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MR Signal (mr + signal)
Terms modified by MR Signal Selected AbstractsDynamic range expansion of receiver by using optimized gain adjustment for high-field MRICONCEPTS IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE, Issue 4 2010C.H. Oh Abstract In high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the signal-to-noise ratio of MR signal is so high that the receiver frequently cannot cover the full dynamic range of the MR signal. Although this problem can be overcome by using a compander (compressor and expander) composed of logarithmic amplifiers and a ROM table to retrieve the nonlinearity of the logarithmic amplifiers or by simply increasing the number of bits of analog-to-digital converter, the methods can be costly and complex or even impossible for most commercial systems. In addition, the spectrometer has to be specifically designed to operate in those modes. In this article, we developed a simple dynamic range improvement method using a receiver with optimized variable gain control in which function can be implemented without any hardware modification to the spectrometer, if the spectrometer can do gain control during a scan. Simulations as well as experiments for the brain and resolution phantom have been performed, and the results demonstrate the utility of the proposed method. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 36A: 243,254, 2010. [source] Study of the MR relaxation of microglia cells labeled with Gd-DTPA-bearing nanoparticlesCONTRAST MEDIA & MOLECULAR IMAGING, Issue 3 2009Emeline Julie Ribot Abstract Therapies involving cells as vehicles need to visualize in situ the trafficking of the cells concerned. This cellular imaging can be driven by cell contrast agent-based nanoparticle internalization and non-invasive MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) detection. Here, microglial cells, that would transport a suicide gene to a glioma, were incubated for different times, with various concentrations of silica nanoparticles on which numerous Gd-DTPA were grafted. The goal of this study was to investigate the repartition of cell-associated particles. MRI was used to quantitatively follow the particle uptake process. Fluorescence microscopy images showed that, although most of the nanoparticles were internalized, some remained adsorbed on the extracellular membrane surface. The cells were then submitted to various treatments: glycine to release bound nanoparticles and/or ultrasound to destroy the cell membranes. The R1 relaxation rates were measured at 4.7 T. R1 was maximal for 4,h of incubation, decreased after 8,h and remained stable for the 24 following hours. The magnetic resonance signal of ultrasonicated and glycine-treated cells made it possible to quantify the loss of bound nanoparticles after 8,h. Nevertheless, this release did not prevent cell detection since the internalized nanoparticles are enough concentrated to visualize the labeled cells even after 4 days of cell growth. These results highlight the compartmentalization of nanoparticles in microglia and the evolution of the MR signal of the labeled cells. This study could be of importance to interpret in vivo the MR signal changes that could occur after administration of such nanoparticle-labeled cells in therapeutic strategies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The human hippocampus at 7 T,In vivo MRIHIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 1 2009Jens M. Theysohn Abstract The human hippocampus plays a central role in various neuropsychiatric disorders, such as temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), Alzheimer's dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and schizophrenia. Its volume, morphology, inner structure, and function are of scientific and clinical interest. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a widely employed tool in neuroradiological workup regarding changes in brain anatomy, (sub-) volumes, and cerebral function including the hippocampus. Gain in intrinsic MR signal provided by higher field strength scanners and concomitant improvements in spatial resolution seem highly valuable. An examination protocol permitting complete, high-resolution imaging of the human hippocampus at 7 T was implemented. Coronal proton density, T2, T2*, and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery contrasts were acquired as well as an isotropic 3D magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (500 ,m isotropic voxel dimension, noninterpolated). Observance of energy deposition restrictions within acceptable scan times remained challenging in the acquisition of thin, spin-echo-based sections. At the higher resolution enabled by 7 T, demarcation of the hippocampus and some internal features including gray/white matter differentiation and depiction of the hippocampal mantle becomes much more viable when compared with 1.5 T; thus, in the future, this imaging technology might help in the diagnosis of subtle hippocampal changes. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Proton and sodium MRI assessment of fluid level in calf tissueJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 1 2006Chun S. Zuo PhD Abstract Purpose To investigate the feasibility of using 1H and 23Na MRI to detect fluid levels in the lower leg muscle. Materials and Methods Proton and sodium MRI was applied to detect body fluid levels in the lower leg muscles of 18 healthy young male subjects at 3T and 4T. The paradigms under investigation were a postural change from sitting upright to lying supine, and saline infusion. Results We found that the average proton MR signal in gastrocnemius and soleus muscles were reduced following the postural change by 3.5% ± 1.4% (P < 0.05) and rose following saline infusion by 3.7% ± 0.9% (P < 0.01). More dramatically, the sodium MR signal decreased by 7.1% ± 1.2% (P < 0.01) following the postural change and increased following saline infusion by 12% ± 3.8% (P < 0.05). The ratio of intra- to extracellular fluid levels was 1.6 ± 0.5 for the subjects based on the acquired proton and sodium data. Conclusion Our results indicate that proton and sodium MRI can be used to assess fluid levels in the lower extremities, and this technique may be applied to evaluate fluid retention. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Implications of bulk motion for diffusion-weighted imaging experiments: Effects, mechanisms, and solutionsJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 4 2001David G. Norris PhD Abstract This review article describes the effect of bulk motion on diffusion-weighted imaging experiments, and examines methods for correcting the resulting artifacts. The emphasis throughout the article is on two-dimensional imaging of the brain. The effects of translational and rotational motion on the MR signal are described, and the literature concerning pulsatile brain motion is examined. Methods for ameliorating motion effects are divided into three generic categories. The first is methods that should be intrinsically insensitive to macroscopic motion. These include motion-compensated diffusion-weighting schemes, single-shot EPI, projection reconstruction, and line scanning. Of these, only single-shot EPI and projection reconstruction methods can obtain high-quality images without compromising on sensitivity. The second category of methods is those that can be made insensitive to bulk motion. The methods examined here are FLASH and RARE. It is shown that for both sequences motion insensitivity is in general attained only at the cost of a 50% reduction in sensitivity. The final set of methods examined are those that correct for motion, primarily navigator echoes. The properties and limitations of the navigator echo approach are presented, as are those of methods which attempt to correct the acquired data by minimizing image artifacts. The review concludes with a short summary in which the current status of diffusion imaging in the presence of bulk motion is examined. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2001;13:486,495. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] In vivo quantification of regional myocardial blood flow: Validity of the fast-exchange approximation for intravascular T1 contrast agent and long inversion time,MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2006Marlene Wiart Abstract In the present study we investigated the effects of water exchange between intra- and extravascular compartments on absolute quantification of regional myocardial blood flow (rMBF) using a saturation-recovery sequence with a rather long inversion time (TI, 176 ms) and a T1 -shortening intravascular contrast agent (CMD-A2-Gd-DOTA). Data were acquired in normal and ischemically injured pigs, with radiolabeled microsphere flow measurements used as the gold standard. Five water exchange rates (fast, 6 Hz, 3 Hz, 1 Hz, and no exchange) were tested. The results demonstrate that the fast-exchange approximation may be appropriate for rMBF quantification using the described experimental setting. Relaxation rate change (,R1) analysis improved the accuracy of the analysis of rMBF compared to the MR signal. In conclusion, the current protocol could provide sufficient accuracy for estimating rMBF assuming fast exchange and a linear relationship between signal and tissue concentration when quantification of precontrast T1 is not an option. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Natural linewidth chemical shift imaging (NL-CSI)MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 1 2006Adil Bashir Abstract The discrete Fourier transform (FT) is a conventional method for spatial reconstruction of chemical shifting imaging (CSI) data. Due to point spread function (PSF) effects, FT reconstruction leads to intervoxel signal leakage (Gibbs ringing). Spectral localization by imaging (SLIM) reconstruction was previously proposed to overcome this intervoxel signal contamination. However, the existence of magnetic field inhomogeneities creates an additional source of intervoxel signal leakage. It is demonstrated herein that even small field inhomogeneities substantially amplify intervoxel signal leakage in both FT and SLIM reconstruction approaches. A new CSI data acquisition strategy and reconstruction algorithm (natural linewidth (NL) CSI) is presented that eliminates effects of magnetic field inhomogeneity-induced intervoxel signal leakage and intravoxel phase dispersion on acquired data. The approach is based on acquired CSI data, high-resolution images, and magnetic field maps. The data are reconstructed based on the imaged object structure (as in the SLIM approach) and a reconstruction matrix that takes into account the inhomogeneous field distribution inside anatomically homogeneous compartments. Phantom and in vivo results show that the new method allows field inhomogeneity effects from the acquired MR signal to be removed so that the signal decay is determined only by the "natural" R2 relaxation rate constant (hence the term "natural linewidth" CSI). Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Effects of inductive coupling on parallel MR image reconstructionsMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 3 2004Michael A. Ohliger Abstract Theoretical arguments and experimental results are presented that characterize the impact of inductive coupling on the performance of parallel MRI reconstructions. A simple model of MR signal and noise reception suggests that the intrinsic amount of spatial information available from a given coil array is unchanged in the presence of inductive coupling, as long as the sample remains the dominant source of noise for the coupled array. Any loss of distinctness in the measured coil sensitivities is compensated by information stored in the measured noise correlations. Adjustments to the theory are described to account for preamplifier noise contributions. Results are presented from an experimental system in which preamplifier input impedances are systematically adjusted in order to vary the level of coupling between array elements. Parallel image reconstructions using an array with four different levels of coupling and an acceleration factor up to six show average SNR changes of ,7.6% to +7.5%. The modest changes in overall SNR are accompanied by similarly small changes in g-factor. These initial results suggest that moderate amounts of inductive coupling should not have a prohibitive effect on the use of a given coil array for parallel MRI. Magn Reson Med 52:628,639, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Contrast-enhanced dental MRI for visualization of the teeth and jawMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 1 2004Silvia Olt Abstract A technique for contrast-enhanced dental MRI is described that enables 3D visualization of the oral cavity, including the jaw and teeth. Since teeth are MR-invisible, the basic principle of this technique is that the teeth and jaw can be observed indirectly through contrast with a surrounding MR-visible medium. For this purpose, the oral cavity is filled with a nontoxic substance, such as water or MR contrast media, that gives a high MR signal. A 3D data set covering the entire buccal space is acquired, and the image intensities are inverted. Since isosurface reconstructions of the teeth and jaw, as well as panoramic views analogous to orthopantomography, can be extracted from these data, contrast-enhanced dental MRI may be useful as a flexible tool for dentistry and orthodontics. Moreover, contrast-enhanced dental MRI works without radiation exposure, and therefore it is an interesting alternative to X-ray-based imaging modalities such as conventional radiography and dental CT. In this article, some preliminary results obtained with contrast-enhanced dental MRI are shown in order to demonstrate the feasibility and performance of this new approach. Magn Reson Med 52:174,176, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Measuring the arterial input function with gradient echo sequencesMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 6 2003Matthias J.P. van Osch Abstract The measurement of the arterial input function by use of gradient echo sequences was investigated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. First, calibration curves representing the influence of the concentration of Gd-DTPA on both the phase and the amplitude of the MR signal were measured in human blood by means of a slow-infusion experiment. The results showed a linear increase in the phase velocity and a quadratic increase in ,R as a function of the Gd-DTPA concentration. Next, the resultant calibration curves were incorporated in a partial volume correction algorithm for the arterial input function determination. The algorithm was tested in a phantom experiment and was found to substantially improve the accuracy of the concentration measurement. Finally, the reproducibility of the arterial input function measurement was estimated in 16 patients by considering the input function of the left and the right sides as replicate measurements. This in vivo study showed that the reproducibility of the arterial input function determination using gradient echo sequences is improved by employing a partial volume correction algorithm based on the calibration curve for the contrast agent used. Magn Reson Med 49:1067,1076, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Quantitative evaluation of susceptibility and shielding effects of nitinol, platinum, cobalt-alloy, and stainless steel stentsMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 5 2003Yi Wang Abstract The purpose of this study is to quantitatively estimate the shielding and susceptibility effects of commonly used metallic stents on MR signal. Two experiments were performed using a 3D gradient echo sequence with short TE to image a stent phantom: 1) short TR and high flip angle (contrast enhanced MRA parameters), and 2) long TR (TR , T1) and low flip angle. The factor characterizing susceptibility effects was estimated from the signal phase of the first experiment, and then the factor characterizing the shielding effects was derived from the second experiment. Susceptibility induced signal loss was negligible (<1%) for nonstainless-steel (nitinol, platinum, and cobalt-alloy) stents and totally destructive (100%) for the stainless steel stent. Signal loss due to RF shielding was 31,62% for nitinol stents, 14,50% for platinum stents, 50,77% for the cobalt-alloy stents (undetermined for the stainless steel stent), varied with stent orientation, diameter, and wall geometry. In summary, stents made of nitinol, platinum, and cobalt-alloy have negligible susceptibility effects but stents made of stainless steel may have complete dephasing. All stents have substantial shielding effects, which vary with composition, geometry, and orientation. Large platinum stents may have the smallest artifacts and are the best suited for postinterventional MR imaging. Magn Reson Med 49:972,976, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Trabecular bone volume fraction mapping by low-resolution MRIMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 1 2001M.A. Fernández-Seara Abstract Trabecular bone volume fraction (TBVF) is highly associated with the mechanical competence of trabecular bone. TBVF is ordinarily measured by histomorphometry from bone biopsies or, noninvasively, by means of high-resolution microcomputed tomography and, more recently, by micro-MRI. The latter methods require spatial resolution sufficient to resolve trabeculae, along with segmentation techniques that allow unambiguous assignment of the signal to bone or bone marrow. In this article it is shown that TBVF can be measured under low-resolution conditions by exploiting the attenuation of the MR signal resulting from fractional occupancy of the imaging voxel by bone and bone marrow, provided that a reference signal is available from a marrow volume devoid of trabeculation. The method requires accurate measurement of apparent proton density, which entails correction for various sources of error. Key among these are the spatial nonuniformity in the RF field amplitude and effects of the slice profile, which are determined by B1 field mapping and numerical integration of the Bloch equations, respectively. By contrast, errors from variations in bone marrow composition (hematopoietic vs. fatty) between trabecular and reference site are predicted to be small and usually negligible. The method was evaluated in phantoms and in vivo in the distal radius and found to be accurate to 1% in marrow volume fraction. Finally, in a group of 12 patients of varying skeletal status, TBVF in the calcaneus was found to strongly correlate with integral bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebrae (r2 = 0.83, p < 0.0001). The method may fail in large imaging objects such as the human trunk at high magnetic field where standing wave and RF penetration effects cause intensity variations that cannot be corrected. Magn Reson Med 46:103,113, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Quantitative ATP synthesis in human liver measured by localized 31P spectroscopy using the magnetization transfer experimentNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 5 2008A. I. Schmid Abstract The liver plays a central role in intermediate metabolism. Accumulation of liver fat (steatosis) predisposes to various liver diseases. Steatosis and abnormal muscle energy metabolism are found in insulin-resistant and type-2 diabetic states. To examine hepatic energy metabolism, we measured hepatocellular lipid content, using proton MRS, and rates of hepatic ATP synthesis in vivo, using the 31P magnetization transfer experiment. A suitable localization scheme was developed and applied to the measurements of longitudinal relaxation times (T1) in six healthy volunteers and the ATP-synthesis experiment in nine healthy volunteers. Liver 31P spectra were modelled and quantified successfully using a time domain fit and the AMARES (advanced method for accurate, robust and efficient spectral fitting of MRS data with use of prior knowledge) algorithm describing the essential components of the dataset. The measured T1 relaxation times are comparable to values reported previously at lower field strengths. All nine subjects in whom saturation transfer was measured had low hepatocellular lipid content (1.5,±,0.2% MR signal; mean,±,SEM). The exchange rate constant (k) obtained was 0.30,±,0.02,s,1, and the rate of ATP synthesis was 29.5,±,1.8,mM/min. The measured rate of ATP synthesis is about three times higher than in human skeletal muscle and human visual cortex, but only about half of that measured in perfused rat liver. In conclusion, 31P MRS at 3,T provides sufficient sensitivity to detect magnetization transfer effects and can therefore be used to assess ATP synthesis in human liver. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Peripheral somatosensory fMRI in mouse at 11.7 TNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 5 2001Eric T. Ahrens Abstract The feasibility of performing extremely-high resolution somatosensory fMRI in anesthetized mice using BOLD contrast at 11.7,T was investigated. A somatosensory stimulus was applied to the hindlimb of an ,-chlorolose anesthetized mouse resulting in robust (p,<,4,×,10,3) BOLD changes in somatosensory cortex and large veins. Percentage modulation of the MR signal in cortex exceeded 7%. Experiments that artificially modulated the inspired oxygen tension were also conducted; the results revealed large, heterogeneous, BOLD contrast changes in the mouse brain. In addition, T1, T2, and T2* values in gray matter at 11.7,T were evaluated. Discussion of the sensitivity limitations of BOLD fMRI in the tiny mouse central nervous system is presented. These methods show promise for the assessment of neurological function in mouse models of CNS injury and disease. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Implementation of three-dimensional wavelet encoding spectroscopic imaging: In vivo application and method comparisonMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 1 2009Richard Young Abstract We have recently proposed a two-dimensional Wavelet Encoding-Spectroscopic Imaging (WE-SI) technique as an alternative to Chemical Shift Imaging (CSI), to reduce acquisition time and crossvoxel contamination in magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI). In this article we describe the extension of the WE-SI technique to three dimensions and its implementation on a clinical 1.5 T General Electric (GE) scanner. Phantom and in vivo studies are carried out to demonstrate the usefulness of this technique for further acquisition time reduction with low voxel contamination. In wavelet encoding, a set of dilated and translated prototype functions called wavelets are used to span a localized space by dividing it into a set of subspaces with predetermined sizes and locations. In spectroscopic imaging, this process is achieved using radiofrequency (RF) pulses with profiles resembling the wavelet shapes. Slice selective excitation and refocusing RF pulses, with single-band and dual-band profiles similar to Haar wavelets, are used in a modified PRESS sequence to acquire 3D WE-SI data. Wavelet dilation and translation are achieved by changing the strength of the localization gradients and frequency shift of the RF pulses, respectively. The desired spatial resolution in each direction sets the corresponding number of dilations (increases in the localization gradients), and consequently, the number of translations (frequency shift) of the Haar wavelets (RF pulses), which are used to collect magnetic resonance (MR) signals from the corresponding subspaces. Data acquisition time is reduced by using the minimum recovery time (TRmin), also called effective time, when successive MR signals from adjacent subspaces are collected. Inverse wavelet transform is performed on the acquired data to produce metabolite maps. The proposed WE-SI method is compared in terms of acquisition time, pixel bleed, and signal-to-noise ratio to the CSI technique. The study outcome shows that 3D WE-SI provides accurate results while reducing both acquisition time and voxel contamination. Magn Reson Med 61:6,15, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A novel technique to monitor carboxypeptidase G2 expression in suicide gene therapy using 19F magnetic resonance spectroscopyNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 5 2009Laura Mancini Abstract Development and evaluation of new anticancer drugs are expedited when minimally invasive biomarkers of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic behaviour are available. Gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) is a suicide gene therapy in which the anticancer drug is activated in the tumor by an exogenous enzyme previously targeted by a vector carrying the gene. GDEPT has been evaluated in various clinical trials using several enzyme/prodrug combinations. The key processes to be monitored in GDEPT are gene delivery and expression, as well as prodrug delivery and activation. {4-[bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]-3,5-difluorobenzoyl}-L-glutamic acid, a prodrug for the GDEPT enzyme carboxypeptidase-G2 (CPG2; Km,=,1.71,µM; kcat,=,732,s,1), was measured with 19F magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The 1,ppm chemical shift separation found between the signals of prodrug and activated drug (4-[bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]-3,5-difluorobenzoic acid) is sufficient for the detection of prodrug activation in vivo. However, these compounds hydrolyze rapidly, and protein binding broadens the MR signals. A new CPG2 substrate was designed with hydroxyethyl instead of chloroethyl groups (Km,=,3.5,µM, kcat,=,747,s,1). This substrate is nontoxic and stable in solution, has a narrow MRS resonance in the presence of bovine and foetal bovine albumin, and exhibits a 1.1,ppm change in chemical shift upon cleavage by CPG2. In cells transfected to express CPG2 in the cytoplasm (MDA MB 361 breast carcinoma cells and WiDr colon cancer cells), well-resolved 19F MRS signals were observed from clinically relevant concentrations of the new substrate and its nontoxic product. The MRS conversion half-life (470,min) agreed with that measured by HPLC (500,min). This substrate is, therefore, suitable for evaluating gene delivery and expression prior to administration of the therapeutic agent. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Quantitative 19F MR spectroscopy at 3 T to detect heterogeneous capecitabine metabolism in human liverNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 5 2007Dennis Klomp Abstract Chemotherapy in non-responding cancer patients leads to unnecessary toxicity. A marker is therefore required that can predict the sensitivity of a specific tumour to chemotherapy, which would enable individualisation of therapy. 19F MR spectroscopy (19F MRS) can be used to monitor the metabolism of fluorinated drugs. The aim of this study was to develop a method for quantified localised detection of fluorinated compounds in human liver. For this purpose, sensitivity-optimised localised 19F MRS methods at 3 T were used to detect MR signals from capecitabine, 5,DFUR, 5,DFCR and FBAL after oral intake of capecitabine. As the radio-frequency (rf) coil is made tuneable to 19F and 1H, the same localisation method is applied to obtain 1H MR signals of water and of the 19F metabolites. In addition, T1 measurements have been performed to correct for measurement-induced saturation effects. Finally, absolute tissue concentrations of capecitabine metabolites were obtained in vivo, which revealed a substantial spatial heterogeneity of these metabolites in human liver after chemotherapy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Non-invasive temperature imaging with thulium 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (TmDOTMA,)NMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 1 2006Sait Kubilay Pakin Abstract Non-invasive thermometry using hyperfine-shifted MR signals from paramagnetic lanthanide complexes has attracted attention recently because the chemical shifts of these complexes are many times more sensitive to temperature than the water 1H signal. Among all the lanthanide complexes examined thus far, thulium tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetate (TmDOTMA,) appears to be the most suitable for MR thermometry. In this paper, the feasibility of imaging the methyl 1H signal from TmDOTMA, using a frequency-selective radiofrequency excitation pulse and chemical shift-selective (CHESS) water suppression is demonstrated. A temperature imaging method using a phase-sensitive spin-echo imaging sequence was validated in phantom experiments. A comparison of regional temperature changes measured with fiber-optic probes and the temperatures calculated from the phase shift near each probe showed that the accuracy of imaging the temperature with TmDOTMA, is at least 0.1,0.2°C. The feasibility of imaging temperature changes in an intact rat at 0.5,0.6,mmol/kg dose in only a few minutes is demonstrated. Similar to commonly used MRI contrast agents, the lanthanide complex does not cross the blood,brain barrier. TmDOTMA, may prove useful for temperature imaging in many biomedical applications but further studies relating to acceptable dose and signal-to-noise ratio are necessary before clinical applications. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Common processing of in vivo MR spectraNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 4 2001HJA in 't Zandt Abstract This introductory article addresses approaches currently in use to process in vivo spectra. First, a brief overview is given of the information content represented by the parameters of MR signals. Subsequently, common steps in the processing of MR spectra such as pre-processing, normalisation and quantification and the use of prior knowledge are described. Finally, some prospects for more advanced processing are given. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] |