Parallel Radiofrequency Excitation Research Articles

Quick Reduction of Specific Absorption Rate Constraints in Parallel RF Excitation Pulse Design by Maximum Volume Inscribed Ellipsoids

In medical magnetic resonance imaging, parallel radio frequency excitation pulses have to respect a large number of specific absorption rate constraints. Geometrically, each of these constraints can be interpreted as a complex, centered ellipsoid. We propose to replace a collection of such constraints by the single constraint which corresponds to the associated maximum volume inscribed ellipsoid and implies all original constraints. We describe how to compute this ellipsoid via convex programming. Examples show that this reduction has very short computation times but cuts away parts of the feasible power domain.

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.

Subject- and resource-specific monitoring and proactive management of parallel radiofrequency transmission.

Develop a practical comprehensive package for proactive management of parallel radiofrequency (RF) transmission. With a constrained optimization framework and predictive models from a prescan based multichannel calibration, we presented a method supporting design and optimization of parallel RF excitation pulses that accurately obey the forward/reflected peak and average power limits of the RF power amplifiers in parallel transmit imaging experiments and Bloch simulations. Moreover, local SAR limits were incorporated into the parallel RF excitation pulses using electromagnetic field simulations. Virtual transmit coils concept for minimization of reflected power (effecting subject-specific matching) was additionally demonstrated by leveraging experimentally calibrated power models. Incorporation of experimentally calibrated power prediction models resulted in accurate compliance with prescribed hardware and global specific absorption rate (SAR) limits. Incorporation of spatial average 10 g SAR models, facilitated by simplifying numerical approximations, provided assurance of patient safety. RF pulses designed with various constraints demonstrated excellent excitation fidelity-the normalized root-mean-square error of the simulated excitation profiles was 2.6% for the fully constrained pulses, comparable to that of the unconstrained pulses. An RF shimming example showed a reduction of the reflected-to-forward power ratio to 1.7% from a conventional approach's 8.1%. Using the presented RF pulse design method, effective proactive management of the multifaceted power and SAR limits was demonstrated in experimental and simulation studies. Magn Reson Med 76:20-31, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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.

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.

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.

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.