High image fidelity in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) relies on precise magnetic field control of encoding gradient fields and background B0 magnetic fields. To ensure a high degree of accuracy in the spatial location of the proton spins and the resultant object geometry, conventional image encoding using linear gradient fields, as well as advanced techniques with non-linear encoding, requires field generating hardware capable of excellent field shaping capabilities and accuracy. Non-homogeneous B0 background fields in MR imaging cause faster relaxation, signal dropout, and geometry distortion, resulting in inferior image quality and reduced diagnostic accuracy.
Besides manufacturing imperfections in the magnet and site conditions, the magnetic field inside the imaging object is not homogeneous due to the differences in geometries and magnetic properties of individual human tissues, which is recognized as the primary source of B0 variation in MRI. Considering the differences of B0 conditions across subjects, it is essential for MR imaging to utilize flexible B0 shimming techniques such as active shimming in order to produce a highly homogeneous B0 field. The control capability and optimized control strategy for these magnetic fields require the development of new hardware and methodologies. B0 background field generated by the magnet and the encoding gradient field from gradient coil are two critical pillars of MR imaging. Since the multi-coil array provides advanced shim capability and is proven to be capable of imaging encoding with a compact size, it is considered a perfect component as a combination of B0 shim coil and encoding gradient coil for an accessible head-only MR scanner.
MR scanners like this type provide unique features that will enable researchers to develop new MRI methodologies and conduct research into the functionalities of the human brain through more natural human behaviors. Its clinical applications will be more accessible to the general population for disease screening and diagnosis due to its portability and low energy requirements. Since the multi-coil array has the advantage of smaller volume and wall thickness than the traditional gradient coil, its design and implementation is challenging because of its compact space, irregular curved shape of coil elements, mechanical reliability requirements during scan and good thermal control for long working periods. It was the challenges involved in the design and implementation of the multi-coil array that initiated the first project of my dissertation.
In this project, we present 1) a novel molding method for the construction of resin-impregnated wire patterns with irregular curved shapes along with a microcontroller-driven motorized machine for automated coil construction, 2) the design and validation of a water-cooling system using multiple parallel pipes impregnated with thermal epoxy, 3) a quality-controlled procedure of building the multi-coil array employing the technique of vacuum resin infusion. A multi-coil array was fabricated successfully and evaluated in multiple sites and then integrated into the first-prototype of the accessible head-only MR scanner. The similar quality of experimental images from the fabricated multi-coil array compared to those from conventional gradient coils indicates that the multi-coil array can effectively shape fields for both image encoding and B0 shimming.
Our lab has shown that multi-coil technology offers advanced shim capability when imaging the human brain, but it could potentially benefit the imaging of other organs like the heart. The MR imaging of the heart is subject to dark band artifacts or signal loss caused by B0 inhomogeneity, which can result in misinterpretation of lesions and a reduction in diagnostic accuracy. It has been demonstrated in a recent study that the use of multi-coil techniques can significantly reduce B0 inhomogeneity within the heart based on shim analysis using in vivo B0 maps. Multi-coil arrays are not a standard configuration in commercial scanners but are normally used for research, B0 shimming is typically implemented by using the commonly-installed spherical harmonic shim coils in the first, second, and potentially third orders. The development of multi-coil technology, more in-depth design of the coil structure and geometry as well as the optimal use of the current spherical harmonic shim technology require a thorough understanding of cardiac B0 conditions across subjects and at a population level. Since the in vivo cardiac B0 measurement is not a routine clinical protocol and dedicated in vivo measurement for a large sample size are extremely labor intensive and expensive, the lack of such B0 data is a long-standing problem, especially for the subject groups like pediatric or elderly patients who cannot undergo B0 map measurement with breath hold.
This challenge could be resolved by the use of B0 simulation on the basis of structural images from different imaging modalities, assuming that the B0 distributions inside the human heart depends on the anatomical structures surrounding heart and across the entire body. The challenge and assumption led to my second project regarding B0 magnetic field simulation in the human heart. We proposed a novel B0 simulation approach based on chest-abdomen-pelvis structural CT images and validated it using in vivo acquired B0 maps in the heart from the same subjects. This B0 simulation approach was then applied to CT images from more than one thousand subjects and the resultant large set of simulated B0 maps were analyzed with different shim types for searching optimal shim solution based on popular spherical harmonic decomposition. The derived B0 conditions were also statistically analyzed for potential correlation and linear association with demographic parameters of these subjects for investigating potential population-based shim strategy. By the use of in vivo acquisition, we also investigated the B0 magnetic field variation across cardiac cycle and evaluated the impact of these variations on in vivo cardiac B0 shimming. The results of this study allow us to better understand the primary sources and characteristics of B0 distributions in the heart as well as pave the way for developing optimal B0 shim methods within heart in both subject-specific and population-based manners.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:columbia.edu/oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/fprm-3h31 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Shang, Yun |
| Source Sets | Columbia University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Theses |
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