; Jeavons, S.

2012-01-01

Aim: To describe serial changes in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in acute human infection from two outbreaks of Hendra virus (HeV), relate these changes to disease prognosis, and compare HeV encephalitis to reported cases of Nipah virus encephalitis. Materials and methods: The MRI images of three human cases (two of which were fatal) of acute HeV meningoencephalitis were reviewed. Results: Cortical selectivity early in the disease is evident in all three patients, while deep white matter involvement appears to be a late and possibly premorbid finding. This apparent early grey matter selectivity may be related to viral biology or ribavirin pharmacokinetics. Neuronal loss is evident at MRI, and the rate of progression of MRI abnormalities can predict the outcome of the infection. In both fatal cases, the serial changes in the MRI picture mirrored the clinical course. Conclusion: This is the first comprehensive report of serial MRI findings in acute human cerebral HeV infection from two outbreaks. The cortical selectivity appears to be an early finding while deep white matter involvement a late, and possibly premorbid, finding. In both fatal cases, the serial changes in MRI mirrored the clinical course.

Post-clip placement MRI following second-look US-guided core biopsy for suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI

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Song, Sung Eun [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Nariya [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University Medical Research Centre, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Han, Wonshik [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Surgery, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-12-15

To evaluate whether the post-clip placement MRI following second-look ultrasound (US)-guided core biopsy is useful to confirm the adequate sampling of suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI. Between 2014 and 2016, 31 consecutive women with 34 suspicious lesions that had not been identified on previous mammography or US were detected using MRI. Among them, 26 women with 29 lesions (mean size 1.5 cm, range 0.5-5.8 cm) found by second-look US underwent US-guided biopsy, subsequent clip insertion and post-clip placement MRI. Five women with five lesions that were not found by second-look US underwent MRI-guided biopsy. The technical success rate and lesion characteristics were described. The technical success rate was 96.6% (28/29). One failure case was a benign, 1.1-cm non-mass enhancement. Of the 28 success cases, 23 (82.1%) were masses and 5 (17.9%) were non-mass enhancements; 17 (60.7%) were benign, 4 (14.3%) were high-risk and 7 (25.0%) were malignant lesions. The technical success rate was 100% (28/28) for masses and 83.3% (5/6) for non-mass enhancements. Post-clip placement MRI following US-guided biopsy is useful in confirming the adequate sampling of lesions identified on MRI. This method could be an alternative to MRI-guided biopsy for lesions visible on US. (orig.)

Post-clip placement MRI following second-look US-guided core biopsy for suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Sung Eun; Cho, Nariya; Han, Wonshik

2017-01-01

To evaluate whether the post-clip placement MRI following second-look ultrasound (US)-guided core biopsy is useful to confirm the adequate sampling of suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI. Between 2014 and 2016, 31 consecutive women with 34 suspicious lesions that had not been identified on previous mammography or US were detected using MRI. Among them, 26 women with 29 lesions (mean size 1.5 cm, range 0.5-5.8 cm) found by second-look US underwent US-guided biopsy, subsequent clip insertion and post-clip placement MRI. Five women with five lesions that were not found by second-look US underwent MRI-guided biopsy. The technical success rate and lesion characteristics were described. The technical success rate was 96.6% (28/29). One failure case was a benign, 1.1-cm non-mass enhancement. Of the 28 success cases, 23 (82.1%) were masses and 5 (17.9%) were non-mass enhancements; 17 (60.7%) were benign, 4 (14.3%) were high-risk and 7 (25.0%) were malignant lesions. The technical success rate was 100% (28/28) for masses and 83.3% (5/6) for non-mass enhancements. Post-clip placement MRI following US-guided biopsy is useful in confirming the adequate sampling of lesions identified on MRI. This method could be an alternative to MRI-guided biopsy for lesions visible on US. (orig.)

Contrast agent enhanced pQCT of articular cartilage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kallioniemi, A S [Department of Physics, University of Kuopio, POB 1627, 70211 Kuopio (Finland); Jurvelin, J S [Department of Physics, University of Kuopio, POB 1627, 70211 Kuopio (Finland); Nieminen, M T [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, POB 50, 90029 OYS, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu (Finland); Lammi, M J [Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Kuopio, POB 1627, 70211 Kuopio (Finland); Toeyraes, J [Department of Physics, University of Kuopio, POB 1627, 70211 Kuopio (Finland)

2007-02-21

The delayed gadolinium enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) technique is the only non-invasive means to estimate proteoglycan (PG) content in articular cartilage. In dGEMRIC, the anionic paramagnetic contrast agent gadopentetate distributes in inverse relation to negatively charged PGs, leading to a linear relation between T{sub 1,Gd} and spatial PG content in tissue. In the present study, for the first time, contrast agent enhanced peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) was applied, analogously to dGEMRIC, for the quantitative detection of spatial PG content in cartilage. The suitability of two anionic radiographic contrast agents, gadopentetate and ioxaglate, to detect enzymatically induced PG depletion in articular cartilage was investigated. First, the interrelationships of x-ray absorption, as measured with pQCT, and the contrast agent solution concentration were investigated. Optimal contrast agent concentrations for the following experiments were selected. Second, diffusion rates for both contrast agents were investigated in intact (n = 3) and trypsin-degraded (n 3) bovine patellar cartilage. The contrast agent concentration of the cartilaginous layer was measured prior to and 2-27 h after immersion. Optimal immersion time for the further experiments was selected. Third, the suitability of gadopentetate and ioxaglate enhanced pQCT to detect the enzymatically induced specific PG depletion was investigated by determining the contrast agent concentrations and uronic acid and water contents in digested and intact osteochondral samples (n = 16). After trypsin-induced PG loss (-70%, p < 0.05) the penetration of gadopentetate and ioxaglate increased (p < 0.05) by 34% and 48%, respectively. Gadopentetate and ioxaglate concentrations both showed strong correlation (r = -0.95, r -0.94, p < 0.01, respectively) with the uronic acid content. To conclude, contrast agent enhanced pQCT provides a technique to quantify PG content in normal and experimentally

Contrast agent enhanced pQCT of articular cartilage

Science.gov (United States)

Kallioniemi, A. S.; Jurvelin, J. S.; Nieminen, M. T.; Lammi, M. J.; Töyräs, J.

2007-02-01

The delayed gadolinium enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) technique is the only non-invasive means to estimate proteoglycan (PG) content in articular cartilage. In dGEMRIC, the anionic paramagnetic contrast agent gadopentetate distributes in inverse relation to negatively charged PGs, leading to a linear relation between T1,Gd and spatial PG content in tissue. In the present study, for the first time, contrast agent enhanced peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) was applied, analogously to dGEMRIC, for the quantitative detection of spatial PG content in cartilage. The suitability of two anionic radiographic contrast agents, gadopentetate and ioxaglate, to detect enzymatically induced PG depletion in articular cartilage was investigated. First, the interrelationships of x-ray absorption, as measured with pQCT, and the contrast agent solution concentration were investigated. Optimal contrast agent concentrations for the following experiments were selected. Second, diffusion rates for both contrast agents were investigated in intact (n = 3) and trypsin-degraded (n = 3) bovine patellar cartilage. The contrast agent concentration of the cartilaginous layer was measured prior to and 2-27 h after immersion. Optimal immersion time for the further experiments was selected. Third, the suitability of gadopentetate and ioxaglate enhanced pQCT to detect the enzymatically induced specific PG depletion was investigated by determining the contrast agent concentrations and uronic acid and water contents in digested and intact osteochondral samples (n = 16). After trypsin-induced PG loss (-70%, p < 0.05) the penetration of gadopentetate and ioxaglate increased (p < 0.05) by 34% and 48%, respectively. Gadopentetate and ioxaglate concentrations both showed strong correlation (r = -0.95, r = -0.94, p < 0.01, respectively) with the uronic acid content. To conclude, contrast agent enhanced pQCT provides a technique to quantify PG content in normal and experimentally

Contrast agent enhanced pQCT of articular cartilage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kallioniemi, A S; Jurvelin, J S; Nieminen, M T; Lammi, M J; Toeyraes, J

2007-01-01

The delayed gadolinium enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) technique is the only non-invasive means to estimate proteoglycan (PG) content in articular cartilage. In dGEMRIC, the anionic paramagnetic contrast agent gadopentetate distributes in inverse relation to negatively charged PGs, leading to a linear relation between T 1,Gd and spatial PG content in tissue. In the present study, for the first time, contrast agent enhanced peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) was applied, analogously to dGEMRIC, for the quantitative detection of spatial PG content in cartilage. The suitability of two anionic radiographic contrast agents, gadopentetate and ioxaglate, to detect enzymatically induced PG depletion in articular cartilage was investigated. First, the interrelationships of x-ray absorption, as measured with pQCT, and the contrast agent solution concentration were investigated. Optimal contrast agent concentrations for the following experiments were selected. Second, diffusion rates for both contrast agents were investigated in intact (n = 3) and trypsin-degraded (n 3) bovine patellar cartilage. The contrast agent concentration of the cartilaginous layer was measured prior to and 2-27 h after immersion. Optimal immersion time for the further experiments was selected. Third, the suitability of gadopentetate and ioxaglate enhanced pQCT to detect the enzymatically induced specific PG depletion was investigated by determining the contrast agent concentrations and uronic acid and water contents in digested and intact osteochondral samples (n = 16). After trypsin-induced PG loss (-70%, p < 0.05) the penetration of gadopentetate and ioxaglate increased (p < 0.05) by 34% and 48%, respectively. Gadopentetate and ioxaglate concentrations both showed strong correlation (r = -0.95, r -0.94, p < 0.01, respectively) with the uronic acid content. To conclude, contrast agent enhanced pQCT provides a technique to quantify PG content in normal and experimentally degraded

MRI evaluation of the posterior meniscus root tear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jianjun; Zheng Zhuozhao; Li Xuan

2010-01-01

Objective: To determine the value of MRI for diagnosing the posterior meniscus root tear. Methods: MR examinations of 30 patients with tear of the posterior meniscus root confirmed by knee arthroscopies were retrospectively reviewed. Of the 30 patients, 17 with posterior medial meniscus root tear (MMRT) and 13 with posterior lateral meniscus root tear (LMRT). The diagnostic sensitivity of' MRI for the posterior meniscus root tear was analyzed. Fisher's exact test was used to compare the detection rate of MRI for MMRT with that for LMRT. Results: All 17 cases with MMRT and 9 cases out of 13 with LMRT were correctly diagnosed by MRI and the diagnostic sensitivity of MRI for the posterior meniscus root tear was 86.7% (26/30). The main MR appearance of the posterior meniscus root tear was distortion of the meniscal root, with its low signal replaced by abnormal high signal. The detection rate of MRI for MMRT (17/17) was significantly greater than that for LMRT (9/13) (P=0.026). The prevalence of MMRT associated with meniscus extrusion (15/17) was significantly greater than that of LMRT (6/13) (P=0.020), but the prevalence of MMRT associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury (5/17) was significantly lower than that of LMRT (11/13) (P=0.004). Conclusion: MRI is a relatively good method for detection of posterior meniscus root tears and associated injuries. (authors)

Inventory of MRI applications and workers exposed to MRI-related electromagnetic fields in the Netherlands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaap, Kristel; Christopher-De Vries, Yvette; Slottje, Pauline; Kromhout, Hans, E-mail: h.kromhout@uu.nl

2013-12-01

Objective: This study aims to characterise and quantify the population that is occupationally exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices and to identify factors that determine the probability and type of exposure. Materials and methods: A questionnaire survey was used to collect information about scanners, procedures, historical developments and employees working with or near MRI scanners in clinical and research MRI departments in the Netherlands. Results: Data were obtained from 145 MRI departments. A rapid increase in the use of MRI and field strength of the scanners was observed and quantified. The strongest magnets were employed by academic hospitals and research departments. Approximately 7000 individuals were reported to be working inside an MRI scanner room and were thus considered to have high probability of occupational exposure to static magnetic fields (SMF). Fifty-four per cent was exposed to SMF at least one day per month. The largest occupationally exposed group were radiographers (n ∼ 1700). Nine per cent of the 7000 involved workers were regularly present inside a scanner room during image acquisition, when exposure to additional types of EMF is considered a possibility. This practice was most prevalent among workers involved in scanning animals. Conclusion: The data illustrate recent trends and historical developments in magnetic resonance imaging and provide an extensive characterisation of the occupationally exposed population. A considerable number of workers are potentially exposed to MRI-related EMF. Type and frequency of potential exposure depend on the job performed, as well as the type of workplace.

MRI Primer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oldendorf, W.; Oldendorf, W. Jr.

1991-01-01

Designed for studies, radiologists, and clinicians at all levels of training, this book provides a basic introduction to the principles, physics, and instrumentation of magnetic resonance imaging. The fundamental concepts that are essential for the optimal clinical use of MRI are thoroughly explained in easily accessible terms. To facilitate the reader's comprehension, the material is presented nonmathematically, using no equations and a minimum of symbols and abbreviations. MRI Primer presents a clear account of the phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance and the use of gradient magnetic fields to create clinically useful images of cross-sectional slices. Close attention is given to the magnetization vector as a means of expressing nuclear behavior, the role of T 1 and T 2 weighing in imaging, the use of contrast agents, and the pulse sequences most often used in clinical practice, as well as to the relative capabilities and limitations of MRI and CT. The basic hardware components of an MRI scanner are described in detail. Sample MRI scans illustrate how MRI characterizes tissue. An appendix provides a brief introduction to quantum processes in MRI

Possibilities of whole-body MRI for investigating musculoskeletal diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lenk, S.; Claussen, C.D.; Schlemmer, H.P.; Fischer, S.; Koetter, I.

2004-01-01

This contribution outlines possibilities and limitations of whole-body MRI for investigating musculoskeletal diseases. Benefits and drawbacks of the novel whole-body MRI technology are discussed and a possible whole-body MRI sequence protocol for musculoskeletal examinations is proposed. Muscle, joint and bone diseases are discussed in which the application of whole-body MRI may be of advantage. Particularly, polymyositis, muscledystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, spondylitis ancylosans, multiple trauma, skeletal metastases, multiple myeloma and malignant lymphoma are mentioned. Whole-body MRI opens new advantages for the examination of multifocal musculoskeletal diseases. The clinical benefit of this method for particular diseases has to be evaluated in further studies, however. (orig.) [de

TU-CD-BRA-04: Evaluation of An Atlas-Based Segmentation Method for Prostate and Peripheral Zone Regions On MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nelson, AS; Piper, J; Curry, K; Swallen, A [MIM Software Inc., Cleveland, OH (United States); Padgett, K; Pollack, A; Stoyanova, RS [University of Miami, Miami, FL (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: Prostate MRI plays an important role in diagnosis, biopsy guidance, and therapy planning for prostate cancer. Prostate MRI contours can be used to aid in image fusion for ultrasound biopsy guidance and delivery of radiation. Our goal in this study is to evaluate an automatic atlas-based segmentation method for generating prostate and peripheral zone (PZ) contours on MRI. Methods: T2-weighted MRIs were acquired on 3T-Discovery MR750 System (GE, Milwaukee). The Volumes of Interest (VOIs): prostate and PZ were outlined by an expert radiation oncologist and used to create an atlas library for atlas-based segmentation. The atlas-segmentation accuracy was evaluated using a leave-one-out analysis. The method involved automatically finding the atlas subject that best matched the test subject followed by a normalized intensity-based free-form deformable registration of the atlas subject to the test subject. The prostate and PZ contours were transformed to the test subject using the same deformation. For each test subject the three best matches were used and the final contour was combined using Majority Vote. The atlas-segmentation process was fully automatic. Dice similarity coefficients (DSC) and mean Hausdorff values were used for comparison. Results: VOIs contours were available for 28 subjects. For the prostate, the atlas-based segmentation method resulted in an average DSC of 0.88+/−0.08 and a mean Hausdorff distance of 1.1+/−0.9mm. The number of patients (#) in DSC ranges are as follows: 0.60–0.69(1), 0.70–0.79(2), 0.80–0.89(13), >0.89(11). For the PZ, the average DSC was 0.72+/−0.17 and average Hausdorff of 0.9+/−0.9mm. The number of patients (#) in DSC ranges are as follows: <0.60(4), 0.60–0.69(6), 0.70–0.79(7), 0.80–0.89(9), >0.89(1). Conclusion: The MRI atlas-based segmentation method achieved good results for both the whole prostate and PZ compared to expert defined VOIs. The technique is fast, fully automatic, and has the potential

Research for correction pre-operative MRI images of brain during operation using particle method simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shino, Ryosaku; Koshizuka, Seiichi; Sakai, Mikio; Ito, Hirotaka; Iseki, Hiroshi; Muragaki, Yoshihiro

2010-01-01

In the neurosurgical procedures, surgeon formulates a surgery plan based on pre-operative images such as MRI. However, the brain is transformed by removal of the affected area. In this paper, we propose a method for reconstructing pre-operative images involving the deformation with physical simulation. First, the domain of brain is identified in pre-operative images. Second, we create particles for physical simulation. Then, we carry out the linear elastic simulation taking into account the gravity. Finally, we reconstruct pre-operative images with deformation according to movement of the particles. We show the effectiveness of this method by reconstructing the pre-operative image actually taken before surgery. (author)

SU-F-J-112: Clinical Feasibility Test of An RF Pulse-Based MRI Method for the Quantitative Fat-Water Segmentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yee, S; Wloch, J; Pirkola, M [William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Quantitative fat-water segmentation is important not only because of the clinical utility of fat-suppressed MRI images in better detecting lesions of clinical significance (in the midst of bright fat signal) but also because of the possible physical need, in which CT-like images based on the materials’ photon attenuation properties may have to be generated from MR images; particularly, as in the case of MR-only radiation oncology environment to obtain radiation dose calculation or as in the case of hybrid PET/MR modality to obtain attenuation correction map for the quantitative PET reconstruction. The majority of such fat-water quantitative segmentations have been performed by utilizing the Dixon’s method and its variations, which have to enforce the proper settings (often predefined) of echo time (TE) in the pulse sequences. Therefore, such methods have been unable to be directly combined with those ultrashort TE (UTE) sequences that, taking the advantage of very low TE values (∼ 10’s microsecond), might be beneficial to directly detect bones. Recently, an RF pulse-based method (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mri.2015.11.006), termed as PROD pulse method, was introduced as a method of quantitative fat-water segmentation that does not have to depend on predefined TE settings. Here, the clinical feasibility of this method is verified in brain tumor patients by combining the PROD pulse with several sequences. Methods: In a clinical 3T MRI, the PROD pulse was combined with turbo spin echo (e.g. TR=1500, TE=16 or 60, ETL=15) or turbo field echo (e.g. TR=5.6, TE=2.8, ETL=12) sequences without specifying TE values. Results: The fat-water segmentation was possible without having to set specific TE values. Conclusion: The PROD pulse method is clinically feasible. Although not yet combined with UTE sequences in our laboratory, the method is potentially compatible with UTE sequences, and thus, might be useful to directly segment fat, water, bone and air.

Precise MRI-based stereotaxic surgery in large animal models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glud, Andreas Nørgaard; Bech, Johannes; Tvilling, Laura

BACKGROUND: Stereotaxic neurosurgery in large animals is used widely in different sophisticated models, where precision is becoming more crucial as desired anatomical target regions are becoming smaller. Individually calculated coordinates are necessary in large animal models with cortical...... and subcortical anatomical differences. NEW METHOD: We present a convenient method to make an MRI-visible skull fiducial for 3D MRI-based stereotaxic procedures in larger experimental animals. Plastic screws were filled with either copper-sulphate solution or MRI-visible paste from a commercially available...... cranial head marker. The screw fiducials were inserted in the animal skulls and T1 weighted MRI was performed allowing identification of the inserted skull marker. RESULTS: Both types of fiducial markers were clearly visible on the MRÍs. This allows high precision in the stereotaxic space. COMPARISON...

SU-E-J-239: IMRT Planning of Prostate Cancer for a MRI-Linac Based On MRI Only

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, X; Prior, P; Paulson, E; Lawton, C; Li, X [Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: : To investigate dosimetric differences between MRI- and CT-based IMRT planning for prostate cancer, the impact of a magnetic field in a MRI-Linac, and to explore the feasibility of IMRT planning based on MRI alone. Methods: IMRT plans were generated based on CT and MRI images acquired on two representative prostate-cancer patients using clinical dose volume constraints. A research planning system (Monaco, Elekta), which employs a Monte Carlo dose engine and includes a perpendicular magnetic field of 1.5T from an MRI-Linac, was used. Bulk electron density assignments based on organ-specific values from ICRU 46 were used to convert MRI (T2) to pseudo CT. With the same beam configuration as in the original CT plan, 5 additional plans were generated based on CT or MRI, with or without optimization (i.e., just recalculation) and with or without the magnetic field. The plan quality in terms of commonly used dose volume (DV) parameters for all plans was compared. The statistical uncertainty on dose was < 1%. Results: For plans with the same contour set but without re-optimization, the DV parameters were different from those for the original CT plan, mostly less than 5% with a few exceptions. These differences were reduced to mostly less than 3% when the plans were re-optimized. For plans with contours from MRI, the differences in the DV parameters varied depending on the difference in the contours as compared to CT. For the optimized plans with contours from MR, the differences for PTV were less than 3%. Conclusion: The prostate IMRT plans based on MRI-only for a MR-Linac were practically similar as compared to the CT plan under the same beam and optimization configuration if the difference on the structure delineation is excluded, indicating the feasibility of using MRI-only for prostate IMRT.

MRI findings of spinal accessory neuropathy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, A.E.; Greditzer, H.G.; Melisaratos, D.P.; Wolfe, S.W.; Feinberg, J.H.; Sneag, D.B.

2016-01-01

Aim: To characterise the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of patients with spinal accessory nerve (SAN) denervation. Material and methods: Twelve patients who had SAN denervation on electromyography (EMG) were included. The sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles and the SAN were assessed using MRI. Results: Trapezius muscle atrophy was seen in 11 (92%), and of those patients, T2/short tau inversion recovery (STIR) signal hyperintensity was also demonstrated in seven (58%). All three patients with prior neck surgery had scarring around the SAN, and one of these patients demonstrated a neuroma, which was confirmed surgically. Conclusion: Features of SAN neuropathy on MRI include atrophy and T2/STIR signal hyperintensity of the trapezius, and in patients who have had posterior triangle neck surgery, scarring may be seen around the nerve. - Highlights: • Spinal accessory nerve injury is most commonly the result of neck surgery. • MRI findings include trapezius muscle atrophy and T2 signal hyperintensity. • In cases of suspected injury, the course of the spinal accessory nerve should be assessed on MRI.

Combination of functional MRI with SAS and MRA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sumida, Masayuki; Takeshita, Shinichirou; Kutsuna, Munenori; Akimitsu, Tomohide; Arita, Kazunori; Kurisu, Kaoru [Hiroshima Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

1999-02-01

For presurgical diagnosis of brain surface, combination of functional MRI (fMRI) with the MR angiography was examined. This method could visualize brain bay, convolution and vein as index of surface. Five normal adults (male, mean age: 28-year-old) and 7 patients with brain tumor on the main locus to surface (male: 4, female: 3, mean age: 52.3-year-old) were studied. fMRI was performed by SPGR method (TR 70, TE 40, flip angle 60, one slice, thickness 10 mm, FOV 20 cm, matrix 128 x 128). The brain surface was visualized by SAS (surface anatomy scanning). SAS was performed by FSE method (TR 6000, TE 200, echo train 16, thickness 20 mm, slice 3, NEX 2). Cortical veins near superior sagittal sinus were visualized by MRA with 2D-TOF method (TR 50, TE 20, flip angle 60, thickness 2 mm, slice 28, NEX 1). These images were superimposed and functional image of peripheral sensorimotor region was evaluated anatomically. In normal adults, high signal was visualized at another side of near sensorimotor region at 8 of 10 sides. All high signal area of fMRI agreed with cortical vein near sensorimotor region that was visualized by MRA. In patients with brain tumor, signal was visualized at another side of sensorimotor region of tumor without 2 cases with palsy. In another side of tumor, signal of fMRI was visualized in 5 of 7 cases. The tumor was visualized as opposite low signal field in SAS. Locational relation between tumor and brain surface and brain function was visualized distinctly by combination of MRA, SAS and MRA. This method could become useful for presurgical diagnosis. (K.H.)

Molecular imaging of head and neck cancers. Perspectives of PET/MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stumpp, P.; Kahn, T.; Purz, S.; Sabri, O.

2016-01-01

The 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography ( 18 F-FDG-PET/CT) procedure is a cornerstone in the diagnostics of head and neck cancers. Several years ago PET-magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) also became available as an alternative hybrid multimodal imaging method. Does PET/MRI have advantages over PET/CT in the diagnostics of head and neck cancers ?The diagnostic accuracy of the standard imaging methods CT, MRI and PET/CT is depicted according to currently available meta-analyses and studies concerning the use of PET/MRI for these indications are summarized. In all studies published up to now PET/MRI did not show superiority regarding the diagnostic accuracy in head and neck cancers; however, there is some evidence that in the future PET/MRI can contribute to tumor characterization and possibly be used to predict tumor response to therapy with the use of multiparametric imaging. Currently, 18 F-FDG-PET/CT is not outperformed by PET/MRI in the diagnostics of head and neck cancers. The additive value of PET/MRI due to the use of multiparametric imaging needs to be investigated in future research. (orig.) [de

Preliminary experience with a novel method of three-dimensional co-registration of prostate cancer digital histology and in vivo multiparametric MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Orczyk, C; Rusinek, H; Rosenkrantz, A B; Mikheev, A; Deng, F-M; Melamed, J; Taneja, S S

2013-12-01

To assess a novel method of three-dimensional (3D) co-registration of prostate cancer digital histology and in-vivo multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) image sets for clinical usefulness. A software platform was developed to achieve 3D co-registration. This software was prospectively applied to three patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. Data comprised in-vivo mpMRI [T2-weighted, dynamic contrast-enhanced weighted images (DCE); apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)], ex-vivo T2-weighted imaging, 3D-rebuilt pathological specimen, and digital histology. Internal landmarks from zonal anatomy served as reference points for assessing co-registration accuracy and precision. Applying a method of deformable transformation based on 22 internal landmarks, a 1.6 mm accuracy was reached to align T2-weighted images and the 3D-rebuilt pathological specimen, an improvement over rigid transformation of 32% (p = 0.003). The 22 zonal anatomy landmarks were more accurately mapped using deformable transformation than rigid transformation (p = 0.0008). An automatic method based on mutual information, enabled automation of the process and to include perfusion and diffusion MRI images. Evaluation of co-registration accuracy using the volume overlap index (Dice index) met clinically relevant requirements, ranging from 0.81-0.96 for sequences tested. Ex-vivo images of the specimen did not significantly improve co-registration accuracy. This preliminary analysis suggests that deformable transformation based on zonal anatomy landmarks is accurate in the co-registration of mpMRI and histology. Including diffusion and perfusion sequences in the same 3D space as histology is essential further clinical information. The ability to localize cancer in 3D space may improve targeting for image-guided biopsy, focal therapy, and disease quantification in surveillance protocols. Copyright © 2013 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SPECT and MRI in the diagnosis of epilepsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruenwald, F.; Biersack, H.J.; Bockisch, A.; Elger, C.E.; Durwen, H.F.; Penin, H.

1989-01-01

This study presents the results obtained using SPECT and MRI in epilepsy - mainly based on presurgical investigation in therapy-resistant cases of temporal lobe epilepsy. MRI was positive in 61% of 102 examined patients, SPECT was positive in 84%. In 46 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy subjected to partial temporal lobectomy was performed later on there was agreement of the results obtained with regard to the lateralisation in 74%. Although MRI, due to its sensitivity is superior to CT in diagnosis of epilepsy, CT should be performed in any case because some morphological changes - especially small arteriovenous malformations - are only seen in CT. MRI and SPECT should be considered as two complementary methods in epilepsy diagnosis, serving to evaluate morphology and function. A definite statement as to the predictive value of both methods remains to be made depending on a comparison of the results with the postoperative outcome referring to seizure frequency and cognitive function. (orig.) [de

Comparison between target magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in-gantry and cognitively directed transperineal or transrectal-guided prostate biopsies for Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) 3-5 MRI lesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Yaxley, Anna J; Yaxley, John W; Thangasamy, Isaac A; Ballard, Emma; Pokorny, Morgan R

2017-11-01

To compare the detection rates of prostate cancer (PCa) in men with Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) 3-5 abnormalities on 3-Tesla multiparametric (mp) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using in-bore MRI-guided biopsy compared with cognitively directed transperineal (cTP) biopsy and transrectal ultrasonography (cTRUS) biopsy. This was a retrospective single-centre study of consecutive men attending the private practice clinic of an experienced urologist performing MRI-guided biopsy and an experienced urologist performing cTP and cTRUS biopsy techniques for PI-RADS 3-5 lesions identified on 3-Tesla mpMRI. There were 595 target mpMRI lesions from 482 men with PI-RADS 3-5 regions of interest during 483 episodes of biopsy. The abnormal mpMRI target lesion was biopsied using the MRI-guided method for 298 biopsies, the cTP method for 248 biopsies and the cTRUS method for 49 biopsies. There were no significant differences in PCa detection among the three biopsy methods in PI-RADS 3 (48.9%, 40.0% and 44.4%, respectively), PI-RADS 4 (73.2%, 81.0% and 85.0%, respectively) or PI-RADS 5 (95.2, 92.0% and 95.0%, respectively) lesions, and there was no significant difference in detection of significant PCa among the biopsy methods in PI-RADS 3 (42.2%, 30.0% and 33.3%, respectively), PI-RADS 4 (66.8%, 66.0% and 80.0%, respectively) or PI-RADS 5 (90.5%, 89.8% and 90.0%, respectively) lesions. There were also no differences in PCa or significant PCa detection based on lesion location or size among the methods. We found no significant difference in the ability to detect PCa or significant PCa using targeted MRI-guided, cTP or cTRUS biopsy methods. Identification of an abnormal area on mpMRI appears to be more important in increasing the detection of PCa than the technique used to biopsy an MRI abnormality. © 2017 The Authors BJU International © 2017 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparison of CT and MRI features in sinusitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chong, V.F.H.; Fan, Y.F.

1998-01-01

Objective: To correlate the features of inflammatory changes in the paranasal sinuses on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with computed tomography (CT). Methods and patients: One hundred and fourteen patients with histologically proven nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) were staged with both CT and MRI. All CT and MRI images of patients with mucosal thickening but no tumour involvement of the sinuses were retrospectively analysed. Results: There were inflammatory changes in 36 maxillary, 21 sphenoid and 16 ethmoid sinuses. These changes include mucosal thickening, retention cysts, retained secretions, inspissated secretions and dystrophic calcification. MRI is superior to CT in separating thickened mucosa, retained secretions and retentions cysts. Conclusion: It is important to appreciate CT changes of sinusitis and the corresponding spectrum of MRI features. (Copyright (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Fetal MRI: A Technical Update with Educational Aspirations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gholipour, Ali; Estroff, Judith A; Barnewolt, Carol E; Robertson, Richard L; Grant, P Ellen; Gagoski, Borjan; Warfield, Simon K; Afacan, Onur; Connolly, Susan A; Neil, Jeffrey J; Wolfberg, Adam; Mulkern, Robert V

2014-11-01

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations have become well-established procedures at many institutions and can serve as useful adjuncts to ultrasound (US) exams when diagnostic doubts remain after US. Due to fetal motion, however, fetal MRI exams are challenging and require the MR scanner to be used in a somewhat different mode than that employed for more routine clinical studies. Herein we review the techniques most commonly used, and those that are available, for fetal MRI with an emphasis on the physics of the techniques and how to deploy them to improve success rates for fetal MRI exams. By far the most common technique employed is single-shot T2-weighted imaging due to its excellent tissue contrast and relative immunity to fetal motion. Despite the significant challenges involved, however, many of the other techniques commonly employed in conventional neuro- and body MRI such as T1 and T2*-weighted imaging, diffusion and perfusion weighted imaging, as well as spectroscopic methods remain of interest for fetal MR applications. An effort to understand the strengths and limitations of these basic methods within the context of fetal MRI is made in order to optimize their use and facilitate implementation of technical improvements for the further development of fetal MR imaging, both in acquisition and post-processing strategies.

Management of breast lesions detectable only on MRI; Abklaerung ausschliesslich MRT-detektierbarer Mammalaesionen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siegmann-Luz, K.C.; Bahrs, S.D.; Preibsch, H.; Hattermann, V.; Claussen, C.D. [Universitaetsklinikum Tuebingen (Germany). Abt. Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie

2014-01-15

Breast MR imaging has become established as the most sensitive imaging method for diagnosing breast cancer. As a result of the increasing examination volume and improved image quality, the number of breast lesions detected only on MRI and requiring further clarification has risen in recent years. According to the S3-guideline 'Diagnosis, Therapy, and Follow-Up of Breast Cancer' as revised in July 2012, institutions performing breast MRI should provide the option of an MRI-guided intervention for clarification. This review describes the indications, methods and results of MRI-guided interventions for the clarification of breast lesions only visible on MRI. Recent guidelines and study results are also addressed and alternative methods and pitfalls are presented. (orig.)

MRI-based preplanning in low-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Osamu; Hayashi, Shinya; Matsuo, Masayuki; Nakano, Masahiro; Kubota, Yasuaki; Maeda, Sunaho; Ohtakara, Kazuhiro; Deguchi, Takashi; Hoshi, Hiroaki

2008-01-01

Purpose: To compare the dosimetric results between MRI-based and TRUS-based preplanning in permanent prostate brachytherapy, and to estimate the accuracy of MRI-based preplanning by comparing with CT/MRI fusion-based postimplant dosimetry. Methods and materials: Twenty-one patients were entered in this prospective study with written informed consent. MRI-based and TRUS-based preplanning were performed. The seed and needle locations were identical according to MRI-based and TRUS-based preplanning. MRI-based and TRUS-based preplanning were compared using DVH-related parameters. Following brachytherapy, the accuracy of the MRI-based preplanning was evaluated by comparing it with CT/MRI fusion-based postimplant dosimetry. Results: Mean MRI-based prostate volume was slightly underestimated (0.73 cc in mean volume) in comparison to TRUS-based volume. There were no significant differences in the mean DVH-related parameters except with rectal V 100 (cc) between TRUS-based and MRI-based preplanning. Mean rectal V 100 (cc) was 0.74 cc in TRUS-based and 0.29 cc in MRI-based preplanning, respectively, and the values demonstrated a statistical difference. There was no statistical difference in mean rectal V 150 (cc), and rectal V 100 (cc) between MRI-based preplanning and CT/MRI fusion-based postimplant dosimetry. Conclusion: Prostate volume estimation and DVH-related parameters in MRI-based preplanning were almost identical to TRUS-based preplanning. From the results of CT/MRI fusion-based postimplant dosimetry, MRI-based preplanning was therefore found to be a reliable and useful modality, as well as being helpful for TRUS-based preplanning. MRI-based preplanning can more accurately predict postimplant rectal dose than TRUS-based preplanning

Three-dimensional liver motion tracking using real-time two-dimensional MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Brix, Lau; Ringgaard, Steffen; Sørensen, Thomas Sangild; Poulsen, Per Rugaard

2014-04-01

Combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and linear accelerators for radiotherapy (MR-Linacs) are currently under development. MRI is noninvasive and nonionizing and can produce images with high soft tissue contrast. However, new tracking methods are required to obtain fast real-time spatial target localization. This study develops and evaluates a method for tracking three-dimensional (3D) respiratory liver motion in two-dimensional (2D) real-time MRI image series with high temporal and spatial resolution. The proposed method for 3D tracking in 2D real-time MRI series has three steps: (1) Recording of a 3D MRI scan and selection of a blood vessel (or tumor) structure to be tracked in subsequent 2D MRI series. (2) Generation of a library of 2D image templates oriented parallel to the 2D MRI image series by reslicing and resampling the 3D MRI scan. (3) 3D tracking of the selected structure in each real-time 2D image by finding the template and template position that yield the highest normalized cross correlation coefficient with the image. Since the tracked structure has a known 3D position relative to each template, the selection and 2D localization of a specific template translates into quantification of both the through-plane and in-plane position of the structure. As a proof of principle, 3D tracking of liver blood vessel structures was performed in five healthy volunteers in two 5.4 Hz axial, sagittal, and coronal real-time 2D MRI series of 30 s duration. In each 2D MRI series, the 3D localization was carried out twice, using nonoverlapping template libraries, which resulted in a total of 12 estimated 3D trajectories per volunteer. Validation tests carried out to support the tracking algorithm included quantification of the breathing induced 3D liver motion and liver motion directionality for the volunteers, and comparison of 2D MRI estimated positions of a structure in a watermelon with the actual positions. Axial, sagittal, and coronal 2D MRI series

APPLICATION OF MRI IN THE DIAGNOSTICS OF M. MASSETER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana Dimova-Gabrovska

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI is a non-invasive diagnostic method which can provide detailed images of organs and structures of the human body. The purpose of this review is to explore and introduce the diagnostic capabilities of MRI in imaging m. masseter in conditions of norm and pathology. The material of the review is information of 20 literary sources selected from 530, found by keywordsfromJanuary to April 2017. The information about MRI imaging of the normal anatomy of m. masseter and the most common findings in muscle - muscle hypertrophy, inflammatory changes, vascular malformations, intramuscular hemangioma, cysticercosis and changes after radiotherapy was analyzed. In conclusion, the diagnostic capabilities of MRI of masseter muscle – both in the conditions of norm and pathology were confirmed. The method is considered to be reliable, objective, non-invasive and accurate.

Task-Related Edge Density (TED)—A New Method for Revealing Dynamic Network Formation in fMRI Data of the Human Brain

Science.gov (United States)

Lohmann, Gabriele; Stelzer, Johannes; Zuber, Verena; Buschmann, Tilo; Margulies, Daniel; Bartels, Andreas; Scheffler, Klaus

2016-01-01

The formation of transient networks in response to external stimuli or as a reflection of internal cognitive processes is a hallmark of human brain function. However, its identification in fMRI data of the human brain is notoriously difficult. Here we propose a new method of fMRI data analysis that tackles this problem by considering large-scale, task-related synchronisation networks. Networks consist of nodes and edges connecting them, where nodes correspond to voxels in fMRI data, and the weight of an edge is determined via task-related changes in dynamic synchronisation between their respective times series. Based on these definitions, we developed a new data analysis algorithm that identifies edges that show differing levels of synchrony between two distinct task conditions and that occur in dense packs with similar characteristics. Hence, we call this approach “Task-related Edge Density” (TED). TED proved to be a very strong marker for dynamic network formation that easily lends itself to statistical analysis using large scale statistical inference. A major advantage of TED compared to other methods is that it does not depend on any specific hemodynamic response model, and it also does not require a presegmentation of the data for dimensionality reduction as it can handle large networks consisting of tens of thousands of voxels. We applied TED to fMRI data of a fingertapping and an emotion processing task provided by the Human Connectome Project. TED revealed network-based involvement of a large number of brain areas that evaded detection using traditional GLM-based analysis. We show that our proposed method provides an entirely new window into the immense complexity of human brain function. PMID:27341204

WE-G-BRD-09: Novel MRI Compatible Electron Accelerator for MRI-Linac Radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whelan, B; Keall, P [University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia); Gierman, S; Schmerge, J [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA (United States); Holloway, L [Ingham Institute, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Fahrig, R [Stanford University, Stanford, CA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: MRI guided radiotherapy is a rapidly growing field; however current linacs are not designed to operate in MRI fringe fields. As such, current MRI- Linac systems require magnetic shielding, impairing MR image quality and system flexibility. Here, we present a bespoke electron accelerator concept with robust operation in in-line magnetic fields. Methods: For in-line MRI-Linac systems, electron gun performance is the major constraint on accelerator performance. To overcome this, we propose placing a cathode directly within the first accelerating cavity. Such a configuration is used extensively in high energy particle physics, but not previously for radiotherapy. Benchmarked computational modelling (CST, Darmstadt, Germany) was employed to design and assess a 5.5 cell side coupled accelerator with a temperature limited thermionic cathode in the first accelerating cell. This simulation was coupled to magnetic fields from a 1T MRI model to assess robustness in magnetic fields for Source to Isocenter Distance between 1 and 2 meters. Performance was compared to a conventional electron gun based system in the same magnetic field. Results: A temperature limited cathode (work function 1.8eV, temperature 1245K, emission constant 60A/K/cm{sup 2}) will emit a mean current density of 24mA/mm{sup 2} (Richardson’s Law). We modeled a circular cathode with radius 2mm and mean current 300mA. Capture efficiency of the device was 43%, resulting in target current of 130 mA. The electron beam had a FWHM of 0.2mm, and mean energy of 5.9MeV (interquartile spread of 0.1MeV). Such an electron beam is suitable for radiotherapy, comparing favourably to conventional systems. This model was robust to operation the MRI fringe field, with a maximum current loss of 6% compared to 85% for the conventional system. Conclusion: The bespoke electron accelerator is robust to operation in in-line magnetic fields. This will enable MRI-Linacs with no accelerator magnetic shielding, and minimise

MRI definition of target volumes using fuzzy logic method for three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caudrelier, Jean-Michel; Vial, Stephane; Gibon, David; Kulik, Carine; Fournier, Charles; Castelain, Bernard; Coche-Dequeant, Bernard; Rousseau, Jean

2003-01-01

Purpose: Three-dimensional (3D) volume determination is one of the most important problems in conformal radiation therapy. Techniques of volume determination from tomographic medical imaging are usually based on two-dimensional (2D) contour definition with the result dependent on the segmentation method used, as well as on the user's manual procedure. The goal of this work is to describe and evaluate a new method that reduces the inaccuracies generally observed in the 2D contour definition and 3D volume reconstruction process. Methods and Materials: This new method has been developed by integrating the fuzziness in the 3D volume definition. It first defines semiautomatically a minimal 2D contour on each slice that definitely contains the volume and a maximal 2D contour that definitely does not contain the volume. The fuzziness region in between is processed using possibility functions in possibility theory. A volume of voxels, including the membership degree to the target volume, is then created on each slice axis, taking into account the slice position and slice profile. A resulting fuzzy volume is obtained after data fusion between multiorientation slices. Different studies have been designed to evaluate and compare this new method of target volume reconstruction and a classical reconstruction method. First, target definition accuracy and robustness were studied on phantom targets. Second, intra- and interobserver variations were studied on radiosurgery clinical cases. Results: The absolute volume errors are less than or equal to 1.5% for phantom volumes calculated by the fuzzy logic method, whereas the values obtained with the classical method are much larger than the actual volumes (absolute volume errors up to 72%). With increasing MRI slice thickness (1 mm to 8 mm), the phantom volumes calculated by the classical method are increasing exponentially with a maximum absolute error up to 300%. In contrast, the absolute volume errors are less than 12% for phantom

Advanced MRI techniques of the fetal brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoepf, V.; Dittrich, E.; Berger-Kulemann, V.; Kasprian, G.; Kollndorfer, K.; Prayer, D.

2013-01-01

Evaluation of the normal and pathological fetal brain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Advanced MRI of the fetal brain. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is used in clinical practice, all other methods are used at a research level. Serving as standard methods in the future. Combined structural and functional data for all gestational ages will allow more specific insight into the developmental processes of the fetal brain. This gain of information will help provide a common understanding of complex spatial and temporal procedures of early morphological features and their impact on cognitive and sensory abilities. (orig.) [de

Post-clip placement MRI following second-look US-guided core biopsy for suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Sung Eun; Cho, Nariya; Han, Wonshik

2017-12-01

To evaluate whether the post-clip placement MRI following second-look ultrasound (US)-guided core biopsy is useful to confirm the adequate sampling of suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI. Between 2014 and 2016, 31 consecutive women with 34 suspicious lesions that had not been identified on previous mammography or US were detected using MRI. Among them, 26 women with 29 lesions (mean size 1.5 cm, range 0.5-5.8 cm) found by second-look US underwent US-guided biopsy, subsequent clip insertion and post-clip placement MRI. Five women with five lesions that were not found by second-look US underwent MRI-guided biopsy. The technical success rate and lesion characteristics were described. The technical success rate was 96.6% (28/29). One failure case was a benign, 1.1-cm non-mass enhancement. Of the 28 success cases, 23 (82.1%) were masses and 5 (17.9%) were non-mass enhancements; 17 (60.7%) were benign, 4 (14.3%) were high-risk and 7 (25.0%) were malignant lesions. The technical success rate was 100% (28/28) for masses and 83.3% (5/6) for non-mass enhancements. Post-clip placement MRI following US-guided biopsy is useful in confirming the adequate sampling of lesions identified on MRI. This method could be an alternative to MRI-guided biopsy for lesions visible on US. • Post-clip MRI is useful for confirming adequate sampling of US-guided biopsy. • Post-clip MRI following US-guided biopsy revealed a 96.6 % technical success rate. • One technical failure case was a benign, 1.1-cm non-mass enhancement. • The technical success rate of US-guided biopsy for non-mass enhancements was 83.3 %.

Hidden Markov event sequence models: toward unsupervised functional MRI brain mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Faisan, Sylvain; Thoraval, Laurent; Armspach, Jean-Paul; Foucher, Jack R; Metz-Lutz, Marie-Noëlle; Heitz, Fabrice

2005-01-01

Most methods used in functional MRI (fMRI) brain mapping require restrictive assumptions about the shape and timing of the fMRI signal in activated voxels. Consequently, fMRI data may be partially and misleadingly characterized, leading to suboptimal or invalid inference. To limit these assumptions and to capture the broad range of possible activation patterns, a novel statistical fMRI brain mapping method is proposed. It relies on hidden semi-Markov event sequence models (HSMESMs), a special class of hidden Markov models (HMMs) dedicated to the modeling and analysis of event-based random processes. Activation detection is formulated in terms of time coupling between (1) the observed sequence of hemodynamic response onset (HRO) events detected in the voxel's fMRI signal and (2) the "hidden" sequence of task-induced neural activation onset (NAO) events underlying the HROs. Both event sequences are modeled within a single HSMESM. The resulting brain activation model is trained to automatically detect neural activity embedded in the input fMRI data set under analysis. The data sets considered in this article are threefold: synthetic epoch-related, real epoch-related (auditory lexical processing task), and real event-related (oddball detection task) fMRI data sets. Synthetic data: Activation detection results demonstrate the superiority of the HSMESM mapping method with respect to a standard implementation of the statistical parametric mapping (SPM) approach. They are also very close, sometimes equivalent, to those obtained with an "ideal" implementation of SPM in which the activation patterns synthesized are reused for analysis. The HSMESM method appears clearly insensitive to timing variations of the hemodynamic response and exhibits low sensitivity to fluctuations of its shape (unsustained activation during task). Real epoch-related data: HSMESM activation detection results compete with those obtained with SPM, without requiring any prior definition of the expected

MRI assessment program. Consensus statement on clinical efficacy of MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-05-01

This consensus statement is largely based on the experience gained at the MRI units at the four hospitals which have operated scanners in the MRI program. It reflects the considered opinion of the radiologists responsible for the MRI services at those hospitals. Account has also been taken of relevant overseas data. This collection of opinion relates particularly to comparison with other imaging modalities. The specific comments will require further consideration as technical developments with MRI become available, additional experience is gained with gadolinium contrast material and additional data are obtained on the influence of MRI on patient management. MRI, at present, is used either to improve diagnostic accuracy when other tests are negative or equivocal, when there is strong clinical suspicion of disease, or to improve surgical or other management planning when the diagnosis known. In some situations (eg syringomyelia, congenital spinal disease, posterior fossa/cerebello-pontine angle tumours) it may entirely replace other tests (eg myelography, air contrast, CT) which are substantially less accurate and/or more invasive. In other situations (eg hemispheric brain tumours, lumbar disc protrusions) when other tests, such as CT, can be as accurate, MRI is not usually or initially indicated because it is currently more expensive and of limited availability. However, balanced against this is the fact that it does not expose the patient to potentially harmful ionising radiation. It is also stressed that MRI images depend on complex, widely variable and, as yet, incompletely understood parameters. There is concern that this may result in false positive diagnoses, especially where MRI is used alone as a screening test, or used as the initial test. For several reasons (availability, cost, medical and diagnostic efficacy), the specific comments on indications for MRI presented are based upon the assumption that MRI is a tertiary and complementary imaging examination

MRI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schroeter, Aileen; Rudin, Markus; Gianolio, Eliana

2017-01-01

This chapter discusses principles of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and MRI followed by a survey on the major classes of MRI contrast agents (CA), their modes of action, and some of the most significative applications. The two more established classes of MRI-CA are represented by paramagnetic...... been attained that markedly increase the number and typology of systems with CEST properties. Currently much attention is also devoted to hyperpolarized molecules that display a sensitivity enhancement sufficient for their direct exploitation for the formation of the MR image. A real breakthrough...

The usefulness of transvaginal ultrasonography and MRI in endometrial carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshihara, Eisuke

1992-01-01

Between October 1988 and March 1991, 29 patients with endometrial carcinoma had both transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed following hysterectomy at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Okayama University Medical School. The findings were compared with the pathological findings to determine the usefulness of each method. The sensitivity of detecting myometrial invasion was 100% by TVUS and 96% by MRI. The accuracy was 86% by each method. The depth of myometrial invasion was classified into 3 degrees [no myometrial invasion, superficial invasion (≤1/2), deep invasion (>1/2)]. The correct diagnostic rate was 86% by TVUS and MRI. The minimum width and the minimum/maximum width ratio of the intact myometrium obtained by each method in the pathological deep invasion group were significantly lower than those obtained in the other two groups (p<0.01). The sensitivity, the accuracy and the specificity for detecting cervical invasion were 89%, 93% and 95% by both methods. There was no difference between TVUS and MRI for diagnosing myometrial and cervical invasion of endometrial carcinoma. (author)

Examination of cholangiogram of obstructive jaundice using MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Okamura, Shouzo; Ohashi, Shinji; Mitake, Masahiro; Fujii, Yasuaki; Miyata, Takahiro; Satake, Koji; Matsui, Masumi

1993-01-01

PTC and ERCP are most often used in diagnosis of obstructive jaundice. We studied the possibility of clinical diagnosis using MRI in 33 cases of obstructive jaundice. A clinical diagnosis of malignant tumors could be given in 17 cases out of 20 (85%) using MRI if respiratory sandstill was possible. An MRI cholangiogram was particularly effective in describing tearful parting bile ducts and was clearer than PTC in describing negative gallbladders. Choledochal stones could be diagnosed in 58% of cases, which was less than the rate for malignant tumors. MRI is not an invasive examination, can be used in diagnosis of obstructive jaundice, and helps in selecting treatment methods such as PTCD and ERBD. (author)

Structural MRI substrates of cognitive impairment in neuromyelitis optica

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, Y.; Fu, Y.; Schoonheim, M.M.; Zhang, N.; Fan, M.L.; Su, L.; Shen, Y.; Yan, Y.P.; Yang, L.; Wang, Q.H.; Zhang, N.N.N.; Yu, C.S.; Barkhof, F.; Shi, F.D.

2015-01-01

Objective: To identify the clinical and structural MRI markers for predicting cognitive impairment (CI) in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO). Methods: Fifty-four patients with NMO and 27 healthy controls underwent extensive neuropsychological testing and multimodal 3.0T MRI. The patient group

MRI in acute phase of whiplash injury

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fagerlund, M. [Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Univ. Hospital of Northern Sweden, Umeaa (Sweden); Bjoernebrink, J. [Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Univ. Hospital of Northern Sweden, Umeaa (Sweden); Pettersson, K. [Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Univ. Hospital of Northern Sweden, Umeaa (Sweden); Hildingsson, C. [Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Univ. Hospital of Northern Sweden, Umeaa (Sweden)

1995-11-01

A prospective MRI study of 39 whiplash patients was performed and the results were compared with the clinical findings within 15 days after trauma. The MRI parameters included disc bulging either with impingement on the anterior epidural space or with medullary compression, foraminal stenosis, dorsal ligament thickening, osteophyte extension and intramedullary or paravertebral soft tissue injury. All changes were graded visually on a four-point scale (no, some, moderate or extensive changes). After the MRI evaluation was made the clinical findings were analysed by two orthopaedic surgeons using a specially designed protocol. With MRI 29 patients (74 %) showed no or only slight changes, and were thus regarded as normal variations. Of these, 10 of 29 patients (34 %) had as the only symptom pain in the head or in the neck, 19 of 29 patients (66 %) showed neurological changes, either paresthesias, sensory deficits or weakness of upper extremities. In 10 (26 %) patients with moderate or extensive MRI changes, 3 of 10 (33 %) had only head or neck pain, or both, and 7 of 10 (66 %) had neurological changes. Use of MRI in whiplash injury is helpful, but it is not the first-choice radiological examination method. Despite neurological changes, the frequency of true traumatic lesions is low. There is no clear correlation between the patients` subjective symptoms or clinical signs and the findings with MRI. However, MRI can be used to find patients with disk herniation that can be treated surgically. (orig.)

MRI in acute phase of whiplash injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fagerlund, M.; Bjoernebrink, J.; Pettersson, K.; Hildingsson, C.

1995-01-01

A prospective MRI study of 39 whiplash patients was performed and the results were compared with the clinical findings within 15 days after trauma. The MRI parameters included disc bulging either with impingement on the anterior epidural space or with medullary compression, foraminal stenosis, dorsal ligament thickening, osteophyte extension and intramedullary or paravertebral soft tissue injury. All changes were graded visually on a four-point scale (no, some, moderate or extensive changes). After the MRI evaluation was made the clinical findings were analysed by two orthopaedic surgeons using a specially designed protocol. With MRI 29 patients (74 %) showed no or only slight changes, and were thus regarded as normal variations. Of these, 10 of 29 patients (34 %) had as the only symptom pain in the head or in the neck, 19 of 29 patients (66 %) showed neurological changes, either paresthesias, sensory deficits or weakness of upper extremities. In 10 (26 %) patients with moderate or extensive MRI changes, 3 of 10 (33 %) had only head or neck pain, or both, and 7 of 10 (66 %) had neurological changes. Use of MRI in whiplash injury is helpful, but it is not the first-choice radiological examination method. Despite neurological changes, the frequency of true traumatic lesions is low. There is no clear correlation between the patients' subjective symptoms or clinical signs and the findings with MRI. However, MRI can be used to find patients with disk herniation that can be treated surgically. (orig.)

Magnetic resonance imaging findings compared with histological findings of the labrum in hip osteoarthritis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanezaki, Shiho; Nakamura, Shigeru; Matsushita, Takashi; Yamamoto, Asako; Osawa, Marie

2015-01-01

Patients with disorders such as acetabular dysplasia or femoroacetabular impingement are at risk of developing hip osteoartbritis. Assessment of the cartilage and labrum in the hip joint based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been challenging because of the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to its deep location, ball and socket structure, and small volume of those structures compared with the whole joint size. To achieve better imaging assessment, direct MR. arthrography (d-MRA) and other techniques such as T2* mapping, T2 mapping, Tlrho, and delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI (dGEMRIC) have been developed along with the increasing use of high-field MRI. In patients with no apparent osteoarthritic changes such as joint space narrowing or osteophyte and subchondral cyst formation on radiographs, these techniques can detect early cartilage or labral damage. A recently developed semiquantitative MRI-based scoring system for hip osteoarthritis includes evaluation of the labrum, and its application as a potential therapeutic monitoring tool is anticipated. The labrum shows pathological changes such as macroscopic hypertrophy and histological degeneration in hip osteoartbritis, but the pathological background is not well understood when evaluated by MRI. Kubo et al. compared radial MRI findings with histological changes of the labrum in ll hips with osteoarthritis using 1.5-T MRJ and found that fibrous separation and mucoid deposition occurred in the labrum with a ''diffuse high signal'' or ''obscure'' pattern. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have demonstrated a correlation between MRI fmdings and histological evidence of the severity of degeneration of the labrum. We hypothesized that radially reconstructed images of the acetabular labrum acquired by 3-T MRI can depict degenerative changes of the labrum. In this study, we sought to determine the correlation between MRI and histological findings of the

Magnetic resonance imaging findings compared with histological findings of the labrum in hip osteoarthritis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kanezaki, Shiho; Nakamura, Shigeru; Matsushita, Takashi [Teikyo University School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo (Japan); Yamamoto, Asako; Osawa, Marie [Teikyo University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo (Japan)

2015-06-01

Patients with disorders such as acetabular dysplasia or femoroacetabular impingement are at risk of developing hip osteoartbritis. Assessment of the cartilage and labrum in the hip joint based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been challenging because of the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to its deep location, ball and socket structure, and small volume of those structures compared with the whole joint size. To achieve better imaging assessment, direct MR. arthrography (d-MRA) and other techniques such as T2* mapping, T2 mapping, Tlrho, and delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI (dGEMRIC) have been developed along with the increasing use of high-field MRI. In patients with no apparent osteoarthritic changes such as joint space narrowing or osteophyte and subchondral cyst formation on radiographs, these techniques can detect early cartilage or labral damage. A recently developed semiquantitative MRI-based scoring system for hip osteoarthritis includes evaluation of the labrum, and its application as a potential therapeutic monitoring tool is anticipated. The labrum shows pathological changes such as macroscopic hypertrophy and histological degeneration in hip osteoartbritis, but the pathological background is not well understood when evaluated by MRI. Kubo et al. compared radial MRI findings with histological changes of the labrum in ll hips with osteoarthritis using 1.5-T MRJ and found that fibrous separation and mucoid deposition occurred in the labrum with a ''diffuse high signal'' or ''obscure'' pattern. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have demonstrated a correlation between MRI fmdings and histological evidence of the severity of degeneration of the labrum. We hypothesized that radially reconstructed images of the acetabular labrum acquired by 3-T MRI can depict degenerative changes of the labrum. In this study, we sought to determine the correlation between MRI and histological findings of the

Brain Tumor Image Segmentation in MRI Image

Science.gov (United States)

Peni Agustin Tjahyaningtijas, Hapsari

2018-04-01

Brain tumor segmentation plays an important role in medical image processing. Treatment of patients with brain tumors is highly dependent on early detection of these tumors. Early detection of brain tumors will improve the patient’s life chances. Diagnosis of brain tumors by experts usually use a manual segmentation that is difficult and time consuming because of the necessary automatic segmentation. Nowadays automatic segmentation is very populer and can be a solution to the problem of tumor brain segmentation with better performance. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of MRI-based brain tumor segmentation methods. There are number of existing review papers, focusing on traditional methods for MRI-based brain tumor image segmentation. this paper, we focus on the recent trend of automatic segmentation in this field. First, an introduction to brain tumors and methods for brain tumor segmentation is given. Then, the state-of-the-art algorithms with a focus on recent trend of full automatic segmentaion are discussed. Finally, an assessment of the current state is presented and future developments to standardize MRI-based brain tumor segmentation methods into daily clinical routine are addressed.

An Introduction to Normalization and Calibration Methods in Functional MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Thomas T.; Glover, Gary H.; Mueller, Bryon A.; Greve, Douglas N.; Brown, Gregory G.

2013-01-01

In functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal is often interpreted as a measure of neural activity. However, because the BOLD signal reflects the complex interplay of neural, vascular, and metabolic processes, such an interpretation is not always valid. There is growing evidence that changes…

Indications for MRI of the breast - current status. Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rieber, A.; Tomczak, R.; Nuessle, K.; Brambs, H.J.

1997-01-01

Since MRI is being applied as a diagnostic imaging method, there is no other field of application of MRI that has been causing debates and emotions of such controversial nature as has MRI of the breast. Advocates of the method emphasize the fact that MR mammography is capable of detecting carcinomas not shown by all other available methods, and diagnostic findings even permit identification of malignomas with a high accuracy. As a concluding statement of the analysis of the pros and cons it can be said that establishment of a routine diagnostic method offering higher sensitivity and specificity than other available methods, free of radiological risks at that, certainly would be appropriate. Those supporting MR mammography believe that this method is up to all requirements stated. However, financial constraints in the public health sector demand that the range of indications be well defined. (orig./AJ) [de

MRI-based diagnostic imaging of the intratemporal facial nerve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kress, B.; Baehren, W.

2001-01-01

Detailed imaging of the five sections of the full intratemporal course of the facial nerve can be achieved by MRI and using thin tomographic section techniques and surface coils. Contrast media are required for tomographic imaging of pathological processes. Established methods are available for diagnostic evaluation of cerebellopontine angle tumors and chronic Bell's palsy, as well as hemifacial spasms. A method still under discussion is MRI for diagnostic evaluation of Bell's palsy in the presence of fractures of the petrous bone, when blood volumes in the petrous bone make evaluation even more difficult. MRI-based diagnostic evaluation of the idiopatic facial paralysis currently is subject to change. Its usual application cannot be recommended for routine evaluation at present. However, a quantitative analysis of contrast medium uptake of the nerve may be an approach to improve the prognostic value of MRI in acute phases of Bell's palsy. (orig./CB) [de

MRI in ischemic brain diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinbrich, W.; Friedmann, G.; Pawlik, G.; Boecher-Schwarz, H.G.; Heiss, W.D.

1986-01-01

The results of MRI and CT in 55 patients with brain infarcts were compared; in 26 of these cases an additional PET examination was obtained in order to study the regional glucose utilisation. MRI was superior to CT, demonstrating 11% more of the infarcts, particularly during the first 24 hours, in small lesions confined to the grey or subcortical white matter and in infratentorial ischemic lesion. On the other hand, only CT was able to show fresh hemorrhage, although MRI was the method of choice to demonstrate old blood collections. To characterise the follow up of an infarct, CT and MRI were similar, except the marginal contrast enhancement sometimes demonstrated by CT studies between the 2nd and 4th week after stroke event. PET was inferior to show details because of its poorer spatial resolution, but anyhow had a high sensitivity and provided additional informations concerning secondary inactivations of brain areas not directly damaged. Additionally PET was able to demonstrate areas of anaerobic glycolysis and lesions of diminished glucose utilisation in TIAs. Small areas of gliosis in the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres were frequently found in patients with cerebro-vascular diseases; they were best shown by MRI, but do not correlate with the extent of vascular stenoses or occlusions, shown by angiography. (orig) [de

MRI: A method to detect minor brain damage following coronary bypass surgery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vik, A.; Brubakk, A.O. (Trondheim Univ. (Norway). Dept. of Biomedical Engineering); Rinck, P.A. (Trondheim Univ. (Norway). MR Center); Sande, E.; Levang, O.W. (Trondheim Univ. Hospital (Norway). Dept. of Surgery); Sellevold, O. (Trondheim Univ. Hospital (Norway). Dept. of Anaesthesiology)

1991-10-01

In order to assess the occurrence of minor focal brain lesions after coronary bypass surgery, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used. Nine male patients (age 42-63) with angina pectoris were investigated at 0.5 Tesla. The investigation was performed one to seven weeks prior to the operation and one month after the operation. Before surgery, the images demonstrated more than five high intensity spots in the white matter of the brain in all but two patients. No additional spots were found after operation. This pilot study indicates that it might be difficult to use MRI to detect minor parenchymal lesions after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. (orig.).

Evaluation of FSE and FSPGR MRI imaging methods for planning cranial stereotactic irradiation of a metastatic brain tumor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terada, Masaki; Tanoi, Chiharu

2003-01-01

Cranial stereotactic irradiation (STI) of a metastatic brain tumor (BT) was planned by fusing CT images with MRI images using the landmark method of the X-Knife System. The MRI images revealed the BT, the critical optic nerve and brain stem of structures and the eyeball and blood vessels that are landmarks. It was important to improve visibility of the BT with sufficient contrast. Therefore, comparison examinations were performed using the two dimensions fast spin echo (2DFSE), the two dimensions fast spoiled gradient echo (2DFSPGR), and the three dimensions fast spoiled gradient echo (3DFSPGR) methods of T1-weighted imaging with Gd-DTPA contrast. Critical structures and the internal structures of the landmark method were suitable for planning STI when the results of three or more points were combined in visual evaluations. However, the 2DFSE method could showed three or more points. The BT also be visually evaluated using three or less points by the FSPGR method, but had reduced visibility. From detailed contents, the fall of visual evaluation by the small thin and solid BT of the diameter of a BT was characteristic. In the whole signal noise ratio (SNR), the 3DFSPGR method is excellent in images analysis, and the 2DFSE method was excellent in contrast noise ratio (CNR) of a BT. The cystic BT accompanied by dropsy was images with clear and good depiction in all scan parameter. However, the FSPGR method was the boundary not clear in the small solid BT, the FSE method was able to recognize the maximum of the diameter of BT most, and depiction was good. Artifacts of blood flow and motion of the FSE method is a fault. However, the FSE method had the highest useful depiction ability of all BT in the STI plan. (author)

The OMERACT rheumatoid arthritis magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scoring system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Mikkel; Peterfy, Charles G.; Bird, Paul

2017-01-01

Objective: The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scoring system (RAMRIS), evaluating bone erosion, bone marrow edema/osteitis, and synovitis, was introduced in 2002, and is now the standard method of objectively quantifying...... inflammation and damage by MRI in RA trials. The objective of this paper was to identify subsequent advances and based on them, to provide updated recommendations for the RAMRIS. Methods: MRI studies relevant for RAMRIS and technical and scientific advances were analyzed by the OMERACT MRI in Arthritis Working...... Group, which used these data to provide updated considerations on image acquisition, RAMRIS definitions, and scoring systems for the original and new RA pathologies. Further, a research agenda was outlined. Results: Since 2002, longitudinal studies and clinical trials have documented RAMRIS variables...

MRI in the assessment of congenital vaginal anomalies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humphries, P.D.; Simpson, J.C.; Creighton, S.M.; Hall-Craggs, M.A.

2008-01-01

Aim: To assess accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the delineation of morphological abnormalities of the vagina in patients with congenital anomalies of the genito-urinary tract. Materials and methods: Fifty-one patients (median age 19 years; range 12-40 years) were studied. All were consecutively referred for MRI to assess genital tract anatomy, between 1996 and 2004, from a clinic specializing in congenital abnormalities of the urogenital tract. All patients were assessed clinically and underwent MRI. Images were reviewed retrospectively by an experienced radiologist. Where there was discordance between clinical and radiological findings a consensus diagnosis was achieved by the gynaecologists and radiologists reviewing all of the clinical and radiological evidence together, including assessment of vaginal length. Results: The clinical data were incomplete for five women and the images non-diagnostic in two cases; consequently, 44 of 51 women had complete datasets and could be evaluated. Vaginas were abnormal in 30 of the 44 patients. There was discordance between the clinical and imaging findings at the initial review in three of the 44 cases (6.8%). After consensus review, and with the inclusion of measurement of the vaginal length on MRI, the MRI and clinical findings were concordant in all cases. The initial discordance was due to two vaginal dimples not being appreciated on MRI and one case in which presence of vaginal tissue proximal to a mid-segment obstruction was not appreciated clinically. Conclusion: MRI is an accurate method of imaging vaginal anomalies. However, to achieve reliable results the radiologist requires details of previous surgery and the vaginal length must be measured

MRI in the assessment of congenital vaginal anomalies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Humphries, P.D. [Department of Radiology, University College Hospital, London (United Kingdom); Simpson, J.C.; Creighton, S.M. [Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Hospital, London (United Kingdom); Hall-Craggs, M.A. [Department of Radiology, University College Hospital, London (United Kingdom)], E-mail: margaret.hall-craggs@uclh.nhs.uk

2008-04-15

Aim: To assess accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the delineation of morphological abnormalities of the vagina in patients with congenital anomalies of the genito-urinary tract. Materials and methods: Fifty-one patients (median age 19 years; range 12-40 years) were studied. All were consecutively referred for MRI to assess genital tract anatomy, between 1996 and 2004, from a clinic specializing in congenital abnormalities of the urogenital tract. All patients were assessed clinically and underwent MRI. Images were reviewed retrospectively by an experienced radiologist. Where there was discordance between clinical and radiological findings a consensus diagnosis was achieved by the gynaecologists and radiologists reviewing all of the clinical and radiological evidence together, including assessment of vaginal length. Results: The clinical data were incomplete for five women and the images non-diagnostic in two cases; consequently, 44 of 51 women had complete datasets and could be evaluated. Vaginas were abnormal in 30 of the 44 patients. There was discordance between the clinical and imaging findings at the initial review in three of the 44 cases (6.8%). After consensus review, and with the inclusion of measurement of the vaginal length on MRI, the MRI and clinical findings were concordant in all cases. The initial discordance was due to two vaginal dimples not being appreciated on MRI and one case in which presence of vaginal tissue proximal to a mid-segment obstruction was not appreciated clinically. Conclusion: MRI is an accurate method of imaging vaginal anomalies. However, to achieve reliable results the radiologist requires details of previous surgery and the vaginal length must be measured.

Custom Fit 3D-Printed Brain Holders for Comparison of Histology with MRI in Marmosets

Science.gov (United States)

Guy, Joseph R.; Sati, Pascal; Leibovitch, Emily; Jacobson, Steven; Silva, Afonso C.; Reich, Daniel S.

2015-01-01

Background MRI has the advantage of sampling large areas of tissue and locating areas of interest in 3D space in both living and ex vivo systems, whereas histology has the ability to examine thin slices of ex vivo tissue with high detail and specificity. Although both are valuable tools, it is currently difficult to make high-precision comparisons between MRI and histology due to large differences inherent to the techniques. A method combining the advantages would be an asset to understanding the pathological correlates of MRI. New Method 3D-printed brain holders were used to maintain marmoset brains in the same orientation during acquisition of ex vivo MRI and pathologic cutting of the tissue. Results The results of maintaining this same orientation show that sub-millimeter, discrete neuropathological features in marmoset brain consistently share size, shape, and location between histology and ex vivo MRI, which facilitates comparison with serial imaging acquired in vivo. Comparison with Existing Methods Existing methods use computational approaches sensitive to data input in order to warp histologic images to match large-scale features on MRI, but the new method requires no warping of images, due to a preregistration accomplished in the technique, and is insensitive to data formatting and artifacts in both MRI and histology. Conclusions The simple method of using 3D-printed brain holders to match brain orientation during pathologic sectioning and MRI acquisition enables rapid and precise comparison of small features seen on MRI to their underlying histology. PMID:26365332

Cerebral activity mapped by functional MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruening, R.; Danek, A.; Wu, R.H.; Berchtenbreiter, C.; Reiser, M.

1997-01-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a method to noninvasively measure the changes in cerebral activation during sensitive, cognitive or motor activity. fMRI detects activity by subtraction of states of activity and rest. During activity the signal is increased presumably due to a decrease of deoxyhemoglobin in the capillary and venous structures. Using a full field visual stimulation by flashlight goggles, a signal increase of 3% was detected in the primary visual cortex (V1). Different sequences and postprocessing algorythms will be discussed. Data from the primary cortical areas suggest a high reproducability of the experiments. Successfull experiments highly depend on cooperation of subjects. Despite success in experiments fMRI still has to be established for clinical purposes. (orig.) [de

Whole-body MRI in children and juveniles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, J.F.; Kramer, U.

2011-01-01

The imaging of systemic disorders without radiation exposure by whole-body MRI (wb-MRI) represents a paradigm shift for pediatric radiology. The reduction of multiple regional examinations, if necessary under sedation, results in a faster treatment start. Modern scanner techniques using automatic table movement and allowing the combination of multiple coil elements and synchronized signal recording with numerous independent receiving channels are the basic prerequisite for high-resolution wb-MRI. The main indications are the evaluation of multifocal bone involvement in different disorders, rheumatic disorders including fever of unknown origin or metastatic spread in solid tumors. Based on the research, there is currently no absolute indication. However, wb-MRI has been shown to yield a higher diagnostic performance than bone scintigraphy and comparable results to FDG-PET for the detection of bone metastases. Due to the low number of published studies, it is uncertain for which entity of solid tumors wb-MRI is the modality of choice and for which tumors wb-MRI will play only a complementary role in the diagnostic work-up. Methodical strategies, pitfalls in image analysis, indications and diagnostic accuracy will be discussed based on already published results as well as our own experience from over 400 examinations, thus providing an overview of the recent research as well as supplying relevant aspects of the daily routine in pediatric wb-MRI. (orig.)

MRI-guided brachytherapy for cancer of the oesophagus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aydin, H.; Bachmann, G.; Lieven, H. von; Sens, M.

1993-01-01

A method of brachytherapy treatment planning using MRI is presented. In 13 patients with inoperable squamous cell cancer of the thoracic oesophagus an intraluminal afterloading boost with MRI assistance was performed. A new type of flexible catheter was filled with 1/100 diluted Gd-DTPA and introduced into the oesophagus before performing MRI in the sagittal, coronal and transverse planes. One sagittal or coronal picture which showed the catheter tip and the residual cancer was magnified to ''life size''. The position of the catheter was corrected if necessary and the treatment volume decided. The contrast medium was then aspirated out of the catheter and a thinner afterloading catheter pushed into the outer catheter. The patient was moved immediately to the afterloading room and received the first dose of boost irradiation. This method allows much more precise brachytherapy planning since it shows the cancer and the catheter together. It is superior to localising the cancer with a barium swallow or endoscopy because MRI visualises the whole extent of the residual cancer, which can then be covered with the necessary dose. (orig.)

MRI findings in the painful hemiplegic shoulder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavora, D.G.F.; Gama, R.L.; Bomfim, R.C.; Nakayama, M.; Silva, C.E.P.

2010-01-01

Aim: To evaluate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in painful hemiplegic shoulder (PHS) in hemiplegic post-stroke patients. Materials and methods: Patients with hemiplegia following their first cerebrovascular accident who were admitted to the Sarah Network of Hospitals for Rehabilitation were studied. Forty-five patients with pain in the hemiplegic shoulder and 23 post-stroke patients without shoulder pain were investigated. MRI and radiographic findings of the hemiplegic and contralateral asymptomatic shoulders were evaluated. Results: Some MRI findings were more frequent in PHS group, including synovial capsule thickening, synovial capsule enhancement, and enhancement in the rotator cuff interval. Conclusions: Adhesive capsulitis was found to be a possible cause of PHS.

MRI findings in the painful hemiplegic shoulder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tavora, D.G.F., E-mail: danielgurgel@sarah.b [Department of Radiology, Sarah Network of Hospitals for Rehabilitation, Fortaleza (Brazil); Gama, R.L.; Bomfim, R.C. [Department of Radiology, Sarah Network of Hospitals for Rehabilitation, Fortaleza (Brazil); Nakayama, M. [Department of Radiology, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados (Brazil); Silva, C.E.P. [Department of Statistics, Sarah Network of Hospitals for Rehabilitation, Fortaleza (Brazil)

2010-10-15

Aim: To evaluate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in painful hemiplegic shoulder (PHS) in hemiplegic post-stroke patients. Materials and methods: Patients with hemiplegia following their first cerebrovascular accident who were admitted to the Sarah Network of Hospitals for Rehabilitation were studied. Forty-five patients with pain in the hemiplegic shoulder and 23 post-stroke patients without shoulder pain were investigated. MRI and radiographic findings of the hemiplegic and contralateral asymptomatic shoulders were evaluated. Results: Some MRI findings were more frequent in PHS group, including synovial capsule thickening, synovial capsule enhancement, and enhancement in the rotator cuff interval. Conclusions: Adhesive capsulitis was found to be a possible cause of PHS.

Determination of position and shape of flexible mri surface coils using the Microsoft Kinect for attenuation correction in PET/MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frohwein, Lynn; He, Mirco; Buther, Florian; Safers, Klaus [European Institute for Molecular Imaging, University of Muenster (Germany)

2015-05-18

Due to the varying position and shape of flexible MRI RF surface coils, the creation of attenuation maps for these coils is a challenging task. Nevertheless, coil material (metal, plastic, rubber) attenuates the PET signal to a considerable amount. Thus, including a coil μ-map into the human μ-map is essential. In this work, we present a method to determine the position and shape of flexible coils with the help of the Microsoft Kinect depth camera. Phantom PET/MRI (Siemens Biograph mMR) and CT scans (Siemens Biograph mCT) were performed with and without the flexible 32-channel coil equipped with 15 markers visible in CT and Kinect. Prior to the PET/MRI acquisition, Kinect data is acquired of the phantom with the coil on top. The manually extracted marker positions from CT and Kinect are used to non-rigidly transform the template CT according to the Kinect marker positions describing the shape of the coil during PET/MRI acquisition. An appropriate μ-map can then be calculated from the transformed CT dataset. Subsequently, the μ-map is placed in relation to the patient table according to the Kinect-derived marker positions. First results show that the coil shape can be determined with the help of the Kinect camera. The transformation of the template CT dataset according to Kinect marker positions during PET/MRI leads to appropriate results. Furthermore, the position of the coil can also be determined for an accurate placement of the μ-map in relation to the patient table. The determination of position and shape of flexible surface coils using the Kinect camera can be a way to include the CT-based coil μ-map in PET/MRI acquisitions without the need for additional MRI scans. Accuracy and practicability of the method have to be tested in further experiments.

Determination of position and shape of flexible mri surface coils using the Microsoft Kinect for attenuation correction in PET/MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frohwein, Lynn; He, Mirco; Buther, Florian; Safers, Klaus

2015-01-01

Due to the varying position and shape of flexible MRI RF surface coils, the creation of attenuation maps for these coils is a challenging task. Nevertheless, coil material (metal, plastic, rubber) attenuates the PET signal to a considerable amount. Thus, including a coil μ-map into the human μ-map is essential. In this work, we present a method to determine the position and shape of flexible coils with the help of the Microsoft Kinect depth camera. Phantom PET/MRI (Siemens Biograph mMR) and CT scans (Siemens Biograph mCT) were performed with and without the flexible 32-channel coil equipped with 15 markers visible in CT and Kinect. Prior to the PET/MRI acquisition, Kinect data is acquired of the phantom with the coil on top. The manually extracted marker positions from CT and Kinect are used to non-rigidly transform the template CT according to the Kinect marker positions describing the shape of the coil during PET/MRI acquisition. An appropriate μ-map can then be calculated from the transformed CT dataset. Subsequently, the μ-map is placed in relation to the patient table according to the Kinect-derived marker positions. First results show that the coil shape can be determined with the help of the Kinect camera. The transformation of the template CT dataset according to Kinect marker positions during PET/MRI leads to appropriate results. Furthermore, the position of the coil can also be determined for an accurate placement of the μ-map in relation to the patient table. The determination of position and shape of flexible surface coils using the Kinect camera can be a way to include the CT-based coil μ-map in PET/MRI acquisitions without the need for additional MRI scans. Accuracy and practicability of the method have to be tested in further experiments.

A novel method to assess pial collateralization from stroke perfusion MRI: subdividing Tmax into anatomical compartments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potreck, Arne; Seker, Fatih; Hoffmann, Angelika; Pfaff, Johannes; Bendszus, Martin; Heiland, Sabine; Pham, Mirko; Nagel, Simon

2017-01-01

To develop and validate a quantitative and observer-independent method to evaluate pial collateral circulation by DSC-perfusion MRI and test whether this novel method delivers diagnostic information which is redundant to or independent from conventional penumbra imaging by the mismatch approach. We retrospectively identified 47 patients with M1 occlusion who underwent MR diffusion/perfusion imaging and mechanical thrombectomy at our facility. By automated registration and segmentation, T max delays were attributed specifically to the pial, cortical and parenchymal compartments. The resulting pial volumes at delay were defined as the pial T max map-assessed collateral score (TMACS) and correlated with gold standard digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Mismatch ratio was assessed by conventional penumbra defining MRI criteria. Strong correlation was found between TMACS and angiographically assessed collateral score (Pearson ρ = -0.74, p < 0.001). In multiple logistic regression, both good collaterals according to TMACS [OR 4.3 (1.1-19, p = 0.04)] and mismatch ratio ≥ 3.5 [OR 12.3 (1.88-249, p = 0.03)] were independent predictors of favourable clinical outcome. Perfusion delay in the pial compartment, as evaluated by TMACS, closely reflects the extent of pial collaterals in gold-standard DSA. TMACS and mismatch ratio were found to be complementary predictors of a favourable clinical outcome, each adding independent predictive information. (orig.)

Bile cystadenocarcinoma: MRI findings with pathologic correlation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jing; Ye Huiyi; Cai Youquan; Ma Lin; Guo Xinggao; Yu Guo

2007-01-01

Objective: To describe the MRI features and pathologic findings of biliary cystadenocarcinoma (BCAC) and to assess the diagnostic value of MRI in those tumors. Methods: Five cases of BCAC were collected. All cases were proved by pathology. Non-enhanced and multiphase-enhanced MRI were performed in all cases. MRCP were performed in two cases. The MRI features of the five cases were reviewed retrospectively and correlated with pathologic findings. Results: Histological evidence demonstrated five cases of BCAC. Four cases were solitary, whereas the other case was multif0cal. All cases were solid and cystic lesions. Two cases were unilocular, whereas the other three cases were multilocular. Multiple mural nodules and irregular thickening cystic walls were presented in all cases. The cystic parts of the lesions were homogeneous in signal intensity and showed no enhancement after contrast administration in the five BCAC. Septa were present in three BCAC with multilocular cyst. On MRCP the bile duct dilatation was found in two BCAC. Conclusion: MRI can reveal the characteristic findings of BCAC and accurate preoperative diagnosis can be made. (authors)

Update on the MRI Core of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Jack, Clifford R; Bernstein, Matt A; Borowski, Bret J; Gunter, Jeffrey L; Fox, Nick C; Thompson, Paul M; Schuff, Norbert; Krueger, Gunnar; Killiany, Ronald J; DeCarli, Charles S; Dale, Anders M; Weiner, Michael W

2010-01-01

Functions of the ADNI MRI core fall into three categories: (1) those of the central MRI core lab at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, needed to generate high quality MRI data in all subjects at each time point; (2) those of the funded ADNI MRI core imaging analysis groups responsible for analyzing the MRI data, and (3) the joint function of the entire MRI core in designing and problem solving MR image acquisition, pre-processing and analyses methods. The primary objective of ADNI was and continues to be improving methods for clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease. Our approach to the present (“ADNI-GO”) and future (“ADNI-2”, if funded) MRI protocol will be to maintain MRI methodological consistency in previously enrolled “ADNI-1” subjects who are followed longitudinally in ADNI-GO and ADNI-2. We will modernize and expand the MRI protocol for all newly enrolled ADNI-GO and ADNI-2 subjects. All newly enrolled subjects will be scanned at 3T with a core set of three sequence types: 3D T1-weighted volume, FLAIR, and a long TE gradient echo volumetric acquisition for micro hemorrhage detection. In addition to this core ADNI-GO and ADNI-2 protocol, we will perform vendor specific pilot sub-studies of arterial spin labeling perfusion, resting state functional connectivity and diffusion tensor imaging. One each of these sequences will be added to the core protocol on systems from each MRI vendor. These experimental sub-studies are designed to demonstrate the feasibility of acquiring useful data in a multi-center (but single vendor) setting for these three emerging MRI applications. PMID:20451869

MRI of injuries of the lateral ankle ligaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breitenseher, Martin

2011-01-01

The most frequent sport injury of the ankle is located in the lateral ankle ligaments. The diagnosis of lateral collateral ankle ligament trauma is based on patient history, clinical examination, and stress radiography, allowing a fair diagnosis for the daily routine. For the direct visualization and precise diagnosis of the lateral ankle ligaments MRI provides the best answer. MRI is used with controlled positioning of the foot, correct angulation of sequenzes, and distinct analysis of MR findings. Sinus tarsi ligaments and ligaments of the distal syndesmosis should be included to the report. In selected patients MRI allows the best evaluation of the extent of the lateral ankle ligaments. MRI is the method of choice for combined osteochondral injuries and soft tissue lesions too. (orig.)

A new bias field correction method combining N3 and FCM for improved segmentation of breast density on MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Muqing; Chan, Siwa; Chen, Jeon-Hor; Chang, Daniel; Nie, Ke; Chen, Shih-Ting; Lin, Cheng-Ju; Shih, Tzu-Ching; Nalcioglu, Orhan; Su, Min-Ying

2011-01-01

Quantitative breast density is known as a strong risk factor associated with the development of breast cancer. Measurement of breast density based on three-dimensional breast MRI may provide very useful information. One important step for quantitative analysis of breast density on MRI is the correction of field inhomogeneity to allow an accurate segmentation of the fibroglandular tissue (dense tissue). A new bias field correction method by combining the nonparametric nonuniformity normalization (N3) algorithm and fuzzy-C-means (FCM)-based inhomogeneity correction algorithm is developed in this work. The analysis is performed on non-fat-sat T1-weighted images acquired using a 1.5 T MRI scanner. A total of 60 breasts from 30 healthy volunteers was analyzed. N3 is known as a robust correction method, but it cannot correct a strong bias field on a large area. FCM-based algorithm can correct the bias field on a large area, but it may change the tissue contrast and affect the segmentation quality. The proposed algorithm applies N3 first, followed by FCM, and then the generated bias field is smoothed using Gaussian kernal and B-spline surface fitting to minimize the problem of mistakenly changed tissue contrast. The segmentation results based on the N3+FCM corrected images were compared to the N3 and FCM alone corrected images and another method, coherent local intensity clustering (CLIC), corrected images. The segmentation quality based on different correction methods were evaluated by a radiologist and ranked. The authors demonstrated that the iterative N3+FCM correction method brightens the signal intensity of fatty tissues and that separates the histogram peaks between the fibroglandular and fatty tissues to allow an accurate segmentation between them. In the first reading session, the radiologist found (N3+FCM > N3 > FCM) ranking in 17 breasts, (N3+FCM > N3 = FCM) ranking in 7 breasts, (N3+FCM = N3 > FCM) in 32 breasts, (N3+FCM = N3 = FCM) in 2 breasts, and (N3 > N3

Cine MRI of the temporomandibular joint in comparison to static MRI and axiography; Cine-MRT des Kiefergelenks im Vergleich zur konventionellen MRT und Achsiographie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beer, A.; Rummeny, E.J. [Inst. fuer Roentgendiagnostik der Technischen Univ. Muenchen, Klinikum rechts der Isar (Germany); Kolk, A.; Neff, A. [Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Mund-Kiefer-Gesichtschirurgie der Technischen Univ. Muenchen, Klinikum rechts der Isar (Germany); Hof, N. [Abt. fuer Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie/Nuklearmedizin, Krankenhaus Dritter Orden, Muenchen-Nymphenburg (Germany); Treumann, T. [Roentgeninstitut, Kantonshospital Luzern (Switzerland)

2004-04-01

Purpose: To evaluate Cine MRI (cMRI) of the temporomandibular joint in comparison to static MRI (sMRI) and axiography. Materials and Methods: In a prospective study with 57 healthy volunteers as well as 33 patients after temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery or with severe joint dysfunction, we measured the mobility of both condyle and disc as well as the sagittal angle of condylar inclination with sMRI and cMRI. Measurements and image analysis were performed by a radiologist and a maxillofacial surgeon in consensus. The results of axiography served as standard of reference. Result: Concerning the assessment of the discoligamentous complex, sMRI was superior to cMRI in the patient-group (sensitivity sMRI 85%, cMRI 76%), while no significant difference was found in the volunteer-group (sensitivity sMRI 97.4%, cMRI 98.3%). The results of cMRI and sMRI showed a highly significant correlation with each other, as well as with the axiographic reference tracings (r=0.90). The average mobility of the disc and condyle was 6% and 10% higher in sMRI compared to cMRI (p=0.001) and showed a slightly higher variance (0.043 vs. 0.038). Concerning the condylar inclination angle, both MRI-procedures had the best correlation (r=0.94) with each other and axiography. Conclusion: Real-time MRI of the TMJ is comparable to axiography in its accuracy and is a useful adjunct to conventional static MRI. (orig.) [German] Fragestellung: Evaluation der Cine-MRT (cMRT) des Kiefergelenks im Vergleich zur statischen MRT (sMRT) und Achsiographie. Material und Methode: Bei 57 Probanden und bei 33 Patienten nach operativem Gelenkeingriff oder mit klinischer Funktionsstoerung wurden die Kondylus- und Diskusmobilitaet sowie die horizontale Kondylenbahnneigung (HKN) in der sMRT und in der cMRT bestimmt. Die Auswertung erfolgte durch einen Radiologen und einen Mund-Kiefer-Gesichtschirurgen im Konsensus. Die Werte der Achsiographie dienten als Goldstandard. Ergebnisse: Bezueglich der Abgrenzbarkeit des

Automated Localization of Multiple Pelvic Bone Structures on MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Onal, Sinan; Lai-Yuen, Susana; Bao, Paul; Weitzenfeld, Alfredo; Hart, Stuart

2016-01-01

In this paper, we present a fully automated localization method for multiple pelvic bone structures on magnetic resonance images (MRI). Pelvic bone structures are at present identified manually on MRI to locate reference points for measurement and evaluation of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Given that this is a time-consuming and subjective procedure, there is a need to localize pelvic bone structures automatically. However, bone structures are not easily differentiable from soft tissue on MRI as their pixel intensities tend to be very similar. In this paper, we present a model that combines support vector machines and nonlinear regression capturing global and local information to automatically identify the bounding boxes of bone structures on MRI. The model identifies the location of the pelvic bone structures by establishing the association between their relative locations and using local information such as texture features. Results show that the proposed method is able to locate the bone structures of interest accurately (dice similarity index >0.75) in 87-91% of the images. This research aims to enable accurate, consistent, and fully automated localization of bone structures on MRI to facilitate and improve the diagnosis of health conditions such as female POP.

MRI of chemical reactions and processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Britton, Melanie M

2017-08-01

As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can spatially resolve a wealth of molecular information available from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), it is able to non-invasively visualise the composition, properties and reactions of a broad range of spatially-heterogeneous molecular systems. Hence, MRI is increasingly finding applications in the study of chemical reactions and processes in a diverse range of environments and technologies. This article will explain the basic principles of MRI and how it can be used to visualise chemical composition and molecular properties, providing an overview of the variety of information available. Examples are drawn from the disciplines of chemistry, chemical engineering, environmental science, physics, electrochemistry and materials science. The review introduces a range of techniques used to produce image contrast, along with the chemical and molecular insight accessible through them. Methods for mapping the distribution of chemical species, using chemical shift imaging or spatially-resolved spectroscopy, are reviewed, as well as methods for visualising physical state, temperature, current density, flow velocities and molecular diffusion. Strategies for imaging materials with low signal intensity, such as those containing gases or low sensitivity nuclei, using compressed sensing, para-hydrogen or polarisation transfer, are discussed. Systems are presented which encapsulate the diversity of chemical and physical parameters observable by MRI, including one- and two-phase flow in porous media, chemical pattern formation, phase transformations and hydrodynamic (fingering) instabilities. Lastly, the emerging area of electrochemical MRI is discussed, with studies presented on the visualisation of electrochemical deposition and dissolution processes during corrosion and the operation of batteries, supercapacitors and fuel cells. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Functional imaging of the kidneys with fast MRI techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasad, Pottumarthi V.; Priatna, Agus

1999-01-01

Availability of faster and stronger gradient systems have given rise to a multitude of fast MRI data acquisition strategies which have tremendously increased the scope of MRI applications. These have led to the realization of long desired comprehensive approaches to evaluate anatomy and function using a single modality. In this work, we describe some of our own experiences with functional evaluation of the kidneys using MRI. Examples that suggest the feasibility of comprehensive approaches for evaluation of renal disease are also provided. We also introduce BOLD renal MRI, a method that may allow basic understanding of human renal physiology and pathophysiology in a way that has not been previously possible

Contrast-enhanced breast MRI: factors affecting sensitivity and specificity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piccoli, C.W. [Department of Radiology, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 132 South 10th Street, 7th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107-5244 (United States)

1997-12-31

Contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) of the breast has been investigated for over 10 years. The reports of sensitivity for cancer detection have generally been greater than 90 %. However, estimates of specificity have varied greatly. Differing results are due to differences in study populations, technical methods and criteria for interpretation. Early and marked signal rise, detected using dynamic imaging technique following contrast administration, is the MRI hallmark of cancer. However, some malignant lesions may enhance slowly or minimally, and a variety of benign lesions may enhance rapidly with marked signal intensity. High resolution techniques generally requiring longer acquisition times are more likely to depict the slowly enhancing malignancies at the cost of a decrease in specificity due to lack of temporal resolution. This disadvantage may be offset by the improved visualization of lesion morphology with high resolution images. This report reviews the methods and results of the leading investigators of breast MRI. (orig.) With 3 figs., 70 refs.

Contrast-enhanced breast MRI: factors affecting sensitivity and specificity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piccoli, C.W.

1997-01-01

Contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) of the breast has been investigated for over 10 years. The reports of sensitivity for cancer detection have generally been greater than 90 %. However, estimates of specificity have varied greatly. Differing results are due to differences in study populations, technical methods and criteria for interpretation. Early and marked signal rise, detected using dynamic imaging technique following contrast administration, is the MRI hallmark of cancer. However, some malignant lesions may enhance slowly or minimally, and a variety of benign lesions may enhance rapidly with marked signal intensity. High resolution techniques generally requiring longer acquisition times are more likely to depict the slowly enhancing malignancies at the cost of a decrease in specificity due to lack of temporal resolution. This disadvantage may be offset by the improved visualization of lesion morphology with high resolution images. This report reviews the methods and results of the leading investigators of breast MRI. (orig.)

MRI evaluation of acute articular cartilage injury of knee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jun; Wu Zhenhua; Fan Guoguang; Pan Shinong; Guo Qiyong

2003-01-01

Objective: To study the MRI manifestation of acute articular cartilage injury of knee for evaluating the extension and degree of the injury and guiding treatment. Methods: MRI of 34 patients with acute articular cartilage injury of knee within one day to fifteen days confirmed by arthroscopy and arthrotomy was reviewed and analyzed, with emphasis on articular cartilage and subchondral lesion. And every manifestation on MRI and that of arthroscopy and operation was compared. Results: The articular cartilage injury was diagnosed on MRI in 29 of 34 cases. Cartilage signal changes were found only in 4. The changes of cartilage shape were variable. Thinning of focal cartilage was showed in 3, osteochondral impaction in 3, creases of cartilage in 3, disrupted cartilage with fissuring in 13, cracks cartilage in 2, and cracks cartilage with displaced fragment in 1. Bone bruise and occult fracture were found only on MRI. Conclusion: The assessment of MRI and arthroscopy in acute articular cartilage injury are consistent. Combined with arthroscopy, MRI can succeed in assessing the extension and degree of acute articular injury and allowing treatment planning

Computational Diffusion MRI : MICCAI Workshop

CERN Document Server

Grussu, Francesco; Ning, Lipeng; Tax, Chantal; Veraart, Jelle

2018-01-01

This volume presents the latest developments in the highly active and rapidly growing field of diffusion MRI. The reader will find numerous contributions covering a broad range of topics, from the mathematical foundations of the diffusion process and signal generation, to new computational methods and estimation techniques for the in-vivo recovery of microstructural and connectivity features, as well as frontline applications in neuroscience research and clinical practice. These proceedings contain the papers presented at the 2017 MICCAI Workshop on Computational Diffusion MRI (CDMRI’17) held in Québec, Canada on September 10, 2017, sharing new perspectives on the most recent research challenges for those currently working in the field, but also offering a valuable starting point for anyone interested in learning computational techniques in diffusion MRI. This book includes rigorous mathematical derivations, a large number of rich, full-colour visualisations and clinically relevant results. As such, it wil...

Brain tumor segmentation using holistically nested neural networks in MRI images.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhuge, Ying; Krauze, Andra V; Ning, Holly; Cheng, Jason Y; Arora, Barbara C; Camphausen, Kevin; Miller, Robert W

2017-10-01

Gliomas are rapidly progressive, neurologically devastating, largely fatal brain tumors. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a widely used technique employed in the diagnosis and management of gliomas in clinical practice. MRI is also the standard imaging modality used to delineate the brain tumor target as part of treatment planning for the administration of radiation therapy. Despite more than 20 yr of research and development, computational brain tumor segmentation in MRI images remains a challenging task. We are presenting a novel method of automatic image segmentation based on holistically nested neural networks that could be employed for brain tumor segmentation of MRI images. Two preprocessing techniques were applied to MRI images. The N4ITK method was employed for correction of bias field distortion. A novel landmark-based intensity normalization method was developed so that tissue types have a similar intensity scale in images of different subjects for the same MRI protocol. The holistically nested neural networks (HNN), which extend from the convolutional neural networks (CNN) with a deep supervision through an additional weighted-fusion output layer, was trained to learn the multiscale and multilevel hierarchical appearance representation of the brain tumor in MRI images and was subsequently applied to produce a prediction map of the brain tumor on test images. Finally, the brain tumor was obtained through an optimum thresholding on the prediction map. The proposed method was evaluated on both the Multimodal Brain Tumor Image Segmentation (BRATS) Benchmark 2013 training datasets, and clinical data from our institute. A dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and sensitivity of 0.78 and 0.81 were achieved on 20 BRATS 2013 training datasets with high-grade gliomas (HGG), based on a two-fold cross-validation. The HNN model built on the BRATS 2013 training data was applied to ten clinical datasets with HGG from a locally developed database. DSC and sensitivity of

Bone marrow MRI in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Zhao; Guo You; Wang Renfa; Zou Mingli; Liu Wenli; Xia Liming; Wang Chengyuan

2004-01-01

Objective: To observe the MR imaging of bone marrow in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and to reveal the rule of bone marrow infiltration and the role of MRI in diagnosing and predicting the prognosis of myelodysplastic syndromes. Methods: Thirty patients received MRI after the diagnosis based on clinic and FAB subtype study, including 16 with MDS and 14 with AML. MR image was obtained by T 1 -weighted spin echo and shot time inversion recovery in pelvis and femur. The examining results of morphology and blood routine were collected at the same time. 30 age-matched volunteers were selected as controls. Results: The MRI appearance was classified into their patterns based on scope of focus. MRI patterns from grade 1 to grade 3 was observed in patients with MDS. All patients with AML distributed in grade 2 to grade 3. The distribution of patterns had no significant difference between MDS and AML (P>0.05). The marrow ratio had significant difference among MDS, AML, and controls (P<0.05). The MRI grade was consistent with the clinic diagnostic indexes. Conclusion: MRI can provide a better understanding of the difference between MDS and AML. MRI can estimate the extent of disease in the marrow as a whole. MRI of bone marrow can provide imaging basis in diagnosis and predicting the prognosis for patients with MDS

Analysis of blowout fractures using cine mode MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawahara, Masaaki; Shiihara, Kumiko; Kimura, Hisashi; Fukai, Sakuko; Tabuchi, Akio; Kojo, Tuyoshi

1995-01-01

By observing conventional CT and MRI images, it is difficult to distinguish extension failure from adhesion, bone fracture or damage to the extraocular muscle, any one of which may be the direct cause of the eye movement disturbance accompanying blowout fracture. We therefore carried out dynamic analysis of eye movement disturbance using a cine mode MRI. We put seven fixation points in the gantry of the MRI and filmed eye movement disturbances by the gradient echo method, using a surface coil and holding the vision on each fixation point. We also video recorded the CRT monitor of the MRI to obtain dynamic MRI images. The subjects comprised 5 cases (7-23 years old). In 4 cases, we started orthoptic treatment, saccadic eye movement training, convergence training and fusional amplitude training after surgery, with only orthoptic treatment in the 5 th case. In all cases, fusion area improvement was recognized during training. In 2 cases examined by cine mode MRI before and after surgery, we observed improved eye movement after training, the effectiveness of which was thereby proven. Also, using cine mode MRI we were able to determine the character of incarcerated tissue and the cause of eye movement disturbance. We conclude that it blowout fracture, cine mode MRI may be useful in selecting treatment and observing its effectiveness. (author)

MRI findings of fetal cleft lip and palate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Guangbin; Chen Liguang; Zhu Xiangyu; Wang Cuiyan; Zhang Yinghua; Wang Liajuan; Li Huihua; Qiu Xiuling; Qu Lei; Wei Yulong; Ding Rui; Sun Xueqin

2010-01-01

Objective: To investigate the MR findings of fetal cleft lip (CL) and evaluate the advantages and limitations of MRI in the diagnosis. Methods: Twelve pregnant women suspicious of fetal CL/cleft palate (CP) on ultrasonography were enrolled in the study. The findings of ultrasonography, MRI and following-up were compared. Results: MRI and ultrasonography detected 12 fetuses with CL/CP. The following-up results showed 1 case with incomplete cleft lip and the other 11 cases with complete cleft lips and cleft palates. MRI and unltrasonography were consistent with the follow-up in CL detection, showing completed or uncompleted soft tissue interruption of the fetal lips with amniotic fluid filling which is high signal on T 2 WI. On MRI, CP showed discontinuous of the soft tissue which were interrupted by long T 2 signal and communicating with oral cavity ad nasal cavity. MRI missed 1 case and excluded 1 case of CP. Ultrasonography predicted 5 case of CL, excluded 1 CP but missed 6 cases. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity in detection CL/CP was 91.7% (11/12), 90.9% (10/11), 100% (1/1) for MRI and 50.0% (6/12), 45.5% (5/11), 100% (1/1) for ultrasonography, respectively. Conclusion: MR imaging had advantage over ultrasonography in detecting CP, MRI is an essential when CP is suspicious on ultrasonography. (authors)

Integrated 18F-FDG PET/MRI compared to MRI alone for identification of local recurrences of soft tissue sarcomas: a comparison trial

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erfanian, Youssef; Grueneisen, Johannes; Wetter, Axel; Forsting, Michael; Umutlu, Lale [University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Essen (Germany); Kirchner, Julian [University Hospital Dusseldorf, University of Dusseldorf, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Dusseldorf (Germany); Podleska, Lars Erik [University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Sarcoma Surgery Division, Department of General-, Visceral- and Transplantation Surgery, Essen (Germany); Bauer, Sebastian [University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Division of Solid Tumor Translational Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, West German Cancer Center, Essen (Germany); Poeppel, Thorsten; Herrmann, Ken [University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, Essen (Germany)

2017-10-15

To assess and compare the diagnostic accuracy of PET/MRI and MRI alone for the detection of local recurrences of soft tissue sarcomas (STS) after initial surgical resection of the primary tumors. A total of 41 patients with clinically suspected tumor relapse of STS underwent an {sup 18}F-FDG-PET/MRI examination for assessment of local recurrence. Two experienced physicians interpreted the MRI data and subsequently the PET/MRI datasets in two separate reading sessions and were instructed to identify potential local tumor recurrences. Additionally, the diagnostic confidence in each reading for the identification of malignant lesions was determined. A McNemar test was applied to test for differences of both ratings and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to identify differences of the confidence levels. Histopathological verification and follow-up imaging were applied for standard of reference. Tumor relapse was present in 27/41 patients. Calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy for the detection of local tumor recurrence was 82%, 86%, 92%, 71% and 83% for MRI, and 96%, 79%, 90%, 92% and 90% for PET/MRI (p > 0.05). Furthermore, PET/MRI showed significantly higher confidence levels (p < 0.05) for the determination of malignant lesions. Our results endorse {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MRI to be an excellent imaging method in the evaluation of recurrent STS after surgical excision, yielding superior tumor detection when compared to MRI alone. (orig.)

Comparison of transient severe motion in gadoxetate disodium and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI. Effect of modified breath-holding method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Ji Soo; Choi, Eun Jung; Park, Eun Hae; Lee, Ju-Hyung

2018-01-01

To compare the occurrence of transient severe motion (TSM) between gadoxetate disodium- and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI and between gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI scans obtained with and without the application of a modified breath-holding technique. We reviewed 80 patients who underwent two magnetic resonance examinations (gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI) with the application of a modified breath-holding technique (dual group). This group was compared with 100 patients who underwent gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI without the application of the modified breath-holding technique (single group). Patient risk factors and motion scores (1 [none] to 5 [non-diagnostic]) for each dynamic-phase imaging were analysed. In the dual group, mean motion scores did not differ significantly between gadoxetate disodium- and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI (p=0.096-0.807) in any phase. However, in all phases except the late dynamic phase, mean motion scores of the dual group were significantly lower than those in the single group. TSM incidence did not differ significantly between gadoxetate disodium- and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI in the dual group (3.8% vs. 1.3%, p=0.620). With proper application of the modified breath-holding technique, TSM occurrence with gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI was comparable to that associated with gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI. (orig.)

Comparison of transient severe motion in gadoxetate disodium and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI. Effect of modified breath-holding method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Ji Soo; Choi, Eun Jung; Park, Eun Hae [Chonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Department of Radiology, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Chonbuk National University, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Biomedical Research Institute of Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Ju-Hyung [Chonbuk National University Medical School, Department of Preventive Medicine, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of)

2018-03-15

To compare the occurrence of transient severe motion (TSM) between gadoxetate disodium- and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI and between gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI scans obtained with and without the application of a modified breath-holding technique. We reviewed 80 patients who underwent two magnetic resonance examinations (gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI) with the application of a modified breath-holding technique (dual group). This group was compared with 100 patients who underwent gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI without the application of the modified breath-holding technique (single group). Patient risk factors and motion scores (1 [none] to 5 [non-diagnostic]) for each dynamic-phase imaging were analysed. In the dual group, mean motion scores did not differ significantly between gadoxetate disodium- and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI (p=0.096-0.807) in any phase. However, in all phases except the late dynamic phase, mean motion scores of the dual group were significantly lower than those in the single group. TSM incidence did not differ significantly between gadoxetate disodium- and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI in the dual group (3.8% vs. 1.3%, p=0.620). With proper application of the modified breath-holding technique, TSM occurrence with gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI was comparable to that associated with gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI. (orig.)

Performance Comparison of 1.5 T Endorectal Coil MRI with Non-Endorectal Coil 3.0 T MRI in Patients with Prostate Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Zarine K.; Elias, Saba N.; Abaza, Ronney; Zynger, Debra L.; DeRenne, Lawrence A.; Knopp, Michael V.; Guo, Beibei; Schurr, Ryan; Heymsfield, Steven B.; Jia, Guang

2015-01-01

Rationale and Objectives To compare prostate morphology, image quality, and diagnostic performance of 1.5 T endorectal coil MRI and 3.0 T non-endorectal coil MRI in patients with prostate cancer. Materials and Methods MR images obtained of 83 patients with prostate cancer using 1.5 T MRI systems with an endorectal coil were compared to images collected from 83 patients with a 3.0 T MRI system. Prostate diameters were measured and image quality was evaluated by one ABR-certified radiologist (Reader 1) and one ABR-certified diagnostic medical physicist (Reader 2). The likelihood of the peripheral zone cancer presence in each sextant and local extent were rated and compared with histopathologic findings. Results Prostate anterior-posterior diameter measured by both readers was significantly shorter with 1.5 T endorectal MRI than with 3.0 T MRI. The overall image quality score difference was significant only for Reader 1. Both readers found that the two MRI systems provided similar diagnostic accuracy in cancer localization, extraprostatic extension, and seminal vesicle involvement. Conclusion Non-endorectal coil 3.0 T MRI provides prostate images that are natural in shape and that have comparable image quality to those obtained at 1.5 T with an endorectal coil, but not superior diagnostic performance. These findings suggest an opportunity exists for improving technical aspects of 3.0 T prostate MRI. PMID:25579637

Assessment of language lateralization with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salagierska-Barwinska, A.; Goraj, B.

2004-01-01

fMRI offers powerful methods to delineate which brain regions are engaged in language processing in the intact brain. Until now hemisphere dominance for language has been usually assessed by means of the intraoperative methods: the Wada test or electrocortical stimulation mapping. Recently functional MRI becomes the valuable method in determining hemisphere dominance for language. fMRI study was proved to be concordant with invasive measures. fMRI was carried out in 30 healthy selected participants (15 females: 10 strongly right-handed and 5 strongly left-handed; 15 males: 10 strongly right-handed and 5 strongly left-handed). The subject's handedness was assessed by standardized psychological tests inter alia the 'lateralization inventory'. Two different language tasks were used: a verb generation task and a phonological task. Subjects were scanned,while performing experimental block. The block contained alternately 8 active (language task) and 8 control conditions. Statistical analysis of evoked blood oxygenation level-dependent BOLD) responses, measured with echo planar imagining (1.5 T) were used. During a verb generation task in strongly right or left handed subjects the inferior frontal region was activated on the side opposite to the subject's handedness determined by the psychological test. Our fMRI studies demonstrated no gender effects on brain during these language tasks. Our study suggests that fMRI is a good device for the study of the language organization. The advantage of fMRI is its capacity for exact localization of activated areas. fMRI together with adequate neurolinguistic test could be promising routine preoperative tool in identification hemisphere dominance for language. These results encourage to further investigation for evaluating correlation in patients with brain injuries. (author)

PI-RADS classification. Structured reporting for MRI of the prostate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roethke, Matthias; Schlemmer, H.P.; Blondin, D.; Franiel, T.

2013-01-01

Purpose: To flesh out the ESUR guidelines for the standardized interpretation of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mMRI) for the detection of prostate cancer and to present a graphic reporting scheme for improved communication of findings to urologists. Materials and Methods: The ESUR has recently published a structured reporting system for mMRI of the prostate (PI-RADS). This system involves the use of 5-point Likert scales for grading the findings obtained with different MRI techniques. The mMRI includes T2-weighted MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, and MR spectroscopy. In a first step, the fundamentals of technical implementation were determined by consensus, taking into account in particular the German-speaking community. Then, representative images were selected by consensus on the basis of examinations of the three institutions. In addition, scoring intervals for an aggregated PI-RADS score were determined in consensus. Results: The multiparametric methods were discussed critically with regard to implementation and the current status. Criteria used for grading mMRI findings with the PI-RADS classification were concretized by succinct examples. Using the consensus table for aggregated scoring in a clinical setting, a diagnosis of suspected prostate cancer should be made if the PI-RADS score is 4 or higher (≥ 10 points if 3 techniques are used or ≥ 13 points if 4 techniques are used). Finally, a graphic scheme was developed for communicating mMRI prostate findings. Conclusion: Structured reporting according to the ESUR guidelines contributes to quality assurance by standardizing prostate mMRI, and it facilities the communication of findings to urologists. (orig.)

Dipy, a library for the analysis of diffusion MRI data.

Science.gov (United States)

Garyfallidis, Eleftherios; Brett, Matthew; Amirbekian, Bagrat; Rokem, Ariel; van der Walt, Stefan; Descoteaux, Maxime; Nimmo-Smith, Ian

2014-01-01

Diffusion Imaging in Python (Dipy) is a free and open source software project for the analysis of data from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) experiments. dMRI is an application of MRI that can be used to measure structural features of brain white matter. Many methods have been developed to use dMRI data to model the local configuration of white matter nerve fiber bundles and infer the trajectory of bundles connecting different parts of the brain. Dipy gathers implementations of many different methods in dMRI, including: diffusion signal pre-processing; reconstruction of diffusion distributions in individual voxels; fiber tractography and fiber track post-processing, analysis and visualization. Dipy aims to provide transparent implementations for all the different steps of dMRI analysis with a uniform programming interface. We have implemented classical signal reconstruction techniques, such as the diffusion tensor model and deterministic fiber tractography. In addition, cutting edge novel reconstruction techniques are implemented, such as constrained spherical deconvolution and diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) with deconvolution, as well as methods for probabilistic tracking and original methods for tractography clustering. Many additional utility functions are provided to calculate various statistics, informative visualizations, as well as file-handling routines to assist in the development and use of novel techniques. In contrast to many other scientific software projects, Dipy is not being developed by a single research group. Rather, it is an open project that encourages contributions from any scientist/developer through GitHub and open discussions on the project mailing list. Consequently, Dipy today has an international team of contributors, spanning seven different academic institutions in five countries and three continents, which is still growing.

Comparison of methods for detecting nondeterministic BOLD fluctuation in fMRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiviniemi, Vesa; Kantola, Juha-Heikki; Jauhiainen, Jukka; Tervonen, Osmo

2004-02-01

Functional MR imaging (fMRI) has been used in detecting neuronal activation and intrinsic blood flow fluctuations in the brain cortex. This article is aimed for comparing the methods for analyzing the nondeterministic flow fluctuations. Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT), cross correlation (CC), spatial principal component analysis (sPCA), and independent component analysis (sICA) were compared. 15 subjects were imaged at 1.5 T. Three quantitative measures were compared: (1) The number of subjects with identifiable fluctuation, (2) the volume, and (3) mean correlation coefficient (MCC) of the detected voxels. The focusing on cortical structures and the overall usability were qualitatively assessed. sICA was spatially most accurate but time consuming, robust, and detected voxels with high temporal synchrony. The CC and FFT were fast suiting primary screening. The CC detected highest temporal synchrony but the subjective detection for reference vector produced excess variance of the detected volumes. The FFT and sPCA were not spatially accurate and did not detect adequate temporal synchrony of the voxels.

Willingness among Obese Pregnant Women to Accept MRI Scan

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Geiker, Nina Rica Wium; Thomsen, Henrik Segelcke; Astrup, Arne

2015-01-01

therefore undertook a study of the willingness of obese women to undergo MRI during pregnancy. Method: Obese pregnant women, body mass index (BMI) 30-45 kg/m2, participating in a weight management intervention study, were offered three MRI scans to be performed during pregnancy. One hundred and one women......Background/Aim: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered safe to perform during pregnancy. In spite of this many women are reluctant to undergo the examination. Weight gain is to be expected during pregnancy, but little is known about changes in the compartmentalization of abdominal fat. We...... were offered MRI scanning in gestational week (GW) 15, 64 in GW 32, and 45 in GW 40. Results: Of 106 women offered MRI scans 102 completed (96%) at least one scan. In total 177 out of 210 possible scans were completed. The proportion of women who completed first, second and third MRI scans were 96%, 83...

Willingness among obese pregnant women to accept MRI scan

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Geiker, Nina Rica Wium; Thomsen, H; Astrup, Arne

2016-01-01

therefore undertook a study of the willingness of obese women to undergo MRI during pregnancy. Method: Obese pregnant women, body mass index (BMI) 30-45 kg/m2, participating in a weight management intervention study, were offered three MRI scans to be performed during pregnancy. One hundred and one women......Background/Aim: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered safe to perform during pregnancy. In spite of this many women are reluctant to undergo the examination. Weight gain is to be expected during pregnancy, but little is known about changes in the compartmentalization of abdominal fat. We...... were offered MRI scanning in gestational week (GW) 15, 64 in GW 32, and 45 in GW 40. Results: Of 106 women offered MRI scans 102 completed (96%) at least one scan. In total 177 out of 210 possible scans were completed. The proportion of women who completed first, second and third MRI scans were 96%, 83% and 61...

MRI diagnosis of the cerebral schistosomiasis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Hanqiu; Chen Yuanjun

2002-01-01

Objective: To discuss MRI appearance of the cerebral schistosomiasis and its clinical value through analyzing the MRI features and post-surgery pathological findings. Methods: MRI features of the cerebral schistosomiasis in 16, pathologically (n = 6) or clinically (n = 10) proved cases were analyzed retrospectively, and compared with the post-surgery pathological findings in 6 cases. Results: Single masses were found in 11 cases (11/16), and multiple masses in 5 eases (5/16), amounting to 23 masses . fifteen masses (15/23) were located in right cerebral hemisphere, including frontal lobe (n = 2), frontoparietal lobe (n = 5) , and occipitoparietal lobe (n 8), while 8 masses (8/23) in left cerebral hemisphere, including frontal lobe (n = 1), frontoparietal lobe (n = 3), and occipitoparietal lobe (n = 4). The nodular masses were isointense with the gray mass like 'island', and 12 cases (12/16) show the 'gigantic hand' form of edema around them. After IV administration of Gd-DTPA, 15 cases (15/16) revealed multiple closely spaced, intensely enhancing modules, 1-3 mm in diameter, distributed throughout the mass. Seven cases misdiagnosed by CT were revised by MRl. Conclusion: The MRI appearance of the cerebral schistosomiasis is characteristic, and MRI is the most valuable tool to diagnose it without injury

On clustering fMRI time series

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goutte, Cyril; Toft, Peter Aundal; Rostrup, E.

1999-01-01

Analysis of fMRI time series is often performed by extracting one or more parameters for the individual voxels. Methods based, e.g., on various statistical tests are then used to yield parameters corresponding to probability of activation or activation strength. However, these methods do...

Diagnostic value of MRI for hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zhen; Zuo Yujiang; Sun Lihui; Zhou Jian; Shen Bingqi

2010-01-01

Objective: To investigate the value of MRI in the diagnosis of hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods: Sixty-four patients with hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinomas confirmed by surgery or pathology underwent MRI using a 1.5-T superconductive MR system including conventional unenhanced MRI, MRCP and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with Gd-DTPA. Results: Dilatation of the intrahepatic biliary tree with narrowing, occlusion or filling defects in the hepatic hilar bile ducts was noted in all 64 cases. Unenhanced MR[ showed T 1 - and T 2 -hyperintense hilar masses in 42 patients and was normal in the remaining 22 patients. The hilar masses demonstrated slow, progressive and delayed enhancement patterns. There was enhancement of the thickened bile duct wall with luminal narrowing in the 22 patients without hilar masses. Conclusion: The characteristic MRI findings of enhancing hepatic hilar mass and bile duct wall thickening together with MRCP are valuable for diagnosing hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinomas. (authors)

The application of MRI in gluteal muscle contracture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Tao; You Yuhua; Sun Jing; Cheng Kebin; Liu Wei; Qu Hui

2003-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the MRI findings and its diagnostic value in gluteal muscle contracture (GMC). Methods: Eleven clinic or operation confirmed GMC patients were examined by plain X-ray and MRI. Conventional T 1 WI and T 2 WI MR imaging were performed and FFE-T 2 WI (fast field echo-T 2 WI) was also scanned. CT scan was conducted in 5 cases. Results: 11 GMC patients were all diagnosed by MRI. Conventional T 1 WI and T 2 WI could only show the atrophy of gluteal muscles, while FFE-T 2 WI could directly show the fibrous band of gluteal muscle and its fascia, and the fibrous band appeared as low signal intensity on FFE-T 2 WI sequence. Conclusions: MRI is the efficient modality in imaging the fibrous band for GMC patients, and FFE-T 2 WI is the most valuable sequence. MRI is very helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of GMC

Quantification of liver fat with respiratory-gated quantitative chemical shift encoded MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Motosugi, Utaroh; Hernando, Diego; Bannas, Peter; Holmes, James H; Wang, Kang; Shimakawa, Ann; Iwadate, Yuji; Taviani, Valentina; Rehm, Jennifer L; Reeder, Scott B

2015-11-01

To evaluate free-breathing chemical shift-encoded (CSE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for quantification of hepatic proton density fat-fraction (PDFF). A secondary purpose was to evaluate hepatic R2* values measured using free-breathing quantitative CSE-MRI. Fifty patients (mean age, 56 years) were prospectively recruited and underwent the following four acquisitions to measure PDFF and R2*; 1) conventional breath-hold CSE-MRI (BH-CSE); 2) respiratory-gated CSE-MRI using respiratory bellows (BL-CSE); 3) respiratory-gated CSE-MRI using navigator echoes (NV-CSE); and 4) single voxel MR spectroscopy (MRS) as the reference standard for PDFF. Image quality was evaluated by two radiologists. MRI-PDFF measured from the three CSE-MRI methods were compared with MRS-PDFF using linear regression. The PDFF and R2* values were compared using two one-sided t-test to evaluate statistical equivalence. There was no significant difference in the image quality scores among the three CSE-MRI methods for either PDFF (P = 1.000) or R2* maps (P = 0.359-1.000). Correlation coefficients (95% confidence interval [CI]) for the PDFF comparisons were 0.98 (0.96-0.99) for BH-, 0.99 (0.97-0.99) for BL-, and 0.99 (0.98-0.99) for NV-CSE. The statistical equivalence test revealed that the mean difference in PDFF and R2* between any two of the three CSE-MRI methods was less than ±1 percentage point (pp) and ±5 s(-1) , respectively (P liver PDFF and R2* and are as valid as the standard breath-hold technique. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) -- Head

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... to produce detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bone and virtually all other internal body structures. MRI ... discovery of abnormalities that might be obscured by bone with other imaging methods. The contrast material used ...

Elastography and diffusion-weighted MRI in patients with rectal cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rafaelsen, Søren Rafael; Vagn-Hansen, Chris Aksel; Sørensen, Torben

2015-01-01

-weighted coefficient (ADC). The purpose of the present study was to compare quantitative elastography based on ultrasound shear wave measurements with MRI ADC. METHODS: We prospectively examined 52 patients with histopathologically proven rectal cancer. The mean age was 67 years (range 42-90 years). Males: 39, females...... a correlation between tissue elasticity and diffusion in rectal cancer.......OBJECTIVE: The current literature has described the usefulness of elastography and diffusion-weighted MRI in patients with cancer, but to the best of our knowledge so far none of them has compared the two new methods. The tumour cell density is related to the MRI-measured apparent diffusion...

Topologically preserving straightening of spinal cord MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

De Leener, Benjamin; Mangeat, Gabriel; Dupont, Sara; Martin, Allan R; Callot, Virginie; Stikov, Nikola; Fehlings, Michael G; Cohen-Adad, Julien

2017-10-01

To propose a robust and accurate method for straightening magnetic resonance (MR) images of the spinal cord, based on spinal cord segmentation, that preserves spinal cord topology and that works for any MRI contrast, in a context of spinal cord template-based analysis. The spinal cord curvature was computed using an iterative Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) approximation. Forward and inverse deformation fields for straightening were computed by solving analytically the straightening equations for each image voxel. Computational speed-up was accomplished by solving all voxel equation systems as one single system. Straightening accuracy (mean and maximum distance from straight line), computational time, and robustness to spinal cord length was evaluated using the proposed and the standard straightening method (label-based spline deformation) on 3T T 2 - and T 1 -weighted images from 57 healthy subjects and 33 patients with spinal cord compression due to degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). The proposed algorithm was more accurate, more robust, and faster than the standard method (mean distance = 0.80 vs. 0.83 mm, maximum distance = 1.49 vs. 1.78 mm, time = 71 vs. 174 sec for the healthy population and mean distance = 0.65 vs. 0.68 mm, maximum distance = 1.28 vs. 1.55 mm, time = 32 vs. 60 sec for the DCM population). A novel image straightening method that enables template-based analysis of quantitative spinal cord MRI data is introduced. This algorithm works for any MRI contrast and was validated on healthy and patient populations. The presented method is implemented in the Spinal Cord Toolbox, an open-source software for processing spinal cord MRI data. 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;46:1209-1219. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

4D ultrasound and 3D MRI registration of beating heart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herlambang, N.; Matsumiya, K.; Masamune, K.; Dohi, T.; Liao, H.; Tsukihara, H.; Takamoto, S.

2007-01-01

To realize intra-cardiac surgery without cardio-pulmonary bypass, a medical imaging technique with both high image quality and data acquisition rate that is fast enough to follow heart beat movements is required. In this research, we proposed a method that utilized the image quality of MRI and the speed of ultrasound. We developed a 4D image reconstruction method using image registration of 3D MRI and 4D ultrasound images. The registration method consists of rigid registration between 3D MRI and 3D ultrasound with the same heart beat phase, and non-rigid registration between 3D ultrasound images from different heart beat phases. Non-rigid registration was performed with B-spline based registration using variable spring model. In phantom experiment using balloon phantom, registration accuracy was less than 2 mm for total heart volume variation range of 10%. We applied our registration method on 3D MRI and 4D ultrasound images of a volunteer's beating heart data and confirmed through visual observation that heart beat pattern was well reproduced. (orig.)

Artifacts Quantification of Metal Implants in MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Vrachnis, I. N.; Vlachopoulos, G. F.; Maris, T. G.; Costaridou, L. I.

2017-11-01

The presence of materials with different magnetic properties, such as metal implants, causes distortion of the magnetic field locally, resulting in signal voids and pile ups, i.e. susceptibility artifacts in MRI. Quantitative and unbiased measurement of the artifact is prerequisite for optimization of acquisition parameters. In this study an image gradient based segmentation method is proposed for susceptibility artifact quantification. The method captures abrupt signal alterations by calculation of the image gradient. Then the artifact is quantified in terms of its extent by an automated cross entropy thresholding method as image area percentage. The proposed method for artifact quantification was tested in phantoms containing two orthopedic implants with significantly different magnetic permeabilities. The method was compared against a method proposed in the literature, considered as a reference, demonstrating moderate to good correlation (Spearman’s rho = 0.62 and 0.802 in case of titanium and stainless steel implants). The automated character of the proposed quantification method seems promising towards MRI acquisition parameter optimization.

Functional connectivity analysis of the brain network using resting-state fMRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Toshihiro

2011-01-01

Spatial patterns of spontaneous fluctuations in blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals reflect the underlying neural architecture. The study of the brain network based on these self-organized patterns is termed resting-state functional MRI (fMRI). This review article aims at briefly reviewing a basic concept of this technology and discussing its implications for neuropsychological studies. First, the technical aspects of resting-state fMRI, including signal sources, physiological artifacts, image acquisition, and analytical methods such as seed-based correlation analysis and independent component analysis, are explained, followed by a discussion on the major resting-state networks, including the default mode network. In addition, the structure-function correlation studied using diffuse tensor imaging and resting-state fMRI is briefly discussed. Second, I have discussed the reservations and potential pitfalls of 2 major imaging methods: voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping and task fMRI. Problems encountered with voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping can be overcome by using resting-state fMRI and evaluating undamaged brain networks in patients. Regarding task fMRI in patients, I have also emphasized the importance of evaluating the baseline brain activity because the amplitude of activation in BOLD fMRI is hard to interpret as the same baseline cannot be assumed for both patient and normal groups. (author)

CT and MRI diagnosis of nasopharyneal angiofibroma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xiaoya; Liang Biling

2007-01-01

Objective: To analyze the CT and MRI manifestations of nasopharyneal angiofibroma. Methods: 21 cases of nasopharyneal angiofibroma are retrospectively analyzed according to the location, size, margin, density or signal of the tumor and the changes of surrounding bones. Results: The CT and MRI showed a nasopharyneal mass with well-defined margin, uniform density or signal and remarkably enhanced. The sphenomaxillary fossa was enlarged and the posterior wall of maxillary sinus was, compressed and displaced without bone destruction. The surrounding bone appeared to be compressed, molded, absorbed or destroyed. Conclusion: CT examination can usually provide diagnostic information, but the combination of CT and MRI can be better contributed to the diagnosis, location and stage classification of nasopharyneal angiofbroma. (authors)

Computed tomography and MRI in Krabbe's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winants, D.; Bernard, C.; Galloy, M.A.; Hoeffel, J.C.; Vidailhet, M.

1988-01-01

Krabbe's disease whose CT appearance is well known should benefit of the development of MRI as this method is more accurate. MRI permits early diagnosis of leucodystrophy. Yet it must be emphasized that abnormal white matter patterns are not sufficient to permit the diagnosis of Krabbe disease. In the case reported atrophy of the brain, the cerebellum and the brain-stem, demyelination of the white matter and necrosis of corpus callosum were observed. The abnormalities of the brain on MRI pictures help in the diagnosis as they may alert clinicians to the possibility of Krabbe disease in infants with progressive encephalopathy. A definitive diagnosis can be established thanks to the laboratory tests [fr

Assessment of ameloblastomas using MRI and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asaumi, Jun-ichi; Hisatomi, Miki; Yanagi, Yoshinobu; Matsuzaki, Hidenobu; Choi, Yong Suk; Kawai, Noriko; Konouchi, Hironobu; Kishi, Kanji

2005-01-01

We retrospectively evaluated magnetic resonance images (MRI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) of ameloblastomas. MRI and DCE-MRI were performed for 10 ameloblastomas. We obtained the following results from the MRI and DCE-MRI. (a) Ameloblastomas can be divided into solid and cystic portions on the basis of MR signal intensities. (b) Ameloblastomas show a predilection for intermediate signal intensity on T1WI, high signal intensity on T2WI, and well enhancement in the solid portion; they also show a homogeneous intermediate signal intensity on T1WI and homogeneous high signal intensity on T2WI, and no enhancement in the cystic portion. (c) The mural nodule or thick wall can be detected in ameloblastomas lesions. (d) CI curves of ameloblastomas show two patterns: the first pattern increases, reaches a plateau at 100-300 s, then sustains the plateau or decreases gradually to 600-900 s, while the other increases relatively rapidly, reaches a plateau at 90-120 s, then decreases relatively rapidly to 300 s, and decreases gradually thereafter. There was no difference in the CI curve patterns among primary and recurrent cases, a case with glandular odontogenic tumor in ameloblastoma or among histopathological types such as plexiform, follicular, mixed, desmoplastic, and unicystic type

MRI assessment of cervical cancer for adaptive radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dimopoulos, Johannes C.A.; Schirl, Gertrude; Baldinger, Anja; Poetter, Richard; Helbich, Thomas H.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To assess the importance of the information obtained from MRI for adaptive cervix cancer radiotherapy. Patients and methods: 49 patients with cervix cancer, treated by external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and MRI-assisted high-dose-rate brachytherapy ± concomitant cisplatin, underwent MRI at diagnosis and at the time of brachytherapy fractions. 190 MRI examinations were performed. Pretreatment scans were correlated with clinical examination (CE) findings. Measurements in 3-D of the tumor extension and also of the distance from the tumor to the pelvic side wall were performed using both MRI and CE. The tumor volume regression induced initially by EBRT and the subsequent regression after each brachytherapy fraction were assessed. Results: MRI and CE showed 92% agreement in overall parametrial staging and 73% agreement in terms of vaginal involvement. There was, however, disagreement in parametrial side (right/left) classification in 25% of the parametria examined. These were patients with unilateral displacement of the cervix and contralateral invasion of the parametrium. The mean tumor volume on the pretreatment MRI scan (GTVD) was 61 cm 3 . At the time of the four brachytherapy fractions the mean was 16 cm 3 , 10 cm 3 , 9 cm 3 , and 8 cm 3 , defined as the GTVBT plus the gray zones in the parametria. Conclusion: CE and MRI findings agree well in terms of overall staging. The clinical assessment of side-specific parametrial invasion improved when having access to the additional knowledge obtained from MRI. The greatest decrease in tumor volume occurs during EBRT, whereas tumor regression between the first and subsequent brachytherapy fractions is minor. (orig.)

MRI of hip prostheses using single-point methods : in vitro studies towards the artifact-free imaging of individuals with metal implants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ramos Cabrer, P.; Duynhoven, van J.P.M.; Toorn, van der A.; Nicolaij, K.

2004-01-01

Use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in individuals with orthopedic implants is limited because of the large distortions caused by metallic components. As a possible solution for this problem, we suggest the use of single-point imaging (SPI) methods, which are immune to the susceptibility

Custom fit 3D-printed brain holders for comparison of histology with MRI in marmosets.

Science.gov (United States)

Guy, Joseph R; Sati, Pascal; Leibovitch, Emily; Jacobson, Steven; Silva, Afonso C; Reich, Daniel S

2016-01-15

MRI has the advantage of sampling large areas of tissue and locating areas of interest in 3D space in both living and ex vivo systems, whereas histology has the ability to examine thin slices of ex vivo tissue with high detail and specificity. Although both are valuable tools, it is currently difficult to make high-precision comparisons between MRI and histology due to large differences inherent to the techniques. A method combining the advantages would be an asset to understanding the pathological correlates of MRI. 3D-printed brain holders were used to maintain marmoset brains in the same orientation during acquisition of ex vivo MRI and pathologic cutting of the tissue. The results of maintaining this same orientation show that sub-millimeter, discrete neuropathological features in marmoset brain consistently share size, shape, and location between histology and ex vivo MRI, which facilitates comparison with serial imaging acquired in vivo. Existing methods use computational approaches sensitive to data input in order to warp histologic images to match large-scale features on MRI, but the new method requires no warping of images, due to a preregistration accomplished in the technique, and is insensitive to data formatting and artifacts in both MRI and histology. The simple method of using 3D-printed brain holders to match brain orientation during pathologic sectioning and MRI acquisition enables rapid and precise comparison of small features seen on MRI to their underlying histology. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) -- Head

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... other imaging methods. This exam does not use ionizing radiation and may require an injection of a contrast ... other internal body structures. MRI does not use ionizing radiation (x-rays). Detailed MR images allow physicians to ...

MRI features of meningeal metastasis from lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Xuemao; Long Wansheng; Jin Zhifa; Hu Maoqing; Mai Xuyu

2009-01-01

Objective: To investigate the pathway and MRI findings of meningeal metastasis original from lung cancer. Methods: 44 cases with cerebro-spinal meningeal metastasis original from lung cancer proven by clinical and pathology were retrospectively reviewed. All cases undergone plain MRI scan and Gd-DTPA enhanced MRI scan on brain and/or spine. Results: MRI plain scan indicated 28 cases with brain metastases, 3 cases with meningeal nodosity or irregularly patchy abnormal signal, 1 case with nodule in left cavernous sinus, 10 cases with abnormal signal in spine, 2 cases with abnormal signal in spinal dura mater. 34 cases with cerebro meningeal metastases were found in MRI enhancement scan. Among them, 11 cases displayed cerebral dura mater-arachnoid enhancement, 17 cases revealed cerebral pia mater-arachnoid enhancement and 6 cases with mixed typed enhancement. Osteoclasia in skull was found in 4 cases, spinal metastasis was revealed in 17 cases, and patchy abnormal enhancement in spinal dura mater was showed in 12 cases. Conclusion: Hematogenous metastasis is a main route of meningeal metastasis caused by lung cancer and enhanced MRI scan is of important diagnostic value. (authors)

A novel approach of fMRI-guided tractography analysis within a group: construction of an fMRI-guided tractographic atlas.

Science.gov (United States)

Preti, Maria Giulia; Makris, Nikos; Laganà, Maria Marcella; Papadimitriou, George; Baglio, Francesca; Griffanti, Ludovica; Nemni, Raffaello; Cecconi, Pietro; Westin, Carl-Fredrik; Baselli, Giuseppe

2012-01-01

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) tractography and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) investigate two complementary aspects of brain networks: white matter (WM) anatomical connectivity and gray matter (GM) function. However, integration standards have yet to be defined; namely, individual fMRI-driven tractography is usually applied and only few studies address group analysis. This work proposes an efficient method of fMRI-driven tractography at group level through the creation of a tractographic atlas starting from the GM areas activated by a verbal fluency task in 11 healthy subjects. The individual tracts were registered to the MNI space. Selection ROIs derived by GM masking and dilation of group activated areas were applied to obtain the fMRI-driven subsets within tracts. An atlas of the tracts recruited among the population was obtained by selecting for each subject the fMRI-guided tracts passing through the high probability voxels (the voxels recruited by the 90% of the subjects) and merging them together. The reliability of this approach was assessed by comparing it with the probabilistic atlas previously introduced in literature. The introduced method allowed to successfully reconstruct activated tracts, which comprehended corpus callosum, left cingulum and arcuate, a small portion of the right arcuate, both cortico-spinal tracts and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi. Moreover, it proved to give results concordant with the previously introduced probabilistic approach, allowing in addition to reconstruct 3D trajectories of the activated fibers, which appear particularly helpful in the detection of WM connections.

Multiparametric and molecular imaging of breast tumors with MRI and PET/MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinker, K.; Marino, M.A.; Meyer-Baese, A.; Helbich, T.H.

2016-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast is an indispensable tool in breast imaging for many indications. Several functional parameters with MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) have been assessed for imaging of breast tumors and their combined application is defined as multiparametric imaging. Available data suggest that multiparametric imaging using different functional MRI and PET parameters can provide detailed information about the hallmarks of cancer and may provide additional specificity. Multiparametric and molecular imaging of the breast comprises established MRI parameters, such as dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), MR proton spectroscopy ( 1 H-MRSI) as well as combinations of radiological and MRI techniques (e.g. PET/CT and PET/MRI) using radiotracers, such as fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Multiparametric and molecular imaging of the breast can be performed at different field-strengths (range 1.5-7 T). Emerging parameters comprise novel promising techniques, such as sodium imaging ( 23 Na MRI), phosphorus spectroscopy ( 31 P-MRSI), chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging, blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) and hyperpolarized MRI as well as various specific radiotracers. Multiparametric and molecular imaging has multiple applications in breast imaging. Multiparametric and molecular imaging of the breast is an evolving field that will enable improved detection, characterization, staging and monitoring for personalized medicine in breast cancer. (orig.) [de

Imaging tools to study pharmacology: functional MRI on small rodents

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