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Sadighi M, Kara D, Mai D, Nguyen K, Chen S, Kwon D, Nguyen C. Cardiac DTI using short-axis PROPELLER: A feasibility study. Magn Reson Med 2024; 91:2546-2558. [PMID: 38376096 PMCID: PMC11102807 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE We aimed to develop a free-breathing (FB) cardiac DTI (cDTI) method based on short-axis PROPELLER (SAP) and M2 motion compensated spin-echo EPI (SAP-M2-EPI) to mitigate geometric distortion and eliminate aliasing in acquired diffusion-weighted (DW) images, particularly in patients with a higher body mass index (BMI). THEORY AND METHODS The study involved 10 healthy volunteers whose BMI values fell into specific categories: BMI <25 (4 volunteers), 25< BMI <28 (5 volunteers), and BMI >30 (1 volunteer). We compared DTI parameters, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and helix angle transmurality (HAT), between SAP-M2-EPI and M2-ssEPI. To evaluate the performance of SAP-M2-EPI in reducing geometric distortions in the left ventricle (LV) compared to CINE and M2-ssEPI, we utilized the DICE similarity coefficient (DSC) and assessed misregistration area. RESULTS In all volunteers, SAP-M2-EPI yielded high-quality LV DWIs without aliasing, demonstrating significantly reduced geometric distortion (with an average DSC of 0.92 and average misregistration area of 90 mm2) and diminished signal loss due to bulk motion when compared to M2-ssEPI. DTI parameter maps exhibited consistent patterns across slices without motion related artifacts. CONCLUSION SAP-M2-EPI facilitates free-breathing cDTI of the entire LV, effectively eliminating aliasing and minimizing geometric distortion compared to M2-ssEPI. Furthermore, it preserves accurate quantification of myocardial microstructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Sadighi
- Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center (CIRC), Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Danielle Kara
- Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center (CIRC), Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Dingheng Mai
- Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center (CIRC), Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Khoi Nguyen
- Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center (CIRC), Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Shi Chen
- Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center (CIRC), Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Deborah Kwon
- Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center (CIRC), Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Imaging Institute,Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Christopher Nguyen
- Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center (CIRC), Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Imaging Institute,Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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Afzali M, Mueller L, Coveney S, Fasano F, Evans CJ, Engel M, Szczepankiewicz F, Teh I, Dall'Armellina E, Jones DK, Schneider JE. In vivo diffusion MRI of the human heart using a 300 mT/m gradient system. Magn Reson Med 2024. [PMID: 38650395 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This work reports for the first time on the implementation and application of cardiac diffusion-weighted MRI on a Connectom MR scanner with a maximum gradient strength of 300 mT/m. It evaluates the benefits of the increased gradient performance for the investigation of the myocardial microstructure. METHODS Cardiac diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) experiments were performed on 10 healthy volunteers using a spin-echo sequence with up to second- and third-order motion compensation (M 2 $$ {M}_2 $$ andM 3 $$ {M}_3 $$ ) andb = 100 , 450 $$ b=100,450 $$ , and 1000s / m m 2 $$ \mathrm{s}/\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{m}}^2 $$ (twice theb max $$ {b}_{\mathrm{max}} $$ commonly used on clinical scanners). Mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), helix angle (HA), and secondary eigenvector angle (E2A) were calculated for b = [100, 450]s / m m 2 $$ \mathrm{s}/\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{m}}^2 $$ and b = [100, 1000]s / m m 2 $$ \mathrm{s}/\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{m}}^2 $$ for bothM 2 $$ {M}_2 $$ andM 3 $$ {M}_3 $$ . RESULTS The MD values withM 3 $$ {M}_3 $$ are slightly higher than withM 2 $$ {M}_2 $$ withΔ MD = 0 . 05 ± 0 . 05 [ × 1 0 - 3 mm 2 / s ] ( p = 4 e - 5 ) $$ \Delta \mathrm{MD}=0.05\pm 0.05\kern0.3em \left[\times 1{0}^{-3}\kern0.3em {\mathrm{mm}}^2/\mathrm{s}\right]\kern0.3em \left(p=4e-5\right) $$ forb max = 450 s / mm 2 $$ {b}_{\mathrm{max}}=450\kern0.3em \mathrm{s}/{\mathrm{mm}}^2 $$ andΔ MD = 0 . 03 ± 0 . 03 [ × 1 0 - 3 mm 2 / s ] ( p = 4 e - 4 ) $$ \Delta \mathrm{MD}=0.03\pm 0.03\kern0.3em \left[\times \kern0.3em 1{0}^{-3}\kern0.3em {\mathrm{mm}}^2/\mathrm{s}\right]\kern0.3em \left(p=4e-4\right) $$ forb max = 1000 s / mm 2 $$ {b}_{\mathrm{max}}=1000\kern0.3em \mathrm{s}/{\mathrm{mm}}^2 $$ . A reduction in MD is observed by increasing theb max $$ {b}_{\mathrm{max}} $$ from 450 to 1000s / mm 2 $$ \mathrm{s}/{\mathrm{mm}}^2 $$ (Δ MD = 0 . 06 ± 0 . 04 [ × 1 0 - 3 mm 2 / s ] ( p = 1 . 6 e - 9 ) $$ \Delta \mathrm{MD}=0.06\pm 0.04\kern0.3em \left[\times \kern0.3em 1{0}^{-3}\kern0.3em {\mathrm{mm}}^2/\mathrm{s}\right]\kern0.3em \left(p=1.6e-9\right) $$ forM 2 $$ {M}_2 $$ andΔ MD = 0 . 08 ± 0 . 05 [ × 1 0 - 3 mm 2 / s ] ( p = 1 e - 9 ) $$ \Delta \mathrm{MD}=0.08\pm 0.05\kern0.3em \left[\times \kern0.3em 1{0}^{-3}\kern0.3em {\mathrm{mm}}^2/\mathrm{s}\right]\kern0.3em \left(p=1e-9\right) $$ forM 3 $$ {M}_3 $$ ). The difference between FA, E2A, and HA was not significant in different schemes (p > 0 . 05 $$ p>0.05 $$ ). CONCLUSION This work demonstrates cardiac DWI in vivo with higher b-value and higher order of motion compensated diffusion gradient waveforms than is commonly used. Increasing the motion compensation order fromM 2 $$ {M}_2 $$ toM 3 $$ {M}_3 $$ and the maximum b-value from 450 to 1000 s / mm 2 $$ \mathrm{s}/{\mathrm{mm}}^2 $$ affected the MD values but FA and the angular metrics (HA and E2A) remained unchanged. Our work paves the way for cardiac DWI on the next-generation MR scanners with high-performance gradient systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Afzali
- Biomedical Imaging Science Department, Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Lars Mueller
- Biomedical Imaging Science Department, Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Sam Coveney
- Biomedical Imaging Science Department, Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Fabrizio Fasano
- Siemens Healthcare Ltd, Camberly, UK
- Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christopher John Evans
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Maria Engel
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Irvin Teh
- Biomedical Imaging Science Department, Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Erica Dall'Armellina
- Biomedical Imaging Science Department, Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Derek K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jürgen E Schneider
- Biomedical Imaging Science Department, Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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Chen R, Luo R, Xu Y, Ou J, Li X, Yang Y, Cao L, Wu Z, Luo W, Liu H. Second-Order Motion-Compensated Echo-Planar Cardiac Diffusion-Weighted MRI: Usefulness of Compressed Sensitivity Encoding. J Magn Reson Imaging 2024. [PMID: 38587265 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.29383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiac diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) using second-order motion-compensated spin echo (M2C) can provide noninvasive in-vivo microstructural assessment, but limited by relatively low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Echo-planar imaging (EPI) with compressed sensitivity encoding (EPICS) could address these issues. PURPOSE To combine M2C DWI and EPCIS (M2C EPICS DWI), and compare image quality for M2C DWI. STUDY TYPE Prospective. POPULATION Ten ex-vivo hearts, 10 healthy volunteers (females, 5 [50%]; mean ± SD of age, 25 ± 4 years), and 12 patients with diseased hearts (female, 1 [8.3%]; mean ± SD of age, 44 ± 16 years; including coronary artery heart disease, congenital heart disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis, and myocarditis). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3-T, M2C EPICS DWI, and M2C DWI. ASSESSMENT The apparent SNR (aSNR) and the rating scores were used to evaluate and compared image quality of all three groups. The aSNR was calculated usingaSNR = Mean intensity myocardium / Standard deviation myocardium $$ \mathrm{aSNR}={\mathrm{Mean}\ \mathrm{intensity}}_{\mathrm{myocardium}}/{\mathrm{Standard}\ \mathrm{deviation}}_{\mathrm{myocardium}} $$ , and the myocardium was segmented manually. Three observers independently rated subjective image quality using a 5-point Likert scale. STATISTICAL TESTS Bland-Altman analysis and paired t-tests. The threshold for statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS In healthy volunteers, the aSNR with a b-value of 450 s/mm2 acquired by M2C EPICS DWI was significantly higher than M2C DWI at in-plane resolutions of 3.0 × 3.0, 2.5 × 2.5, and 2.0 × 2.0 mm2. In patients with diseased hearts, the aSNR ofM2C EPICS DWI was also significantly higher than that for M2C DWI (bias of M2C EPICS-M2C = 1.999, 95% limits of agreement, 0.362 to 3.636; mean ± SD, 7.80 ± 1.37 vs. 5.80 ± 0.81). The ADC values of M2C EPICS was significantly higher than M2C DWI in in-vivo hearts. Over 80% of the images with rating scores for M2C EPICS DWI were higher than M2C DWI in in-vivo hearts. DATA CONCLUSION Cardiac imaging by M2C EPICS DWI may demonstrate better overall image quality and higher aSNR than M2C DWI. EVIDENCE LEVEL 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Chen
- Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Image Analysis and Application, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ruohong Luo
- Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Image Analysis and Application, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yongzhou Xu
- Department of MSC Clinical & Technical Solutions, Philips Healthcare, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jiehao Ou
- Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Image Analysis and Application, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaodan Li
- Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Image Analysis and Application, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuelong Yang
- Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Image Analysis and Application, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Liqi Cao
- Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Image Analysis and Application, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhigang Wu
- Department of MSC Clinical & Technical Solutions, Philips Healthcare, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wei Luo
- Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Image Analysis and Application, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Hui Liu
- Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Image Analysis and Application, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Engel M, Mueller L, Döring A, Afzali M, Jones DK. Maximizing SNR per unit time in diffusion MRI with multiband T-Hex spirals. Magn Reson Med 2024; 91:1323-1336. [PMID: 38156527 PMCID: PMC10953427 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The characterization of tissue microstructure using diffusion MRI (dMRI) signals is rapidly evolving, with increasing sophistication of signal representations and microstructure models. However, this progress often requires signals to be acquired with very high b-values (e.g., b > 30 ms/μm2 ), along many directions, and using multiple b-values, leading to long scan times and extremely low SNR in dMRI images. The purpose of this work is to boost the SNR efficiency of dMRI by combining three particularly efficient spatial encoding techniques and utilizing a high-performance gradient system (Gmax ≤ 300 mT/m) for efficient diffusion encoding. METHODS Spiral readouts, multiband imaging, and sampling on tilted hexagonal grids (T-Hex) are combined and implemented on a 3T MRI system with ultra-strong gradients. Image reconstruction is performed through an iterative cg-SENSE algorithm incorporating static off-resonance distributions and field dynamics as measured with an NMR field camera. Additionally, T-Hex multiband is combined with a more conventional EPI-readout and compared with state-of-the-art blipped-CAIPIRINHA sampling. The advantage of the proposed approach is furthermore investigated for clinically available gradient performance and diffusion kurtosis imaging. RESULTS High fidelity in vivo images with b-values up to 40 ms/μm2 are obtained. The approach provides superior SNR efficiency over other state-of-the-art multiband diffusion readout schemes. CONCLUSION The demonstrated gains hold promise for the widespread dissemination of advanced microstructural scans, especially in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Engel
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Lars Mueller
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic MedicineUniversity of LeedsLeedsUK
| | - André Döring
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Maryam Afzali
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic MedicineUniversity of LeedsLeedsUK
| | - Derek K. Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
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Dillinger H, Peereboom SM, Kozerke S. Beat phenomena of oscillating readouts. Magn Reson Med 2024; 91:1498-1511. [PMID: 38173292 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE To demonstrate slowly varying, erroneous magnetic field gradients for oscillating readouts due to the mechanically resonant behavior of gradient systems. METHODS Projections of a static phantom were acquired using a one-dimensional (1D) EPI sequence with varying EPI frequencies ranging from 1121 to 1580 Hz on clinical 3T systems (30 mT/m, 200 T/m/s). Phase due to static B0 inhomogeneities was eliminated by a complex division of two separate scans with different polarities of the EPI readout. The temporal evolution of phase was evaluated and related to the mechanical resonances of the gradient systems derived from the gradient modulation transfer function. Additionally, the impact of temporally varying mechanical resonance effects on EPI was evaluated using an echo-planar spectroscopic imaging sequence. RESULTS A beat phenomenon resulting in a slowly varying phase was observed. Its temporal frequency was given by the difference between the EPI frequency and the mechanical resonance frequency of the activated gradient axis. The maximum erroneous, oscillating phase during phase encoding was ±0.5 rad for an EPI frequency of 1281 Hz. Echo-planar spectroscopic imaging images showed the resulting time-dependent stretching/compression of the FOV. CONCLUSION Oscillating readouts such as those used in EPI can result in low-frequency, erroneous phase contributions, which are explained by the beat phenomenon. Therefore, EPI phase-correction approaches may need to include beat effects for accurate image reconstruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Dillinger
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sophie M Peereboom
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Kozerke
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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