Modeling and Measurement of Lead Tip Heating in Implanted Wires with Loops.

Purpose: To theoretically and experimentally study implant lead tip heating caused by radiofrequency (RF) power deposition in different wire configurations that contain loop(s).

Methods: Maximum temperature rise caused by RF heating was measured at 1.5T on 20 insulated, capped wires with various loop and straight segment configurations.

Modeling and measurement of lead tip heating and resonant length for implanted, insulated wires.

Purpose: To study implant lead tip heating because of the RF power deposition by developing mathematical models and comparing them with measurements acquired at 1.5 T and 3 T, especially to predict resonant length.

Theory And Methods: A simple exponential model and an adapted transmission line model for the electric field transfer function were developed.

Trial Readiness of Cavernous Malformations With Symptomatic Hemorrhage, Part I: Event Rates and Clinical Outcome.

Background: Cerebral cavernous malformation with symptomatic hemorrhage (SH) are targets for novel therapies. A multisite trial-readiness project (https://www.clinicaltrials.

Trial Readiness of Cavernous Malformations With Symptomatic Hemorrhage, Part II: Biomarkers and Trial Modeling.

Background: Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and dynamic contrast-enhanced quantitative perfusion (DCEQP) magnetic resonance imaging sequences assessing iron deposition and vascular permeability were previously correlated with new hemorrhage in cerebral cavernous malformations. We assessed their prospective changes in a multisite trial-readiness project.

Methods: Patients with cavernous malformation and symptomatic hemorrhage (SH) in the prior year, without prior or planned lesion resection or irradiation were enrolled.

Locally Low-Rank Denoising of Multi-Echo Functional MRI Data With Application in Resting-State Analysis.

Objectives: Locally low-rank (LLR) denoising of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time series image data is extended to multi-echo (ME) data. The proposed method extends the capabilities of non-physiologic noise suppression beyond single-echo applications with a dedicated ME algorithm.

Materials And Methods: Following an institutional review board (IRB) approved protocol, resting-state fMRI data were acquired in 7 healthy subjects.

Evaluation of a compact 3 T MRI scanner for patients with implanted devices.

Access to high-quality MR exams is severely limited for patients with some implanted devices due to labeled MR safety conditions, but small-bore systems can overcome this limitation. For example, a compact 3 T MR scanner (C3T) with high-performance gradients can acquire exams of the head, extremities, and infants. Because of its reduced bore size and the patient being advanced only partially into the bore, the associated electromagnetic (EM) fields drop off rapidly caudal to the head, compared to whole-body systems.

Cavernous Angioma Symptomatic Hemorrhage (CASH) Trial Readiness II: Imaging Biomarkers and Trial Modeling.

Background: Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and dynamic contrast enhanced quantitative perfusion (DCEQP) MRI sequences assessing iron deposition and vascular permeability were previously correlated with new hemorrhage in cavernous angiomas. We assessed their prospective changes in cavernous angiomas with symptomatic hemorrhage (CASH) in a multisite trial readiness project ( clinicaltrials.gov NCT03652181 ).

Improved Resting-State Functional MRI Using Multi-Echo Echo-Planar Imaging on a Compact 3T MRI Scanner with High-Performance Gradients.

In blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD)-based resting-state functional (RS-fMRI) studies, usage of multi-echo echo-planar-imaging (ME-EPI) is limited due to unacceptable late echo times when high spatial resolution is used. Equipped with high-performance gradients, the compact 3T MRI system (C3T) enables a three-echo whole-brain ME-EPI protocol with smaller than 2.5 mm isotropic voxel and shorter than 1 s repetition time, as required in landmark fMRI studies.

Minimizing susceptibility-induced BOLD sensitivity loss in multi-band accelerated fMRI using point spread function mapping and gradient reversal.

. Interleaved reverse-gradient fMRI (RG-fMRI) with a point-spread-function (PSF) mapping-based distortion correction scheme has the potential to minimize signal loss in echo-planar-imaging (EPI). In this work, the RG-fMRI is further improved by imaging protocol optimization and application of reverse Fourier acquisition.

Enhanced clinical task-based fMRI metrics through locally low-rank denoising of complex-valued data.

Objective: This study investigates a locally low-rank (LLR) denoising algorithm applied to source images from a clinical task-based functional MRI (fMRI) exam before post-processing for improving statistical confidence of task-based activation maps.

Methods: Task-based motor and language fMRI was obtained in eleven healthy volunteers under an IRB approved protocol. LLR denoising was then applied to raw complex-valued image data before fMRI processing.

Distinct brain iron profiles associated with logopenic progressive aphasia and posterior cortical atrophy.

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) can detect iron distribution in the brain by estimating local tissue magnetic susceptibility properties at every voxel. Iron deposition patterns are well studied in typical Alzheimer's disease (tAD), but little is known about these patterns in atypical clinical presentations of AD such as logopenic progressive aphasia (LPA) and posterior cortical atrophy (PCA). Seventeen PCA patients and eight LPA patients were recruited by the Neurodegenerative Research Group at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and underwent MRI that included a five-echo gradient echo sequence for calculation of QSM.

Evaluation of hearing loss in young adults after exposure to 3.0T MRI with standard hearing protection.

Standard clinical protocols require hearing protection during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for patient safety. This investigation prospectively evaluated the auditory function impact of acoustic noise exposure during a 3.0T MRI in healthy adults.

Left-Right Intensity Asymmetries Vary Depending on Scanner Model for FLAIR and T Weighted MRI Images.

Background: Localized regions of left-right image intensity asymmetry (LRIA) were incidentally observed on T -weighted (T -w) and T -weighted (T -w) diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images. Suspicion of herpes encephalitis resulted in unnecessary follow-up imaging. A nonbiological imaging artifact that can lead to diagnostic uncertainty was identified.

Improved Brain MR Imaging from a Compact, Lightweight 3T Scanner with High-Performance Gradients.

Background: A low-cryogen, compact  3T (C3T) MRI scanner with high-performance gradients capable of simultaneously achieving 80 mT/m gradient amplitude and 700 T/m/second slew rate has been in use to study research patients since March 2016 but has not been implemented in the clinical practice.

Purpose: To compare head MRI examinations obtained with the C3T system and a conventional whole-body  3T (WB3T) scanner in seven parameters across five commonly used brain imaging sequences.

Study Type: Prospective.

Temperature-corrected proton density fat fraction estimation using chemical shift-encoded MRI in phantoms.

Purpose: Chemical shift-encoded MRI (CSE-MRI) is well-established to quantify proton density fat fraction (PDFF) as a quantitative biomarker of hepatic steatosis. However, temperature is known to bias PDFF estimation in phantom studies. In this study, strategies were developed and evaluated to correct for the effects of temperature on PDFF estimation through simulations, temperature-controlled experiments, and a multi-center, multi-vendor phantom study.

Linearity and Bias of Proton Density Fat Fraction as a Quantitative Imaging Biomarker: A Multicenter, Multiplatform, Multivendor Phantom Study.

Background Proton density fat fraction (PDFF) estimated by using chemical shift-encoded (CSE) MRI is an accepted imaging biomarker of hepatic steatosis. This work aims to promote standardized use of CSE MRI to estimate PDFF. Purpose To assess the accuracy of CSE MRI methods for estimating PDFF by determining the linearity and range of bias observed in a phantom.

The benefit of high-performance gradients on echo planar imaging for BOLD-based resting-state functional MRI.

Improved gradient performance in an MRI system reduces distortion in echo planar imaging (EPI), which has been a key imaging method for functional studies. A lightweight, low-cryogen compact 3T MRI scanner (C3T) is capable of achieving 80 mT m gradient amplitude with 700 T m s slew rate, in comparison with a conventional whole-body 3T MRI scanner (WB3T, 50 mT m with 200 T m s). We investigated benefits of the high-performance gradients in a high-spatial-resolution (1.

Reducing PNS with minimal performance penalties via simple pulse sequence modifications on a high-performance compact 3T scanner.

One of the major concerns associated with high-performance gradients is peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) of the subject during MRI exams. Since the installation, more than 680 volunteer subjects (patients and controls) have been scanned on a compact 3 T MRI system with high-performance gradients, capable of 80 mT m gradient amplitude and 700 T m s slew rate simultaneously. Despite PNS concerns associated with the high-performance gradients, due to the smaller physical dimensions of the gradient coils, minimal or no PNS sensation was reported with most pulse sequences.

The effect of spiral trajectory correction on pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling with high-performance gradients on a compact 3T scanner.

Purpose: To demonstrate the feasibility of pseudo-continuous arterial-spin-labeled (pCASL) imaging with 3D fast-spin-echo stack-of-spirals on a compact 3T scanner (C3T), to perform trajectory correction for eddy-current-induced deviations in the spiral readout of pCASL imaging, and to assess the correction effect on perfusion-related images with high-performance gradients (80 mT/m, 700T/m/s) of the C3T.

Methods: To track eddy-current-induced artifacts with Archimedean spiral readout, the spiral readout in pCASL imaging was performed with 5 different peak gradient slew rate (S ) values ranging from 70 to 500 T/m/s. The trajectory for each S was measured using a dynamic field camera and applied in a density-compensated gridding image reconstruction in addition to the nominal trajectory.

Phantom validation of quantitative susceptibility and dynamic contrast-enhanced permeability MR sequences across instruments and sites.

Background: Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and dynamic contrast-enhanced quantitative permeability (DCEQP) on magnetic resonance (MR) have been shown to correlate with neurovascular disease progression as markers of vascular leakage and hemosiderin deposition. Applying these techniques as monitoring biomarkers in clinical trials will be necessary; however, their validation across multiple MR platforms and institutions has not been rigorously verified.

Purpose: To validate quantitative measurement of MR biomarkers on multiple instruments at different institutions.

Distortion-free imaging: A double encoding method (DIADEM) combined with multiband imaging for rapid distortion-free high-resolution diffusion imaging on a compact 3T with high-performance gradients.

Background: Distortion-free, high-resolution diffusion imaging using DIADEM (Distortion-free Imaging: A Double Encoding Method), proposed recently, has great potential for clinical applications. However, it can suffer from prolonged scan times and its reliability for quantitative diffusion imaging has not been evaluated.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical feasibility of DIADEM-based high-resolution diffusion imaging on a novel compact 3T (C3T) by evaluating the reliability of quantitative diffusion measurements and utilizing both the high-performance gradients (80 mT/m, 700 T/m/s) and the sequence optimization with the navigator acquisition window reduction and simultaneous multislice (multiband) imaging.

Partial fourier shells trajectory for non-cartesian MRI.

Non-Cartesian MRI acquisition has demonstrated various advantages in many clinical applications. The shells trajectory is a 3D non-Cartesian MRI acquisition technique that samples the k-space using a series of concentric shells to achieve efficient 3D isotropic acquisition. Partial Fourier acquisition is an acceleration technique that is widely used in Cartesian MRI.

Improving apparent diffusion coefficient accuracy on a compact 3T MRI scanner using gradient nonlinearity correction.

Background: Gradient nonlinearity (GNL) leads to biased apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) in diffusion-weighted imaging. A gradient nonlinearity correction (GNLC) method has been developed for whole body systems, but is yet to be tested for the new compact 3T (C3T) scanner, which exhibits more complex GNL due to its asymmetrical design.

Purpose: To assess the improvement of ADC quantification with GNLC for the C3T scanner.