In vivo assessment of aortic aneurysm wall integrity using elastin-specific molecular magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: The incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) has increased during the last decades. However, there is still controversy about the management of medium-sized AAAs. Therefore, novel biomarkers, besides aneurysmal diameter, are needed to assess aortic wall integrity and risk of rupture.

Ripple artifact reduction using slice overlap in slice encoding for metal artifact correction.

Purpose: Multispectral imaging (MSI) significantly reduces metal artifacts. Yet, especially in techniques that use gradient selection, such as slice encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC), a residual ripple artifact may be prominent. Here, an analysis is presented of the ripple artifact and of slice overlap as an approach to reduce the artifact.

Off-resonance suppression for multispectral MR imaging near metallic implants.

Purpose: Metal artifact reduction in MRI within clinically feasible scan-times without through-plane aliasing.

Theory And Methods: Existing metal artifact reduction techniques include view angle tilting (VAT), which resolves in-plane distortions, and multispectral imaging (MSI) techniques, such as slice encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC) and multi-acquisition with variable resonances image combination (MAVRIC), that further reduce image distortions, but significantly increase scan-time. Scan-time depends on anatomy size and anticipated total spectral content of the signal.

Magnetic resonance T1 relaxation time of venous thrombus is determined by iron processing and predicts susceptibility to lysis.

Background: The magnetic resonance longitudinal relaxation time (T1) changes with thrombus age in humans. In this study, we investigate the possible mechanisms that give rise to the T1 signal in venous thrombi and whether changes in T1 relaxation time are informative of the susceptibility to lysis.

Methods And Results: Venous thrombosis was induced in the vena cava of BALB/C mice, and temporal changes in T1 relaxation time correlated with thrombus composition.

In vivo assessment of intraplaque and endothelial fibrin in ApoE(-/-) mice by molecular MRI.

Objective: Molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a promising non-invasive modality to characterize atherosclerotic vessel wall changes on a morphological and molecular level. Intraplaque and endothelial fibrin has recently been recognized to play an important role in the progression of atherosclerosis. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of intraplaque and endothelial fibrin detection using a fibrin-targeted contrast-agent, FTCA (EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Lexington, MA), in a mouse model of atherosclerosis.

Assessment of atherosclerotic plaque burden with an elastin-specific magnetic resonance contrast agent.

Atherosclerosis and its consequences remain the main cause of mortality in industrialized and developing nations. Plaque burden and progression have been shown to be independent predictors for future cardiac events by intravascular ultrasound. Routine prospective imaging is hampered by the invasive nature of intravascular ultrasound.

3D T(1)-mapping for the characterization of deep vein thrombosis.

Purpose: The aim of this work was to investigate fast T (1)-mapping for the characterization of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Methods: The accuracy and reproducibility of the T (1)-mapping sequence was tested in phantoms and in 8 healthy volunteers on a 1.5 T clinical scanner using a 32-channel array coil.

Interleaved T(1) and T(2) relaxation time mapping for cardiac applications.

Purpose: To diagnose acute myocardial infarction (MI) with MRI, T(1)-weighted and T(2)-weighted images are required to detect necrosis and edema. The calculation of both T(1) and T(2) maps can be relevant for quantitative diagnosis. In this work, we present a simultaneous quantification of T(1)-T(2) relaxation times of a short-axis view of the heart in a single scan.

Selective 3D ultrashort TE imaging: comparison of "dual-echo" acquisition and magnetization preparation for improving short-T 2 contrast.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare two different schemes for long-T (2) component suppression in ultrashort echo-time (UTE) imaging. The aim was to increase conspicuity of short-T (2) components accessible by the UTE technique.

Materials And Methods: A "dual-echo" and a magnetization-preparation approach for long-T (2) and fat suppression were implemented on clinical scanners.