Improving B 1 + homogeneity in abdominal imaging at 3 T with light, flexible, and compact metasurface

In Vivo Brain B1 + Inhomogeneity Correction and NOE Image Enhancement at 7 T via Flexible Metasurfaces

Nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) MRI has been used for in vivo brain imaging to assess lipid and protein composition and benefits from 7 T field strengths due to the larger chemical shift dispersion. However, a continuing challenge is signal drop off observed in regions such as the medial temporal lobes due to "standing wave" effects from shorter radiofrequency (RF) wavelengths at ultra-high fields. 2D periodic unit cell metasurfaces have been a promising approach for providing improvements in anatomical imaging but have not yet been evaluated in chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST)-based sequences. Here, we report the use of metasurfaces for enhancement of NOE imaging as well as for improvement of Lorentzian line fitting of full Z-spectrum data. 3D NOE image data, B1 + maps, and B0 maps were acquired on five healthy volunteers using a 7 T MRI system with and without metasurfaces positioned near the temporal lobes. A frequency offset range of -5 to +5 ppm with additional separate acquisitions of ±20 and ±100 ppm offset images. A five-pool Lorentzian line fitting model was employed to fit and quantitatively compared magnetization transfer (MT), amide proton transfer (APT), amine, and relayed NOE (rNOE) metabolite pools. NOEMTR-weighted contrast maps were also calculated via Z-spectrum asymmetry analysis. The metasurfaces globally enhanced the transmit efficiency within the imaging slab by approximately 9.6% and reduced B1 + inhomogeneity by approximately 16.6% and increased transmit efficiency by 55.8% in the temporal lobes. Amplitude fit maps showed decreases in contrast magnitude ranging from 1 to 16% and changes in image uniformity ranging from a 4.3 decrease to a 34.7% increase, while NOEMTR-weighted contrast maps demonstrated similar changes. The results presented here demonstrate that metasurfaces can enhance CEST-based techniques complementing previously reported benefits in anatomical imaging.

Preclinical validation of a metasurface-inspired conformal elliptical-cylinder resonator for wrist MRI at 1.5 T

OBJECTIVE

To design a metasurface-inspired conformal elliptical-cylinder resonator (MICER) for wrist magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T and evaluate its potential for clinical applications.

METHODS

An electromagnetic simulation was used to characterize the effect of MICER on radio frequency fields. A phantom and 14 wrists from 7 healthy volunteers were examined using a 1.5 T MRI system. The examination included T1-weighted spin echo, fat-saturation proton density-weighted fast spin echo, and three-dimensional T1-weighted gradient echo sequences. All scans were repeated using two methods: MICER combined with the spinal coil, which is a surface coil built-in examination table, and the 12-channel wrist array coil, to receive signals. Image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated, and the differences between the two methods were compared using a paired Student's t-test.

RESULTS

In the phantom study, the image obtained with MICER had a higher SNR compared to the image obtained with the 12-channel wrist coil. Almost all wrist tissues showed a higher SNR on the images obtained with MICER than on the images obtained with the 12-channel wrist coil (P < 0.05). And the CNR between wrist tissues on images obtained with MICER was higher than that obtained with the 12-channel wrist coil (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The quality of the MRI using MICER is superior to that of the commercially available 12-channel wrist coil, indicating its potential value for clinical practice.

Improving Image Quality and Decreasing SAR With High Dielectric Constant Pads in 3 T Fetal MRI

BACKGROUND

At high magnetic fields, degraded image quality due to dielectric artifacts and elevated specific absorption rate (SAR) are two technical challenges in fetal MRI.

PURPOSE

To assess the potential of high dielectric constant (HDC) pad in increasing image quality and decreasing SAR for 3 T fetal MRI.

STUDY TYPE

Prospective.

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE

3 T. Balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) and single-shot fast spin-echo (SSFSE).

POPULATION

One hundred twenty-eight participants (maternal-age 29.0 ± 3.6, range 20-40; gestational-age 30.3 ± 3.5 weeks, range 22-37 weeks) undertook bSSFP and 40 participants (maternal-age 29.5 ± 3.8, range 19-40; gestational-age 30.4 ± 3.5 weeks, range 23-37 weeks) undertook SSFSE.

ASSESSMENT

Patient clinical characteristics were recorded, such as gestational-age, amniotic-fluid-index, abdominal-circumference, body-mass-index, and fetal-presentation. Quantitative Image-quality analysis included signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Qualitative analysis was performed by three radiologists with four-point scale to evaluate overall image quality, dielectric artifact, and diagnostic confidence. Whole-body total SAR was obtained from the vendor workstation.

STATISTICAL TESTING

Paired rank sum test was used to analyze the differences in SNR, CNR, overall image quality, dielectric artifact, diagnostic confidence, and SAR with and without HDC pad. Spearman correlation test was used to detect correlations between image quality variable changes and patient clinical characteristics. P values <0.05 were set as statistical significance.

RESULTS

With HDC pad, SNR and CNR was significantly higher (41.45% increase in SNR, 54.05% increase in CNR on bSSFP; 258.76% increase in SNR, 459.55% increase in CNR on SSFSE). Overall qualitative image quality, dielectric artifact and diagnostic confidence improved significantly. Adding HDC pad significantly reduced Whole-body total SAR (32.60% on bSSFP; 15.40% on SSFSE). There was no significant correlation between image quality variable changes and participant clinical characteristics (P-values ranging from 0.072 to 0.992).

DATA CONCLUSION

In the clinical setting, adding a HDC pad might increase image quality while reducing dielectric artifact and SAR.

PLAN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

Dielectric artifacts and elevated SAR are two technical problems in 3T fetal MRI. In a prospective analysis of 168 pregnant participants undertaking 3.0T fetal MRI scanning, high dielectric constant (HDC) pad increased SNR by 41.45%, CNR by 54.05% on bSSFP, and SNR by 258.76%, CNR by 459.55% on SSFSE. Overall image quality, dielectric artifact reduction, and diagnostic confidence assessed by three radiologists was improved. Whole-body total SAR decreased by 32.60% on bSSFP and by 15.40% on SSFSE. These findings suggested that the HDC pad can enhance fetal MRI safety and quality, making it a promising tool for clinical practice.

EVIDENCE LEVEL

2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 5.

Shaping the RF Transmit Field in 7T MRI Using a Nonuniform Metasurface Constructed of Short Conducting Strips

The ability of metamaterial structures to offer unique properties and new solutions has opened new avenues in a wide range of applications, including super-resolution in optics and efficient antennas in radiofrequency (RF) engineering. In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), metamaterials hold the promise of increasing the RF magnetic field intensity while minimizing power deposition. Here, we propose a metasurface based on a two-dimensional (2D) array of short conducting strips combined with a high dielectric substrate, which was tuned to operate at ultrahigh field 7T human MRI. While studied in optics and electromagnetics in the GHz-to-THz range, this study is the first to design such a metasurface for proton imaging at 7T MRI. We performed electromagnetic (EM) simulation of the brain MRI setup with the new metasurface placed in the proximity to the temporal lobe, which showed 2.2-fold local increase in the RF transmit efficiency, with superior performance than an array of electric dipoles. In this study, we also investigate the effect of the spatial distribution of the subunits to control the target RF field's distribution. While the common design is based on a uniform distribution of the subunits, nonuniform distribution, such as a denser center (convex) or more condensed edges (concave), provides an extra dimension to tailor both the magnetic and electric fields. The concave distribution achieved 1.5-1.8-fold reduction in the power deposition compared to the uniform distribution in the brain MRI setups examined.

In vivo B 1 + enhancement of calf MRI at 7 T via optimized flexible metasurfaces

PURPOSE

Ultrahigh field (≥7 T) MRI is at the cutting edge of medical imaging, enabling enhanced spatial and spectral resolution as well as enhanced susceptibility contrast. However, transmit (B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ ) field inhomogeneity due to standing wave effects caused by the shortened RF wavelengths at 7 T is still a challenge to overcome. Novel hardware methods such as dielectric pads have been shown to improve theB 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ field inhomogeneity but are currently limited in their corrective effect by the range of high-permittivity materials available and have a fixed shelf life. In this work, an optimized metasurface design is presented that demonstrates in vivo enhancement of theB 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ field.

METHODS

A prototype metasurface was optimized by an empirical capacitor sweep and by varying the period size. Phantom temperature experiments were performed to evaluate potential metasurface heating effects during scanning. Lastly, in vivo gradient echo images andB 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ maps were acquired on five healthy subjects on a 7 T system. Dielectric pads were also used as a comparison throughout the work as a standard comparison.

RESULTS

The metasurfaces presented here enhanced the average relative SNR of the gradient echo images by a factor of 2.26 compared to the dielectric pads factor of 1.61. AverageB 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ values reflected a similar enhancement of 27.6% with the metasurfaces present versus 8.9% with the dielectric pads.

CONCLUSION

The results demonstrate that metasurfaces provide superior performance to dielectric padding as shown byB 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ maps reflecting their direct effects and resulting enhancements in image SNR at 7 T.

Flexible metasurface for improving brain imaging at 7T

PURPOSE

Ultra-high field MRI offers unprecedented detail for noninvasive visualization of the human brain. However, brain imaging is challenging at 7T due to the B  1 + $$ {}_1^{+} $$ field inhomogeneity, which results in signal intensity drops in temporal lobes and a bright region in the brain center. This study aims to evaluate using a metasurface to improve brain imaging at 7T and simplify the investigative workflow.

METHODS

Two flexible metasurfaces comprising a periodic structure of copper strips and parallel-plate capacitive elements printed on an ultra-thin substrate were optimized for brain imaging and implemented via PCB. We considered two setups: (1) two metasurfaces located near the temporal lobes and (2) one metasurface placed near the occipital lobe. The effect of metasurface placement on the transmit efficiency and specific absorption rate was evaluated via electromagnetic simulation studies with voxelized models. In addition, their impact on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and diagnostic image quality was assessed in vivo for two male and one female volunteers.

RESULTS

Placement of metasurfaces near the regions of interest led to an increase in homogeneity of the transmit field by 5% and 10.5% in the right temporal lobe and occipital lobe for a male subject, respectively. SAR efficiency values changed insignificantly, dropping by less than 8% for all investigated setups. In vivo studies also confirmed the numerically predicted improvement in field distribution and receive sensitivity in the desired ROI.

CONCLUSION

Optimized metasurfaces enable homogenizing transmit field distribution in the brain at 7T. The proposed lightweight and flexible structure can potentially provide MR examination with higher diagnostic value images.

A review of recent developments and applications of high-permittivity dielectric shimming in magnetic resonance

We present a review outlining the basic mechanism, background, recent technical developments, and clinical applications of aqueous dielectric padding in the field of MRI. Originally meant to be a temporary solution, it has gained traction as an effective method for correcting B1 + inhomogeneities due to the unique properties of the calcium titanate and barium titanate perovskites used. Aqueous dielectric pads have used a variety of high-permittivity materials over the years to improve the quality of MRI acquisitions at 1.5 and 3 T and more recently for 7 T neuroimaging applications. The technical development and assessment of these pads have been advanced by an increased use of mathematical modeling and electromagnetic simulations. These tools have allowed for a more complete understanding of the physical interactions between dielectric pads and the RF coil, making testing and safety assessments more accurate. The ease of use and effectiveness that dielectric pads offer have allowed them to become more commonplace in tackling imaging challenges in more clinically focused environments. More recently, they have seen usage not only in anatomical imaging methods but also in specialized metabolic imaging sequences such as GluCEST and NOEMTR . New colossally high-permittivity materials have been proposed; however, practical utilization has been a continued challenge due to unfavorable frequency dependences as well as safety limitations. A new class of metasurfaces has been under development to address the shortcomings of conventional dielectric padding while also providing increased performance in enhancing MRI images.

The restricted SAR protocol: A method to assess MRI coil prototypes in an unconditionally safe manner

PURPOSE

Testing an RF coil prototype on subjects involves laborious verifications to ensure its safety. In particular, it requires preliminary electromagnetic simulations and their validations on phantoms to accurately predict the specific absorption rate (SAR). For coil design validation with a simpler safety procedure, the restricted SAR (rS) mode is proposed, enabling representative first experiments in vivo. The goal of the developed approach is to accelerate the transition of a custom coil system from prototype to clinical use.

METHODS

The restricted specific absorption rate (SAR) (rS) mode imposes a radical limitation on the transmitted RF power based on a worst-case scenario of local RF power absorption. The limitations used are independent of the SAR spatial distribution, making this approach unconditionally safe. The developed rS protocol contains the sequences required for coil evaluation and satisfies the imposed rS conditions. It provides a quantitative characterization of the coil transmission and reception profiles and a qualitative evaluation of the anatomical images. Protocol validation was performed on commercial and pre-industrial prototype coils on a small cohort of healthy volunteers.

RESULTS

The proposed rS protocol enables coil evaluation within an acquisition time compatible with common clinical protocol duration. The total time of all evaluation steps does not exceed 17 min. At the same time, the global SAR remains 100 times less than the International Electrotechnical Commission safety limit for played sequences.

CONCLUSION

The rS protocol allows characterizing and comparing coil prototypes on volunteers without extensive electromagnetic calculations and phantom validations in an unconditionally safe way.

Subwavelength dielectric waveguide for efficient travelling-wave magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has diverse applications in physics, biology, and medicine. Uniform excitation of nuclei spins through circular-polarized transverse magnetic component of electromagnetic field is vital for obtaining unbiased tissue contrasts. However, achieving this in the electrically large human body poses a significant challenge, especially at ultra-high fields (UHF) with increased working frequencies (≥297 MHz). Canonical volume resonators struggle to meet this challenge, while radiative excitation methods like travelling-wave (TW) show promise but often suffer from inadequate excitation efficiency. Here, we introduce a new technique using a subwavelength dielectric waveguide insert that enhances both efficiency and homogeneity at 7 T. Through TE11-to-TM11 mode conversion, power focusing, wave impedance matching, and phase velocity matching, we achieved a 114% improvement in TW efficiency and mitigated the center-brightening effect. This fundamental advancement in TW MRI through effective wave manipulation could promote the electromagnetic design of UHF MRI systems.

Enhancing the brain MRI at ultra-high field systems using a meta-array structure

BACKGROUND

The main advantage of ultra-high field (UHF) magnetic resonance neuroimaging is theincreased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared with lower field strength imaging. However, the wavelength effect associated with UHF MRI results in radiofrequency (RF) inhomogeneity, compromising whole brain coverage for many commercial coils. Approaches to resolving this issue of transmit field inhomogeneity include the design of parallel transmit systems (PTx), RF pulse design, and applying passive RF shimming such as high dielectric materials. However, these methods have some drawbacks such as unstable material parameters of dielectric pads, high-cost, and complexity of PTx systems. Metasurfaces are artificial structures with a unique platform that can control the propagation of the electromagnetic (EM) waves, and they are very promising for engineering EM device. Implementation of meta-arrays enhancing MRI has been explored previously in several studies.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of new meta-array technology on enhancing the brain MRI at 7T. A meta-array based on a hybrid structure consisting of an array of broadside-coupled split-ring resonators and high-permittivity materials was designed to work at the Larmor frequency of a 7 Tesla (7T) MRI scanner. When placed behind the head and neck, this construct improves the SNR in the region of the cerebellum,brainstem and the inferior aspect of the temporal lobes.

METHODS

Numerical electromagnetic simulations were performed to optimize the meta-array design parameters and determine the RF circuit configuration. The resultant transmit-efficiency and signal sensitivity improvements were experimentally analyzed in phantoms followed by healthy volunteers using a 7T whole-body MRI scanner equipped with a standard one-channel transmit, 32-channel receive head coil. Efficacy was evaluated through acquisition with and without the meta-array using two basic sequences: gradient-recalled-echo (GRE) and turbo-spin-echo (TSE).

RESULTS

Experimental phantom analysis confirmed two-fold improvement in the transmit efficiency and 1.4-fold improvement in the signal sensitivity in the target region. In vivo GRE and TSE images with the meta-array in place showed enhanced visualization in inferior regions of the brain, especially of the cerebellum, brainstem, and cervical spinal cord.

CONCLUSION

Addition of the meta-array to commonly used MRI coils can enhance SNR to extend the anatomical coverage of the coil and improve overall MRI coil performance. This enhancement in SNR can be leveraged to obtain a higher resolution image over the same time slot or faster acquisition can be achieved with same resolution. Using this technique could improve the performance of existing commercial coils at 7T for whole brain and other applications.

Quadrature transceive wireless coil: Design concept and application for bilateral breast MRI at 1.5 T

PURPOSE

Development of a novel quadrature inductively driven transceive wireless coil for breast MRI at 1.5 T.

METHODS

A quadrature wireless coil (HHMM-coil) design has been developed as a combination of two linearly polarized coils: a pair of 'metasolenoid' coils (MM-coil) and a pair of Helmholtz-type coils (HH-coil). The MM-coil consisted of an array of split-loop resonators. The HH-coil design included two electrically connected flat spirals. All the wireless coils were coupled to a whole-body birdcage coil. The HHMM-coil was studied and compared to the linear coils in terms of transmit and SAR efficiencies via numerical simulations. A prototype of HHMM-coil was built and tested on a 1.5 T scanner in a phantom and healthy volunteer. We also proposed an extended design of the HHMM-coil and compared its performance to a dedicated breast array.

RESULTS

Numerical simulations of the HHMM-coil with a female voxel model have shown more than a 2.5-fold increase in transmit efficiency and a 1.7-fold enhancement of SAR efficiency compared to the linearly polarized coils. Phantom and in vivo imaging showed good agreement with the numerical simulations. Moreover, the HHMM-coil provided good image quality, visualizing all areas of interest similar to a multichannel breast array with a 32% reduction in signal-to-noise ratio.

CONCLUSION

The proposed quadrature HHMM-coil allows the B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -field to be significantly better focused in the region-of-interest compared to the linearly polarized coils. Thus, the HHMM-coil provides high-quality breast imaging on a 1.5 T scanner using a whole-body birdcage coil for transmit and receive.

Improving detection of fMRI activation at 1.5 T using high permittivity ceramics

In this work, we propose an application of high permittivity materials (HPMs) to improve functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 1.5 T, increasing the receive (Rx) sensitivity of a commercial multi-channel head coil. To evaluate the transmit efficiency, specific absorption rate (SAR), and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) changes introduced by the HPMs with relative permittivity of 4500, we considered the following configurations in simulation: a whole-body birdcage coil and an Rx-only multi-channel head coil with and without the HPM blocks in the presence of a homogeneous head phantom or a human body model. Experimental studies were also performed with a phantom and with volunteers. Seven healthy volunteers enrolled in a prospective study of fMRI activation in the motor cortex with and without HPMs. fMRI data were analyzed using group-level paired T-tests between acquisitions with and without HPM blocks. Both electromagnetic simulations and experimental measurements showed ∼25% improvement in the Rx sensitivity of a commercial head coil in the areas of interest when HPM blocks were placed in close proximity. It increased the detected motor cortex fMRI activation volume by an average of 56%, thus resulting in more sensitive functional imaging at 1.5 T.

Flexible Metamaterial Wrap for Improved Head Imaging at 3 T MRI With Low-Cost and Easy Fabrication Method

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) requires spatial uniformity of the radiofrequency (RF) field inside the subject for maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and image contrast. Bulky high permittivity dielectric pads (HPDPs) focus magnetic fields into the region of interest (ROI) and increase RF field uniformity when placed between the patient and RF coils in the MR scanner. Metamaterials could replace HPDPs and reduce system bulkiness, but those in the literature often require a complicated fabrication process and cannot conform to patient body shape. Proposed is a flexible metamaterial for brain imaging made with a scalable fabrication process using conductive paint and a plastic laminate substrate. The effects of single and double-sided placement of the metamaterial around a human head phantom were investigated in a 3 T scanner. When two metamaterial sheets were wrapped around a head phantom (double-sided placement), the total average signal in the resulting image increased by 10.14% compared to placing a single metamaterial sheet underneath the phantom (single-sided placement). The difference between the maximum and minimum signal intensity values decreased by 57% in six different ROIs with double-sided placement compared to single-sided placement.

Novel materials in magnetic resonance imaging: high permittivity ceramics, metamaterials, metasurfaces and artificial dielectrics

This article reviews recent developments in designing and testing new types of materials which can be: (i) placed around the body for in vivo imaging, (ii) be integrated into a conventional RF coil, or (iii) form the resonator itself. These materials can improve the quality of MRI scans for both in vivo and magnetic resonance microscopy applications. The methodological section covers the basic operation and design of two different types of materials, namely high permittivity materials constructed from ceramics and artificial dielectrics/metasurfaces formed by coupled conductive subunits, either in air or surrounded by dielectric material. Applications of high permittivity materials and metasurfaces placed next to the body to neuroimaging and extremity imaging at 7 T, body and neuroimaging at 3 T, and extremity imaging at 1.5 T are shown. Results using ceramic resonators for both high field in vivo imaging and magnetic resonance microscopy are also shown. The development of new materials to improve MR image quality remains an active area of research, but has not yet found significant use in clinical applications. This is mainly due to practical issues such as specific absorption rate modelling, accurate and reproducible placement, and acceptable size/weight of such materials. The most successful area has been simple “dielectric pads” for neuroimaging at 7 T which were initially developed somewhat as a stop-gap while parallel transmit technology was being developed, but have continued to be used at many sites. Some of these issues can potentially be overcome using much lighter metasurfaces and artificial dielectrics, which are just beginning to be assessed.