The aim of this study is to develop an easily accessible and realistic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) simulation tool for educational and research purposes. With this aim, NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance imaging) phenomenon is simulated based on the physical principles, starting from the motion of a spin under the influence of external magnetic fields to pulse sequences generating the image. The inputs of the simulation are a 3D virtual object and a pulse sequence definition. The simulation software generates slice images using Fourier reconstruction method. To perform a more realistic simulation, the Bloch equation, which explains the behavior of a spin under external magnetic fields, is solved by using numerical methods. This enables to observe the behavior of a spin system under any magnetic field influence, not only for resonance condition. The simulation successfully simulates T2* affect by using inhomogeneous static magnetic field distribution over the entire volume of the object. The software is implemented in Java language and developed as a Java applet. A support tool is developed which allows observing NMR phenomenon. The simulation can produce realistic images, generate many of the artifacts in MRI, like intra-voxel dephasing, chemical shift, cross-talk (since it simulates the whole process), and has the advantage of being web-based compared to the existing stand-alone MRI simulations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:METU/oai:etd.lib.metu.edu.tr:http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12610208/index.pdf |
| Date | 01 December 2008 |
| Creators | Altin, Cagdas |
| Contributors | Gencer, Nevzat G |
| Publisher | METU |
| Source Sets | Middle East Technical Univ. |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | M.S. Thesis |
| Format | text/pdf |
| Rights | To liberate the content for public access |
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