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Chen Q, Worthoff WA, Shah NJ. Accelerated multiple-quantum-filtered sodium magnetic resonance imaging using compressed sensing at 7 T. Magn Reson Imaging 2024; 107:138-148. [PMID: 38171423 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2023.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Multiple-quantum-filtered (MQF) sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), such as enhanced single-quantum and triple-quantum-filtered imaging of 23Na (eSISTINA), enables images to be weighted towards restricted sodium, a promising biomarker in clinical practice, but often suffers from clinically infeasible acquisition times and low image quality. This study aims to mitigate the above limitation by implementing a novel eSISTINA sequence at 7 T with the application of compressed sensing (CS) to accelerate eSISTINA acquisitions without a noticeable loss of information. METHODS A novel eSISTINA sequence with a 3D spiral-based sampling scheme was implemented at 7 T for the application of CS. Fully sampled datasets were obtained from one phantom and ten healthy subjects, and were then retrospectively undersampled by various undersampling factors. CS undersampled reconstructions were compared to fully sampled and undersampled nonuniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT) reconstructions. Reconstruction performance was evaluated based on structural similarity (SSIM), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), weightings towards total and compartmental sodium, and in vivo quantitative estimates. RESULTS CS-based phantom and in vivo images have less noise and better structural delineation while maintaining the weightings towards total, non-restricted (predominantly extracellular), and restricted (primarily intracellular) sodium. CS generally outperforms NUFFT with a higher SNR and a better SSIM, except for the SSIM in TQ brain images, which is likely due to substantial noise contamination. CS enables in vivo quantitative estimates with <15% errors at an undersampling factor of up to two. CONCLUSIONS Successful implementation of an eSISTINA sequence with an incoherent sampling scheme at 7 T was demonstrated. CS can accelerate eSISTINA by up to twofold at 7 T with reduced noise levels compared to NUFFT, while maintaining major structural information, reasonable weightings towards total and compartmental sodium, and relatively reliable in vivo quantification. The associated reduction in acquisition time has the potential to facilitate the clinical applicability of MQF sodium MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingping Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Wieland A Worthoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.
| | - N Jon Shah
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 11, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany; JARA-BRAIN-Translational Medicine, Aachen, Germany; Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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2
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Licht C, Reichert S, Guye M, Schad LR, Rapacchi S. Multidimensional compressed sensing to advance 23 Na multi-quantum coherences MRI. Magn Reson Med 2024; 91:926-941. [PMID: 37881829 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Sodium (23 Na) multi-quantum coherences (MQC) MRI was accelerated using three-dimensional (3D) and a dedicated five-dimensional (5D) compressed sensing (CS) framework for simultaneous Cartesian single (SQ) and triple quantum (TQ) sodium imaging of in vivo human brain at 3.0 and 7.0 T. THEORY AND METHODS 3D 23 Na MQC MRI requires multi-echo paired with phase-cycling and exhibits thus a multidimensional space. A joint reconstruction framework to exploit the sparsity in all imaging dimensions by extending the conventional 3D CS framework to 5D was developed. 3D MQC images of simulated brain, phantom and healthy brain volunteers obtained from 3.0 T and 7.0 T were retrospectively and prospectively undersampled. Performance of the CS models were analyzed by means of structural similarity index (SSIM), root mean squared error (RMSE), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and signal quantification of tissue sodium concentration and TQ/SQ ratio. RESULTS It was shown that an acceleration of three-fold, leading to less than2 × 10 $$ 2\times 10 $$ min of scan time with a resolution of8 × 8 × 20 mm 3 $$ 8\times 8\times 20\;{\mathrm{mm}}^3 $$ at 3.0 T, are possible. 5D CS improved SSIM by 3%, 5%, 1% and reduced RMSE by 50%, 30%, 8% for in vivo SQ, TQ, and TQ/SQ ratio maps, respectively. Furthermore, for the first time prospective undersampling enabled unprecedented high resolution from8 × 8 × 20 mm 3 $$ 8\times 8\times 20\;{\mathrm{mm}}^3 $$ to6 × 6 × 10 mm 3 $$ 6\times 6\times 10\;{\mathrm{mm}}^3 $$ MQC images of in vivo human brain at 7.0 T without extending acquisition time. CONCLUSION 5D CS proved to allow up to three-fold acceleration retrospectively on 3.0 T data. 2-fold acceleration was demonstrated prospectively at 7.0 T to reach higher spatial resolution of 23 Na MQC MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Licht
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannhein, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Mannheim Institute for Intelligent System in Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Simon Reichert
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannhein, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Mannheim Institute for Intelligent System in Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Maxime Guye
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, CRMBM, Marseille, France
- APHM, Hôpital Universitaire Timone, CEMEREM, Marseille, France
| | - Lothar R Schad
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannhein, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Mannheim Institute for Intelligent System in Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stanislas Rapacchi
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, CRMBM, Marseille, France
- APHM, Hôpital Universitaire Timone, CEMEREM, Marseille, France
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3
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Ruck L, Mennecke A, Wilferth T, Lachner S, Müller M, Egger N, Doerfler A, Uder M, Nagel AM. Influence of image contrasts and reconstruction methods on the classification of multiple sclerosis-like lesions in simulated sodium magnetic resonance imaging. Magn Reson Med 2023; 89:1102-1116. [PMID: 36373186 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the classifiability of small multiple sclerosis (MS)-like lesions in simulated sodium (23 Na) MRI for different 23 Na MRI contrasts and reconstruction methods. METHODS 23 Na MRI and 23 Na inversion recovery (IR) MRI of a phantom and simulated brain with and without lesions of different volumes (V = 1.3-38.2 nominal voxels) were simulated 100 times by adding Gaussian noise matching the SNR of real 3T measurements. Each simulation was reconstructed with four different reconstruction methods (Gridding without and with Hamming filter, Compressed sensing (CS) reconstruction without and with anatomical 1 H prior information). Based on the mean signals within the lesion volumes of simulations with and without lesions, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) were determined and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to assess the classifiability for each lesion volume. RESULTS Lesions show higher classifiability in 23 Na MRI than in 23 Na IR MRI. For typical parameters and SNR of a 3T scan, the voxel normed minimal classifiable lesion volume (AUC > 0.9) is 2.8 voxels for 23 Na MRI and 19 voxels for 23 Na IR MRI, respectively. In terms of classifiability, Gridding with Hamming filter and CS without anatomical 1 H prior outperform CS reconstruction with anatomical 1 H prior. CONCLUSION Reliability of lesion classifiability strongly depends on the lesion volume and the 23 Na MRI contrast. Additional incorporation of 1 H prior information in the CS reconstruction was not beneficial for the classification of small MS-like lesions in 23 Na MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Ruck
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Angelika Mennecke
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Tobias Wilferth
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Lachner
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Max Müller
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nico Egger
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Arnd Doerfler
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Michael Uder
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Armin M Nagel
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.,Division of Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
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4
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Vaeggemose M, Schulte RF, Laustsen C. Clinically feasible B 1 field correction for multi-organ sodium imaging at 3 T. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2023; 36:e4835. [PMID: 36115017 PMCID: PMC10078323 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Sodium MRI allows the non-invasive quantification of intra-organ sodium concentration. RF inhomogeneity introduces uncertainty in this estimated concentration. B1 field corrections can be used to overcome some of these limitations. However, the low signal-to-noise ratio in sodium MRI makes accurate B1 mapping in reasonable scan times challenging. The study aims to evaluate Bloch-Siegert off-resonance (BLOSI) B1 field correction for sodium MRI using a 3D Fermat looped, orthogonally encoded trajectories (FLORET) read-out trajectory. We propose a clinically feasible B1 field map correction method for sodium imaging at 3 T, evaluating five healthy subjects' brain, heart blood, kidneys, and thigh muscle. We scanned the subjects twice for repeatability measures and used sodium phantoms to determine organ total sodium concentration. Conventional proton scans were compared with sodium images for organ structural integrity. The BLOSI approach based on the 3D FLORET read-out trajectory was used in B1 field correction and 3D density-adapted radial acquisition for sodium imaging. Results indicate improvements in sodium imaging based on B1 field correction in a clinically feasible protocol. Improvements are determined in all organs by enhanced anatomical representation, organ homogeneity, and an increase in the total sodium concentration after applying a B1 field correction. The proposed BLOSI-based B1 field correction using a 3D FLORET read-out trajectory is clinically feasible for sodium imaging, which is shown in the brain, heart, kidney, and thigh muscle. This supports using fast B1 field mapping in the clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Vaeggemose
- GE HealthcareBrondbyDenmark
- MR Research Centre, Department of Clinical MedicineAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | | | - Christoffer Laustsen
- MR Research Centre, Department of Clinical MedicineAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
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5
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Ilbey S, Jung M, Emir U, Bock M, Özen AC. Characterizing Off-center MRI with ZTE. Z Med Phys 2022:S0939-3889(22)00094-0. [PMID: 36328861 DOI: 10.1016/j.zemedi.2022.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To maximize acquisition bandwidth in zero echo time (ZTE) sequences, readout gradients are already switched on during the RF pulse, creating unwanted slice selectivity. The resulting image distortions are amplified especially when the anatomy of interest is not located at the isocenter. We aim to characterize off-center ZTE MRI of extremities such as the shoulder, knee, and hip, adjusting the carrier frequency of the RF pulse excitation for each TR. METHODS In ZTE MRI, radial encoding schemes are used, where the distorted slice profile due to the finite RF pulse length rotates with the k-space trajectory. To overcome these modulations for objects far away from the magnet isocenter, the frequency of the RF pulse is shifted for each gradient setting so that artifacts do not occur at a given off-center target position. The sharpness of the edges in the images were calculated and the ZTE acquisition with off-center excitation was compared to an acquisition with isocenter excitation both in phantom and in vivo off-center MRI of the shoulder, knee, and hip at 1.5 and 3T MRI systems. RESULTS Distortion and blurriness artifacts on the off-center MRI images of the phantom, in vivo shoulder, knee, and hip images were mitigated with off-center excitation without time or noise penalty, at no additional computational cost. CONCLUSION The off-center excitation allows ZTE MRI of the shoulder, knee, and hip for high-bandwidth image acquisitions for clinical settings, where positioning at the isocenter is not possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serhat Ilbey
- Dept. of Radiology, Medical Physics, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Matthias Jung
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Uzay Emir
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, USA; School of Health Science Department, Purdue University, USA
| | - Michael Bock
- Dept. of Radiology, Medical Physics, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ali Caglar Özen
- Dept. of Radiology, Medical Physics, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Evaluation of Sodium Relaxation Times and Concentrations in the Achilles Tendon Using MRI. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810890. [PMID: 36142810 PMCID: PMC9501448 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to evaluate the change in the proteoglycan content in Achilles tendons (ATs) of patients with different AT pathologies by measuring the 23Na signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). As 23Na SNR alone is difficult to compare between different studies, because of the high influence of hardware configurations and sequence settings on the SNR, we further set out to measure the apparent tissue sodium content (aTSC) in the AT as a better comparable parameter. Ten healthy controls and one patient with tendinopathy in the AT were examined using a clinical 3 Tesla (T) MRI scanner in conjunction with a dual tuned 1H/23Na surface coil to measure 23Na SNR and aTSC in their ATs. 23Na T1 and T2* of the AT were also measured for three controls to correct for different relaxation behavior. The results were as follows: 23Na SNR = 11.7 ± 2.2, aTSC = 82.2 ± 13.9 mM, 23Na T1 = 20.4 ± 2.4 ms, 23Na T2s* = 1.4 ± 0.4 ms, and 23Na T2l* = 13.9 ± 0.8 ms for the whole AT of healthy controls with significant regional differences. These are the first reported aTSCs and 23Na relaxation times for the AT using sodium MRI and may serve for future comparability in different studies regarding examinations of diseased ATs with sodium MRI.
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7
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Ilicak E, Saritas EU, Çukur T. Automated Parameter Selection for Accelerated MRI Reconstruction via Low-Rank Modeling of Local k-Space Neighborhoods. Z Med Phys 2022:S0939-3889(22)00008-3. [PMID: 35216887 DOI: 10.1016/j.zemedi.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Image quality in accelerated MRI rests on careful selection of various reconstruction parameters. A common yet tedious and error-prone practice is to hand-tune each parameter to attain visually appealing reconstructions. Here, we propose a parameter tuning strategy to automate hybrid parallel imaging (PI) - compressed sensing (CS) reconstructions via low-rank modeling of local k-space neighborhoods (LORAKS) supplemented with sparsity regularization in wavelet and total variation (TV) domains. METHODS For low-rank regularization, we leverage a soft-thresholding operation based on singular values for matrix rank selection in LORAKS. For sparsity regularization, we employ Stein's unbiased risk estimate criterion to select the wavelet regularization parameter and local standard deviation of reconstructions to select the TV regularization parameter. Comprehensive demonstrations are presented on a numerical brain phantom and in vivo brain and knee acquisitions. Quantitative assessments are performed via PSNR, SSIM and NMSE metrics. RESULTS The proposed hybrid PI-CS method improves reconstruction quality compared to PI-only techniques, and it achieves on par image quality to reconstructions with brute-force optimization of reconstruction parameters. These results are prominent across several different datasets and the range of examined acceleration rates. CONCLUSION A data-driven parameter tuning strategy to automate hybrid PI-CS reconstructions is presented. The proposed method achieves reliable reconstructions of accelerated multi-coil MRI datasets without the need for exhaustive hand-tuning of reconstruction parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efe Ilicak
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Mannheim Institute for Intelligent Systems in Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Emine Ulku Saritas
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey; Neuroscience Program, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Tolga Çukur
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey; Neuroscience Program, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
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8
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Chen Q, Shah NJ, Worthoff WA. Compressed Sensing in Sodium Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Techniques, Applications, and Future Prospects. J Magn Reson Imaging 2021; 55:1340-1356. [PMID: 34918429 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.28029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Sodium (23 Na) yields the second strongest nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal in biological tissues and plays a vital role in cell physiology. Sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide insights into cell integrity and tissue viability relative to pathologies without significant anatomical alternations, and thus it is considered to be a potential surrogate biomarker that provides complementary information for standard hydrogen (1 H) MRI in a noninvasive and quantitative manner. However, sodium MRI suffers from a relatively low signal-to-noise ratio and long acquisition times due to its relatively low NMR sensitivity. Compressed sensing-based (CS-based) methods have been shown to accelerate sodium imaging and/or improve sodium image quality significantly. In this manuscript, the basic concepts of CS and how CS might be applied to improve sodium MRI are described, and the historical milestones of CS-based sodium MRI are briefly presented. Representative advanced techniques and evaluation methods are discussed in detail, followed by an expose of clinical applications in multiple anatomical regions and diseases as well as thoughts and suggestions on potential future research prospects of CS in sodium MRI. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 5 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingping Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - N Jon Shah
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 11, INM-11, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.,JARA-BRAIN-Translational Medicine, Aachen, Germany.,Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Wieland A Worthoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
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Kamp B, Frenken M, Henke JM, Abrar DB, Nagel AM, Gast LV, Oeltzschner G, Wilms LM, Nebelung S, Antoch G, Wittsack HJ, Müller-Lutz A. Quantification of Sodium Relaxation Times and Concentrations as Surrogates of Proteoglycan Content of Patellar CARTILAGE at 3T MRI. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11122301. [PMID: 34943538 PMCID: PMC8700247 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11122301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sodium MRI has the potential to depict cartilage health accurately, but synovial fluid can influence the estimation of sodium parameters of cartilage. Therefore, this study aimed to reduce the impact of synovial fluid to render the quantitative compositional analyses of cartilage tissue technically more robust. Two dedicated protocols were applied for determining sodium T1 and T2* relaxation times. For each protocol, data were acquired from 10 healthy volunteers and one patient with patellar cartilage damage. Data recorded with multiple repetition times for T1 measurement and multi-echo data acquired with an additional inversion recovery pulse for T2* measurement were analysed using biexponential models to differentiate longitudinal relaxation components of cartilage (T1,car) and synovial fluid (T1,syn), and short (T2s*) from long (T2l*) transversal relaxation components. Sodium relaxation times and concentration estimates in patellar cartilage were successfully determined: T1,car = 14.5 ± 0.7 ms; T1,syn = 37.9 ± 2.9 ms; c(T1-protocol) = 200 ± 48 mmol/L; T2s* = 0.4 ± 0.1 ms; T2l* = 12.6 ± 0.7 ms; c(T2*-protocol) = 215 ± 44 mmol/L for healthy volunteers. In conclusion, a robust determination of sodium relaxation times is possible at a clinical field strength of 3T to quantify sodium concentrations, which might be a valuable tool to determine cartilage health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Kamp
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany; (B.K.); (J.M.H.); (D.B.A.); (L.M.W.); (S.N.); (G.A.); (H.-J.W.); (A.M.-L.)
| | - Miriam Frenken
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany; (B.K.); (J.M.H.); (D.B.A.); (L.M.W.); (S.N.); (G.A.); (H.-J.W.); (A.M.-L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Jan M. Henke
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany; (B.K.); (J.M.H.); (D.B.A.); (L.M.W.); (S.N.); (G.A.); (H.-J.W.); (A.M.-L.)
- Clinic of Nuclear Medicine, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Daniel B. Abrar
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany; (B.K.); (J.M.H.); (D.B.A.); (L.M.W.); (S.N.); (G.A.); (H.-J.W.); (A.M.-L.)
| | - Armin M. Nagel
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), D-91054 Erlangen, Germany; (A.M.N.); (L.V.G.)
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division of Medical Physics in Radiology, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lena V. Gast
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), D-91054 Erlangen, Germany; (A.M.N.); (L.V.G.)
| | - Georg Oeltzschner
- Russell H. Morgan Department for Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205-2196, USA;
- F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205-2196, USA
| | - Lena M. Wilms
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany; (B.K.); (J.M.H.); (D.B.A.); (L.M.W.); (S.N.); (G.A.); (H.-J.W.); (A.M.-L.)
| | - Sven Nebelung
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany; (B.K.); (J.M.H.); (D.B.A.); (L.M.W.); (S.N.); (G.A.); (H.-J.W.); (A.M.-L.)
| | - Gerald Antoch
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany; (B.K.); (J.M.H.); (D.B.A.); (L.M.W.); (S.N.); (G.A.); (H.-J.W.); (A.M.-L.)
| | - Hans-Jörg Wittsack
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany; (B.K.); (J.M.H.); (D.B.A.); (L.M.W.); (S.N.); (G.A.); (H.-J.W.); (A.M.-L.)
| | - Anja Müller-Lutz
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany; (B.K.); (J.M.H.); (D.B.A.); (L.M.W.); (S.N.); (G.A.); (H.-J.W.); (A.M.-L.)
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