Innovative MRI Research Technology

描述(申请人提供)：磁共振成像的新进展 (MRI)在新的临床和研究领域显示出巨大的潜力 应用包括高速心血管成像、脑功能 成像和对比度敏感的图像引导干预。他们承诺 心血管疾病评估和治疗的重要进展， 癌症和大脑功能。他们成功的核心是以下双重需求 成像速度和信噪比(SNR)。核心生物技术研究 显著进步的MRJ速度和信噪比是进步的关键，并可能 全面影响新的MRI应用。这项提议，回应了 用于生物工程研究的PAR-99-009将直接提高MRI速度和SNR 在四个关键领域进行创新研究：核磁共振成像梯度系统；高速 多通道磁共振接收器；新的高速松弛时间(Ti)测量 和成像；以及MRI探测器线圈系统的设计，提供 最终本征信噪比(UISNR)--可以达到的最大值。具体来说，我们 建议开发紧凑、高效的表面磁共振梯度模块， 可以将渐变强度显著增加一个数量级以上 幅度，并减少梯度上升时间，并开发算法进行修正 梯度非线性。我们将在试点中演示梯度优势 急性中风的磁共振弥散成像研究。我们将开发一种高速 采用新的解析重建方法的多通道接收系统 敏感度编码以在最小扫描时间内实现多种减少， 实现从其他项目中获得的速度收益，我们将演示 这与实时MRT负荷测试的缺血患者。钛松弛 是MRI对比度的关键，我们提出了新的方法，承诺戏剧性的 减少钛测量时间、钛成像，我们将展示其 射频消融治疗期间体温监测的可能性。在人类的钛中 学习。最后，我们介绍了USINR的概念，现在将开发工具 用于设计产生UISNR的线圈，并为头部、心脏、 和腹部，并将它们的性能与现有的线圈进行比较。我们 假设整合了重新设计的梯度、MRI探测器 线圈和高速对比度敏感的核磁共振成像将同时产生 性能提升，将为临床提供真正的新机会 诊断性和干预性研究。这项工作将在1.5T实施 并将直接和积极地惠及其他21项受资助的研究拨款 这家机构在非侵入性成像方面具有广泛的潜在好处 病人和疾病的范围。

DESCRIPTION (Provided by Applicant): New advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) show enormous potential for a broad range ot new clinical and research applications including high-speed cardiovascular imaging, functional brain imaging, and contrast-sensitive image-guided intervention. They promise important advances in the assessment and treatment of cardiovascular disease, cancer and brain function. Central to their success are the dual demands of imaging speed and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Core biotechnology research that significantly advances MRJ speed and SNR are pivotal to progress and could impact new MRI applications across-the-board. This proposal, responsive to PAR-99-009 for Bioengineering Research, will directly advance MRI speed and SNR with innovative research in fourkey areas: the MRI gradient systems; high-speed multi-channel MRI receivers; new high-speed relaxation time (Ti) measurements and imaging; and the design of MRI detector coil systems that deliver the ultimate intrinsic SNR (UISNR)-the maximum that can be had. Specifically, we propose to develop compact, highly-efficient surface MRI gradient modules that can significantly increase gradient strength by more than an order of magnitude, and reduce gradient rise-times, and to develop algorithms to correct gradient nonlinearity. We will demonstrate the gradient advantages in a pilot study of diffusion MRI in acutestroke. We will develop a high-speed multi-channel receiver system with new analytic reconstruction methods for sensitivity-encoding to achieve manifold reductions in the minimum scan-time, and to realize the speed gains from the other projects, and we will demonstrate this with real-time MRT stress-testing of patients with ischemia. Ti relaxation is key to MRI contrast, and we propose new methods that promise dramatic reductions in Ti measurement times, Ti imaging, and we will demonstrate its potential for temperature monitoring during RF ablation therapy. andin human Ti studies. Finally, we introduced the USINR concept, and will now develop tools for designing coils that yield the UISNR, and build them for the head, heart, and abdomen, and will compare their performance to existingcoils. We hypothesize that the integration of radical redesigns of gradient, MRI detector coils, and high-speed contrast-sensitive MRI, will yield simultaneous performance gains that will provide truly new opportunities for clinical diagnostic and interventional research. The work will be implemented at 1 .5T and will directly and positively benefit 21 other funded research grants at this institution, with broad potential benefit to noninvasive imaging in a wide range of patients and diseases.