Spectrometer Upgrade for a Small Animal Imaging Core MRI

摘要 请拨资金用于购置数字光谱仪和自动校准射频。 升级我们位于多用户的现有1T静态磁体磁共振成像系统所需的(RF)线圈 成像核心设施。该光谱仪将取代目前陈旧的模拟光谱仪 控制射频线圈。我们目前的模拟光谱仪已用于9-GT；85,000次扫描 这是一年的时间段，现在在扫描会话期间容易出现周期性故障。该模拟系统还 需要在一天中多次手动校准射频线圈，这会增加成像 会话时间和扫描变异性。与之相比，新的数字光谱仪增加了性能 包括改进的和附加的预编程脉冲序列 对于使用该系统的许多研究小组来说尤其有用。数字光谱仪还 捕捉呼吸和心脏门控图像，这在当前的模拟系统中是不可能的。 申请的资金还将用于购买一整套自动校准射频线圈，包括 全身大鼠，全身小鼠，以及高分辨率鼠头和鼠头线圈。这个 小鼠头线圈也可用于对分离的组织和器官进行高分辨率扫描 组织学处理和评价。所请求的线圈设计为直接与 数字光谱仪，并适合我们的特定核磁共振模型的磁体孔。此外，与我们目前的情况不同 射频线圈和动物扫描床，这些线圈/床被加热以保持体温 在成像过程中麻醉的啮齿动物。光谱仪和射频线圈的升级完全兼容 带有1T磁铁底座单元，将被保留，从而比购买全新的磁铁底座节省成本 完整的系统。升级后的核磁共振系统，包括数字光谱仪和四个， “新一代”射频线圈，升级控制器电脑，新采集软件，动物床加热 用于呼吸和心脏门控的系统和动物监测器将于#年在同一房间内安装 我们目前的单位在一个多用户学术分子成像中心内，该中心也保持 其他成像方式包括PET/CT、超声、光学/X射线和纳米CT。

Abstract Funds are requested for the acquisition of a digital spectrometer and auto-calibrating radiofrequency (RF) coils needed to upgrade our existing 1T static magnet MRI imaging system located in a multiuser imaging core facility. The spectrometer will replace an aged analog spectrometer that is currently controlling the RF coils. Our current analog spectrometer has been used for >85,000 scans over a 9- year period and is now prone to periodic failure during scanning sessions. The analog system also requires manual calibration of the RF coils several times throughout the day, which increases imaging session times and scan variability. The new digital spectrometer has increased capabilities compared to the analog unit, including improved and additional preprogrammed pulse sequences that will be particularly useful to the many research groups using the system. The digital spectrometer also captures respiration- and cardiac-gated images which is not possible with the current analog system. The funds requested will also be used to purchase a complete set of auto-calibrating RF coils including whole body rat, whole body mouse as well as high resolution rat head and mouse head coils. The mouse head coil can also be used for high-resolution scanning of isolated tissues and organs prior to histological processing and evaluation. The requested coils are designed to interface directly with the digital spectrometer and to fit the magnet bore of our specific MRI model. In addition, unlike our current RF coils and animal scanning beds, these coil/bed sets are heated to maintain the body temperature of anesthetized rodents during imaging. The spectrometer and RF coil upgrades are fully compatible with the 1T magnet base unit, which will be retained, thus saving cost over the purchase a totally new complete system. The upgraded MRI system, which includes the digital spectrometer and the four, “new generation” RF coils, upgraded controller computer, new acquisition software, animal bed heating system and animal monitor used for respiration and cardiac gating, will be housed in the same room in place of our current unit within a multiuser academic molecular imaging center which also maintains other imaging modalities including PET/CT, Ultrasound, Optical/X ray and nanoCT.