Optimal Bandwidth-Limited Gradient Waveform Design (continued)

Synaptive Medical是一家位于多伦多的医疗设备和软件技术公司，专注于提供成像解决方案，以增强神经外科手术。Synaptive Medical专注于将新型磁共振成像技术结合到特定的神经外科手术中，以促进肿瘤的检测和切除，引导神经刺激设备用于退行性疾病以及中风和创伤的干预。通过提高MRI实验的效率，可以降低诊断成本，减少患者在磁体上花费的时间。MRI设备需要非常灵活的软件，能够产生许多不同类型的图像，甚至是定量信息，比如流过动脉的血液量。在这个项目中，我们将优化MRI软件的一个方面，即梯度波形，它决定了图像的定位和分辨率。与其设计通用波形，并接受有效波形将因设计和机器而异，我们建议为每个特定机器设计最高性能水平的波形，在某些情况下，为可能成像体积内成像切片的每个位置设计波形。我们将避免的主要问题是由放大器的有限能力引起的梯度失真，放大器驱动电流通过称为梯度线圈的特殊形状的导体，以及作为副作用引起的不必要的噪声。在以前的ENGAGE奖项下，我们能够基本上解决回波平面成像（EPI）的这个问题。在ENGAGE Plus期间，我们希望将这些结果扩展到快速自旋回波（FSE）和稳态自由进动（SSFP）实验。

Synaptive Medical is a medical device and software technology company based in Toronto, focused onproviding imaging solutions to enhance neurosurgical procedures. Synaptive Medical is focused onincorporation of novel magnetic resonance imaging technologies into specific neurosurgical procedures tofacilitate tumor detection and resection, guidance of neuro-stimulation devices for degenerative diseases andintervention for stroke and trauma. By increasing the efficiency of MRI experiments, we can reduce the costper diagnosis, and reduce the time spend in the magnet by patients. MRI devices require very flexible software,capable of producing many different types of images, and even quantitative information, like the volume ofblood flowing through an artery.In this project, we will be optimizing one aspect of MRI software called gradient waveforms, which amongother things determine the positioning and resolution of the images. Rather than designing generic waveforms,and accepting that the effective waveform will vary from the design and from machines to machine, wepropose to design waveforms at the highest level of performance available to each specific machine, and insome cases, for each location of the imaging slice within the possible imaging volume. The main problems wewill be avoiding are the distortion of the gradient caused by the limited capabilities of the amplifiers whichdrive current through the specially-shaped conductors called gradient coils, and the unwanted noise caused as aside effect.Under a previous ENGAGE award, we were able to substantially solve this problem for the case ofEcho-Planar Imaging (EPI). During the ENGAGE Plus, we hope to extend those results to Fast Spin Echo(FSE) and Steady-State Free Precession (SSFP) experiments.