Dynamic field monitoring during in vivo MRI

磁共振成像（MRI）利用非常强的磁场来获得体内组织的图像。然而，总会有一些不需要的小磁场存在，这会导致图像出现错误。通常，通过使用对不需要的场不太敏感的数据采样技术来减少这些错误，但是这种策略限制了我们如何使用MRI。“现场探头监测”是最近推出的一项技术，可以直接和准确地测量这些领域。通过了解字段，可以完全消除错误，从而解除了我们通常遵守的限制字段错误的限制。因此，这使得可以提供大大提高MRI图像质量和分辨率的先进方法成为可能。我们最近为我们的7特斯拉MRI获得了一个现场探头监测系统，并利用它做出了许多研究贡献。然而，最近我们的研究遭遇了毁灭性的挫折，7特斯拉核磁共振成型机发生了自发“猝灭”，这是一个严重的故障，可能会对MRI造成永久性损伤。幸运的是，我们的现场探头系统的主要组成部分——“光谱仪”，它收集现场探头的信号——也可以与我们的3特斯拉MRI一起使用。但是，在扫描仪内实际检测不需要的场的一组场探针只能在其设计的特定MRI场强度下工作，因此，我们正在申请为我们的3特斯拉MRI购买一组场探针的资金。该设备将使我们能够继续在基于现场探头监测的方法上进行卓有成效的研究，以提高MRI图像的质量和可靠性。由于对图像质量和可靠性的担忧，许多先进的MRI方法尚未转化为临床应用，通过解决这些问题，这项工作将使患者能够更准确地诊断并提高对疾病的了解。

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) utilizes very strong magnetic fields to obtain images of tissue within the body. However, there are always small unwanted magnetic fields present that can cause errors in the images. Conventionally, these errors are reduced by using data sampling techniques that are less sensitive to the unwanted fields, but this strategy creates limits on how we can use the MRI. "Field probe monitoring" is a recently introduced technology that allows direct and accurate measurement of these fields. With knowledge of the fields, the errors can be completely removed, which lifts the restrictions we normally abide by to limit the errors from the fields. Accordingly, this enables advanced methods that can provide greatly improved MRI image quality and resolution. We recently acquired a field probe monitoring system for our 7 Tesla MRI, and have made numerous research contributions using it. However, we recently suffered a devastating setback to our research when the 7 Tesla MRI machine underwent a spontaneous "quench", which is a serious malfunction that may have caused permanent damage to the MRI. Luckily, the primary component of our field probe system - the "spectrometer", which collects the signals from field probes - can also be used with our 3 Tesla MRI. The set of field probes that actually detect the unwanted fields within the scanner can only work at the particular MRI field strength it was designed for, though, and we are thus requesting funding for the purchase of a set of field probes for our 3 Tesla MRI. This equipment will allow us to continue our fruitful line of research into field probe monitoring-based methods to improve MRI image quality and reliability. There are many advanced MRI approaches that have not yet been translated to clinical use because of concerns with image quality and reliability, and by solving these issues this work will enable more accurate diagnosis for patients and improved understanding of disease.