T2-prepared segmented 3D-gradient-echo for fast T2-weighted high-resolution three-dimensional imaging of the carotid artery wall at 3T: a feasibility study.

Background: The multi-contrast assessment of the carotid artery wall has become an important diagnostic tool for the characterization of atherosclerotic plaque and vessel wall thickening. For providing the required T1-, T2-, and proton density weighted contrast, multi-slice turbo spin echo (TSE) techniques are normally applied. The straightforward extension of the TSE techniques to volumetric imaging of large sections of the carotid arteries is limited by the resulting long acquisition times.

Two-point magnitude MRI for rapid mapping of brown adipose tissue and its application to the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington disease.

The recent discovery of active brown fat in human adults has led to renewed interest in the role of this key metabolic tissue. This is particularly true for neurodegenerative conditions like Huntington disease (HD), an adult-onset heritable disorder with a prominent energy deficit phenotype. Current methods for imaging brown adipose tissue (BAT) are in limited use because they are equipment-wise demanding and often prohibitively expensive.

Medial meniscal displacement and strain in three dimensions under compressive loads: MR assessment.

Purpose: To investigate the 3D displacement and the local strain of the medial meniscus and its attachments under compressive loading.

Materials And Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of six porcine knee joints were performed under unloaded and loaded conditions (100% and 200% body weight [BW]). Volumes were registered to obtain a 3D displacement field of the medial meniscus and its attachments, which were divided into five anatomic compartments.

Ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI for the assessment of caries lesions.

Objective: Direct in vivo MRI of dental hard tissues by applying ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI techniques has recently been reported. The objective of the presented study is to clinically evaluate the applicability of UTE MRI for the identification of caries lesions.

Methods: 40 randomly selected patients (mean age 41 ± 15 years) were enrolled in this study.

Volumetric motion quantification by 3D tissue phase mapped CMR.

Background: The objective of this study was the quantification of myocardial motion from 3D tissue phase mapped (TPM) CMR. Recent work on myocardial motion quantification by TPM has been focussed on multi-slice 2D acquisitions thus excluding motion information from large regions of the left ventricle. Volumetric motion assessment appears an important next step towards the understanding of the volumetric myocardial motion and hence may further improve diagnosis and treatments in patients with myocardial motion abnormalities.