Dual-source Parallel Radiofrequency Excitation Research Articles

Improvement in B1+ Homogeneity and Average Flip Angle Using Dual-Source Parallel RF Excitation for Cardiac MRI in Swine Hearts.

Cardiac MRI may benefit from increased polarization at high magnetic field strength of 3 Tesla but is challenged by increased field inhomogeneity. Initial human studies have shown that the radiofrequency (RF) excitation field (B1 +) used for signal excitation in the heart is both inhomogeneous and significantly lower than desired, potentially leading to image artifacts and biased quantitative measures. Recently, multi-channel transmit systems have been introduced allowing localized patient specific RF shimming based on acquired calibration B1 + maps. Some prior human studies have shown lower than desired mean flip angles in the hearts of large patients even after RF shimming. Here, 100 cardiac B1 + map pairs before and after RF shimming were acquired in 55 swine. The mean flip angle and the coefficient of variation (CV) of the flip angle in the heart were determined before and after RF shimming. Mean flip angle, CV, and RF shim values (power ratio and phase difference between the two transmit channels) were tested for correlation with cross sectional body area and the Right-Left/Anterior-Posterior ratio. RF shimming significantly increased the mean flip angle in swine heart from 74.4±6.7% (mean ± standard deviation) to 94.7±4.8% of the desired flip angle and significantly reduced CV from 0.11±0.03 to 0.07±0.02 (p<<1e-10 for both). These results compare well with several previous human studies, except that the mean flip angle in the human heart only improved to 89% with RF shimming, possibly because the RF shimming routine does not consider safety constraints in very large patients. Additionally, mean flip angle decreased and CV increased with larger cross sectional body area, however, the RF shimming parameters did not correlate with cross sectional body area. RF shim power ratio correlated weakly with Right-Left/Anterior-Posterior ratio but phase difference did not, further substantiating the need for subject specific cardiac RF shimming.

Detectability of hepatocellular carcinoma on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI at 3 T in patients with severe liver dysfunction: clinical impact of dual-source parallel radiofrequency excitation

AimTo clarify the detectability of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI at 3 T with dual-source parallel radiofrequency (RF) excitation. Materials and methodsTwelve patients with 26 HCCs who each underwent multidetector row CT (MDCT), gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI with dual-source parallel RF excitation, and angiography-assisted CT prior to living related-liver transplantation. Three blinded readers independently reviewed the images obtained by each imaging technique for the presence of HCC on a segment-by-segment basis using a five-point confidence scale. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Az), sensitivity, and specificity were compared among the three techniques. ResultsThe Az values of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI were highest for all readers, although no significant difference in Az value among the three methods was obtained. No significant differences in sensitivity or specificity were observed among the three techniques for each reader. ConclusionGadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI at 3 T with dual-source parallel RF excitation has relatively high-level diagnostic potential for the detection of HCC in patients with severe liver dysfunction, which was equivalent to that of MDCT and angiography-assisted CT. Dual-source parallel RF excitation would have a clinical impact on 3 T MRI of the liver.

Bilateral breast MRI by use of dual-source parallel radiofrequency excitation and image-based shimming at 3 Tesla: improvement in homogeneity on fat-suppression imaging.

In this study, we aimed to compare fat-suppression homogeneity on breast MR imaging by using dual-source parallel radiofrequency excitation and image-based shimming (DS-IBS) with single-source radiofrequency excitation with volume shim (SS-Vol) at 3 Tesla. Twenty patients were included. Axial three-dimensional T1-weighted turbo-field-echo breast images with DS-IBS and SS-Vol were obtained. Fat suppression was scored with four grade points. The contrast of the pectoral muscle and the fat in each breast area was obtained in the head medial, head lateral, foot medial, and foot lateral areas. The axillary space was calculated and compared between DS-IBS and SS-Vol. The average DS-IBS score was significantly higher than that of SS-Vol. The mean contrasts of fat in the foot lateral areas and axillary spaces on DS-IBS images were significantly higher than on SS-Vol images.

Dual-source parallel radiofrequency excitation ACR phantom magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T: Assessment of the effect of image quality on high-contrast spatial resolution, percent signal ghosting, and low-contrast object detectability in comparison with conventional single-source transmission

The purpose of the present study was to assess dual-source parallel radiofrequency (RF) excitation American College of Radiology (ACR) phantom magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 3T compared with conventional single-source RF transmission and compared with the standard ACR MRI phantom test. We used a 3T MR scanner equipped with dual-source parallel RF excitation and an 8-channel head phased array coil. We employed T1- and T2-weighted fast spin echo (FSE) pulse sequences for an assessment of the impact of image quality on high-contrast spatial resolution, percent signal ghosting and low-contrast object detectability following the ACR MRI quality control (QC) manual. With geometric accuracy and identical slice locations, dual RFs using dual-source parallel RF excitation MR showed an advantage over single RF using dual-source parallel RF excitation MR and conventional MR in terms of high-contrast spatial resolution (p < 0.010), percent signal ghosting (p < 0.010), and low-contrast object detectability (p < 0.010). The quality of the image from the dual-source parallel RF excitation MR equipment was superior to that of the image from conventional MR equipment for the ACR phantom. We need to pursue dual-source parallel RF excitation MR studies involving various clinical cases.

Reducing metallic artefacts in post-operative spinal imaging: slice encoding for metal artefact correction with dual-source parallel radiofrequency excitation MRI at 3.0 T

To compare the effects of metal artefacts and acquisition time among slice encoding for metal artefact correction (SEMAC), SEMAC with dual-source parallel radiofrequency (SEMAC-DSPRF) transmission and fast spin echo (FSE) images using 3.0-T MRI. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated in a phantom study using a pedicle screw. A total of 16 patients who underwent spinal surgery using pedicle screws were included in the clinical study. T1 weighted FSE, SEMAC and SEMAC-DSPRF images were obtained. Four imaging findings (visibility of the dural sac, neural foramens, bone-implant interface and overall artefacts) were evaluated by using five-point scales independently by two observers. The mean scan time was recorded. The mean SNR was 71.2, 25.7 and 28.4 for FSE, SEMAC and SEMAC-DSPRF images, respectively. FSE images were ranked lower than SEMAC and SEMAC-DSPRF images, and ranking of SEMAC and SEMAC-DSPRF images did not differ statistically for all four imaging findings. The mean scan time was 9 min 51 s and 6 min 31 s for SEMAC and SEMAC-DSPRF images, respectively. SEMAC can reduce metallic artefacts and improve the visualisation of anatomical structures around metal implants. An additional DSPRF technique can reduce the acquisition time of SEMAC images without the loss of SNR and image quality. This study demonstrates that the use of the DSPRF transmission technique can reduce the acquisition time of SEMAC images without loss of image quality in patients with metal implants.

Clinical and technical considerations for high quality breast MRI at 3 tesla

The use of breast MRI at 3 tesla (T) has increased in use substantially in recent years. Potential benefits of moving to higher field strength MRI include improved morphologic and kinetic assessment of breast lesions through higher spatial and temporal resolution dynamic contrast-enhanced MR examinations. Furthermore, higher field strength holds promise for the development of superior advanced breast MRI techniques, such as diffusion weighted imaging and MR spectroscopy. To fully realize the benefits of moving to 3T, a thorough understanding of the technical and safety challenges of higher field strength imaging specific to breast MRI is paramount. Through the use of advanced coil technology, parallel imaging, dual-source parallel radiofrequency excitation, and image-based shimming techniques, many of these limiting technical factors can be overcome to achieve high quality breast MRI at 3T.

Improvement in B1+-homogeneity of 3T cardiac MRI in swine with dual-source parallel RF excitation

Background Conventional MRI scanners up to a magnetic field strength of 3T use an integrated birdcage quadrature coil to generate a radio frequency (RF) excitation field (B1+). At 3T, Sung et al. observed a flip angle variation ranging from 31 to 66% over the entire left ventricle (LV) in humans as well as a flip-angle distribution from 34° to 63, for a nominal flip angle of 60°. This not only demonstrates that the B1+ field over the LV is inhomogeneous but also that the average flip angle (RF power setting) can be 20% lower than desired. Such erroneous flip angles may lead to local signal reduction, artifacts, failure of magnetization preparation pulses, and eventually to biased quantitative measures. Recently, it has been shown that multi-channel transmit systems can be used to reduce these inhomogeneities in humans by the use of RF-shimming. Here, we quantify improvements in B1 +-homogeneity at 3T when using dual-source parallel RF excitation, and correlate results with animal size.

Liver: Segment-specific Analysis of B1Field Homogeneity at 3.0-T MR Imaging with Single-Source versus Dual-Source Parallel Radiofrequency Excitation

To measure B1 field distribution in different liver segments with and without dual transmission and to quantify the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between normal liver tissue and segmental venous vessels on standard clinical 3.0-T liver magnetic resonance (MR) images. This prospective study was approved by the local ethics committee. All subjects gave written informed consent. Six patients with liver lesions and nine healthy volunteers were included. Average hepatic B1 field values in all Couinaud liver segments were assessed by using actual flip-angle imaging (first and second repetition times msec/echo time msec: 72, 192/2.2; transmission angle: 60°) for both single and dual transmission in a 3.0-T MR imaging unit that allowed both transmission modes. Additionally, two-dimensional T1-weighted gradient-echo (repetition time msec/echo time msec, 180/2.3; transmission angle, 55°) and T2-weighted single-shot fast spin-echo images (1501/80) were acquired. Average CNR between liver parenchyma and segmental veins were measured in each segment. Two-sided paired Student t tests were used for statistical evaluation. Two blinded radiologists independently identified lesions in images from acquisitions in both transmission modes. Mean flip angles achieved with conventional single transmission were 44%-53% of the nominal value in segments II-IV and 67% and 63% of the nominal value in segments VI and VII, respectively, and were less than 77% in all segments. Mean actual flip angles measured for dual transmission were between 82% and 100% of the nominal value in all segments. T1-weighted single-transmission images exhibited areas of low B1 field strength with reduced image contrast. T2-weighted single-transmission images displayed significantly reduced signal intensity but nearly unchanged contrast weighting in these areas. On T1-weighted dual-transmission images, the two readers detected 22 and 14 additional lesions that they did not identify on the single-transmission images. On the dual-transmission T2-weighted images, they detected 11 and five additional lesions, respectively. Dual transmission can generate a B1 field with significantly improved homogeneity over all liver segments at a field strength of 3.0 T.

Evaluation of dual-source parallel RF excitation technology in MRI of thoraco-lumbar spine at 3.0 T

High-field 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has entered standard clinical practice over the past decade, and its advantages have already been suggested in areas such as neural, musculoskeletal, pelvic and angiographic imaging. However, high-field systems still pose challenges in terms of their specific absorption rate (SAR) and radiofrequency (RF) excitation uniformity. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact, on both these factors, of standard quadrature against parallel RF transmission technology (dual-source parallel RF excitation [DSPE]) in spinal examination at 3 T. The thoracolumbar spine was examined with three different sequences: T1-weighted (T1w); T2-weighted (T2w); and T2w short tau inversion recovery (STIR). Each was acquired with and without DSPE. The manufacturer's implementation of this technology has been associated with optimized handling of patient SAR exposure, resulting in a 38.4% reduction in acquisition time. On comparing sequences with equal repetition times (TRs), the acquisition time reduction was 44.4%. Thus, DSPE allows a reduction in acquisition time. This gain is accompanied by augmentation of the whole-body SAR and diminution of the local SAR. Image quality improvement due to more homogeneous effective transmit B1 was mainly observed at the junction of the thoracolumbar spine.

Improved B1 homogeneity of 3 tesla breast MRI using dual‐source parallel radiofrequency excitation

To compare breast MRI B(1) homogeneity at 3 Tesla (T) with and without dual-source parallel radiofrequency (RF) excitation. After institutional review board approval, we evaluated 14 consecutive breast MR examinations performed at 3T that included three-dimensional B(1) maps created separately with conventional single-source and dual-source parallel RF excitation techniques. We measured B(1) values (expressed as % of intended B(1) ) on each B(1) map at nipple level in multiple bilateral locations: anterior, lateral, central, medial, and posterior. Mean whole breast and location specific B(1) values were calculated and compared between right and left breasts using paired t-test. Mean whole breast B(1) values differed significantly between right and left breasts with standard single-source RF excitation (difference L-R, Δ = 9.2%; P < 0.001) but not with dual-source parallel RF excitation (Δ = 2.3%; P = 0.085). Location specific B(1) values differed significantly between right and left on single-source in the lateral (P = 0.014), central (P = 0.0001), medial (P = 0.0013), and posterior (P < 0.0001) locations. Conversely, mean B(1) values differed significantly on dual-source parallel RF excitation for only the anterior (P = 0.030) and lateral (P = 0.0003) locations. B(1) homogeneity is improved with dual-source parallel RF excitation on 3T breast MRI when compared with standard single-source RF excitation technique.

Parallel RF transmission for clinical MR imaging of the spinal cord at 3.0 Tesla

Purpose: To prospectively and intraindividually compare single-source radiofrequency (RF) excitation and dual-source parallel RF excitation in 3.0-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the spine.

Dual-Source Parallel RF Transmission for Clinical MR Imaging of the Spine at 3.0 T: Intraindividual Comparison with Conventional Single-Source Transmission

To prospectively and intraindividually compare single-source radiofrequency (RF) excitation and dual-source parallel RF excitation in 3.0-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the spine. Institutional review board approval and written informed patient consent were obtained. The RF power of a 3.0-T MR imaging system was distributed to two ports of the body coil of the system by using independent RF transmit channels. The maximum B(1) field strength for dual-source parallel RF excitation was maintained, as compared with single-source RF excitation. The repetition time was reduced according to the revised RF setup with dual-source parallel RF excitation while maintaining specific energy absorption limitations. Thirty patients were examined with and without dual-source parallel RF excitation. Diagnostic quality was assessed independently by two radiologists according to a four-point grading system. Image contrast ratios (CRs) were calculated between reference tissues and vertebrae for single-source RF excitation and dual-source parallel RF excitation. The mean acceleration achieved with dual-source parallel RF excitation was 36% (range, 18%-50%). The total imaging duration of a three-station total spinal examination was reduced by one-third by using dual-source parallel RF transmission. For all cases investigated, diagnostic image quality without significant differences between the two methods and with a good interobserver agreement was achieved (Kendall tau-b, 0.50-0.84). The observed image contrast changes were predominantly small (<0.10 in 15 of 24 CRs), though they were significantly different (P < .05). While shortening examination times by approximately one-third, the dual-source parallel RF transmission mode in MR imaging of the spine yielded diagnostic image quality comparable to that with the conventional single-source RF transmission mode.

Dual-Source Parallel Radiofrequency Excitation Body MR Imaging Compared with Standard MR Imaging at 3.0 T: Initial Clinical Experience

To prospectively compare the image quality and homogeneity of magnetic resonance (MR) images obtained by using a dual-source parallel radiofrequency (RF) excitation body MR imaging system with parallel transmission and independent RF shimming with the image quality and homogeneity of single-source MR images obtained by using standard sequences for routine clinical use in patients at 3.0 T. After institutional review board approval and informed patient consent were obtained, a dual-source parallel RF excitation 3.0-T MR system with independent RF shimming and parallel transmission technology was used to examine 28 patients and was compared with a standard 3.0-T MR system with single RF transmission. The RF power was distributed to the independent ports of the system body coil by using two RF transmission sources with full software control, enabling independent control of the phase and amplitude of the RF waveforms. Axial T2-weighted fast spin-echo (SE) and diffusion-weighted (DW) liver images, axial T2-weighted fast SE pelvic images, and sagittal T1- and T2-weighted fast SE spinal images were obtained by using dual- and single-source RF excitation. Two radiologists independently evaluated the images for homogeneity and image quality. Statistical significance was calculated by using the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank test. Interobserver agreement was determined by using Cohen kappa and Kendall tau-b tests. Image quality comparisons revealed significantly better results with dual-source rather than single-source RF excitation at T2-weighted liver MR imaging (P = .001, kappa = 1.00) and better results at DW liver imaging at a statistical trend level (P = .066, tau-b > 0.7). Owing to reduced local energy deposition, fewer acquisitions and shorter repetition times could be implemented with dual-source RF excitation pelvic and spinal MR imaging, with image acquisition accelerating by 18%, 33%, and 50% compared with the acquisitions with single-source RF excitation. Image quality did not differ significantly between the two MR techniques (P > .05, tau-b > 0.5). Dual-source parallel RF excitation body MR imaging enables reduced dielectric shading, improved homogeneity of the RF magnetic induction field, and accelerated imaging at 3.0 T.