In vivo blood T1 measurements at 1.5 T, 3 T,and 7 T

The longitudinal relaxation time of blood is a crucial parameter for quantification of cerebral blood flow by arterial spin labeling and is one of the main determinants of the signal‐to‐noise ratio of the resulting perfusion maps. Whereas at low and medium magnetic field strengths (B₀), its in vivo value is well established; at ultra‐high field, this is still uncertain. In this study, longitudinal relaxation time of blood in the sagittal sinus was measured at 1.5 T, 3 T, and 7 T. A nonselective inversion pulse preceding a Look‐Locker echo planar imaging sequence was performed to obtain the inversion recovery curve of venous blood. The results showed that longitudinal relaxation time of blood at 7 T was ～ 2.1 s which translates to an anticipated 33% gain in the signal‐to‐noise ratio in arterial spin labeling experiments due to T₁ relaxation alone compared with 3 T. In addition, the linear relationship between longitudinal relaxation time of blood and B₀ was confirmed. Magn Reson Med, 70:1082–1086, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Tätertypen bei Tötungsdelikten

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

T1 and T2 relaxivity of intracellular and extracellular USPIO at 1.5T and 3T clinical MR scanning

In this study we evaluated the effects of intracellular compartmentalization of the ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) ferumoxtran-10 on its proton T1 and T2 relaxivities at 1.5 and 3T. Monocytes were labeled with ferumoxtran-10 by simple incubation. Decreasing quantities of ferumoxtran-10-labeled cells (2.5×10⁷-0.3×10⁷ cells/ml) and decreasing concentrations of free ferumoxtran-10 (without cells) in Ficoll solution were evaluated with 1.5 and 3T clinical magnetic resonance (MR) scanners. Pulse sequences comprised axial spin echo (SE) sequences with multiple TRs and fixed TE and SE sequences with fixed TR and increasing TEs. Signal intensity measurements were used to calculate T1 and T2 relaxation times of all samples, assuming a monoexponential signal decay. The iron content in all samples was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and used for calculating relaxivities. Measurements at 1.5T and 3T showed higher T1 and T2 relaxivity values of free extracellular ferumoxtran-10 as opposed to intracellularly compartmentalized ferumoxtran-10, under the evaluated conditions of homogeneously dispersed contrast agents/cells in Ficoll solution and a cell density of up to 2.5×10⁷ cells/ml. At 3T, differences in T1-relaxivities between intra- and extracellular USPIO were smaller, while differences in USPIO T2-relaxivities were similar compared with 1.5T. In conclusion, cellular compartmentalization of ferumoxtran-10 changes proton relaxivity. This work was supported by a seed grant from the Department of Radiology, University of California of San Francisco.     

T1, T2 relaxation and magnetization transfer in tissue at 3T.

T1, T2, and magnetization transfer (MT) measurements were performed in vitro at 3 T and 37 degrees C on a variety of tissues: mouse liver, muscle, and heart; rat spinal cord and kidney; bovine optic nerve, cartilage, and white and gray matter; and human blood. The MR parameters were compared to those at 1.5 T. As expected, the T2 relaxation time constants and quantitative MT parameters (MT exchange rate, R, macromolecular pool fraction, M0B, and macromolecular T2 relaxation time, T2B) at 3 T were similar to those at 1.5 T. The T1 relaxation time values, however, for all measured tissues increased significantly with field strength. Consequently, the phenomenological MT parameter, magnetization transfer ratio, MTR, was lower by approximately 2 to 10%. Collectively, these results provide a useful reference for optimization of pulse sequence parameters for MRI at 3 T.     

T2 quantitation of articular cartilage at 1.5 T

PURPOSE: To evaluate sources of error when using a multiecho sequence for quantitative T2 mapping of articular cartilage at 1.5 T. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Phantom measurements were used to assess the contribution of stimulated echoes to inaccuracy of T2 measurements in cartilage using a multiecho sequence. Five volunteer studies compared in vivo single-echo spin echo results to multiecho, single-slice and multiecho, multislice acquisitions for assessment of both the stimulated echo and magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) contributions to T2 measurement inaccuracy. RESULTS: Phantom experiments demonstrated that substantial inaccuracy (10%-13% longer T2 values) is introduced from stimulated echoes with a multiecho sequence with slice-selective refocusing pulses. The in vivo volunteer studies also demonstrated increases in measured T2 by up to 48% with a multiecho sequence. Use of the multiecho sequence in the multislice mode resulted in T2 values closer to the single-echo standards for the volunteer studies. However, this apparent increased accuracy should be regarded as circumstantial, as it only occurs because the error due to MTC has the opposite sign compared to the error due to the stimulated echo contribution. CONCLUSION: Use of a multiecho, multislice sequence for cartilage T2 measurements should be undertaken with the caution that substantial inaccuracy is introduced from stimulated echoes and MTC.     

Clinical advantages of 3.0 T MRI over 1.5 T

Since approval by the FDA in 2000, human MR imaging (MRI) at 3.0 T has been increasingly used in clinical practice. In spite of the potential technical challenges, a number of clinical advantages of 3.0 T MRI over 1.5 T have been identified in the recent years. This article reviews the benefits and the current knowledge of 3.0 T whole-body MRI from an evidence-based perspective and summarizes its clinical applications.     

T2 relaxometry of the hippocampus at 3T

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: T2 mapping is useful for identifying and quantifying abnormalities of the hippocampus and amygdala. It is particularly useful in the presurgical evaluation of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and for the identification of bilateral hippocampal sclerosis (HS). The purpose of this study was to implement and validate a dual-echo method for producing coronal T2 maps with complete coverage of the hippocampus and the rest of the brain on a 3T MR imaging scanner. MATERIALS AND METHODS: T2 relaxation times were estimated on 10 occasions on 3 quality assessment Eurospin II (Diagnostic Sonar, Livingstone, Scotland) test objects with the use of conventional spin-echo (CSE), fast spin-echo, and fast recovery fast spin-echo (FRFSE) sequences on a 3T Excite MR imaging scanner (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, Wis). Hippocampal T2 relaxation times were then measured in 15 healthy subjects and 20 subjects with clear-cut HS who were scanned at 1.5 T with a previously validated dual-echo CSE sequence and 3T with an FRFSE sequence. RESULTS: 3T FRFSE data were as reliable as CSE data at 1.5 T. Reliability of hippocampal T2 measures was good on healthy volunteers and subjects with HS. FRFSE images were suitable for qualitative radiologic reporting and with complete brain coverage, so no additional T2-weighted sequences were required. There was good correlation between the 3T hippocampal T2 measurements and values obtained with the previously validated technique at 1.5 T, with reliable identification of all of the subjects with HS. CONCLUSIONS: T2 mapping with an FRFSE 30/80 sequence may be readily applied at 3T and can produce reliable T2 values in vivo with contiguous 5-mm sections and in a much reduced scan time of 3 minutes 1 second compared with 10 minutes 30 seconds for the CSE sequence at 1.5 T.     

T—2四醇和T—2五醇的制备

目的：进一步探讨Ｔ－２毒素与其结构效应的关系，制备Ｔ－２毒素的两个衍生物。Ｔ－２和Ｔ－２五醇。     

MR T1 and T2 relaxations in cysts and abscesses measured by 1.5 T MRI

Objectives

The main objective of this study was to make a comparison between the relaxation rates in jaw cysts and abscesses. Such a comparison should provide quantitative information for MR image analysis.

Methods

A phantom containing 20 odontogenic jaw cysts and 11 jaw abscesses was imaged with 1.5 T MR. T₁ measurements were performed by using a mixed sequence of inversion recovery and spin echo, while T₂ measurements were carried out by the Carr–Purcell Meiboom–Gill (CPMG) sequence. Cystic fluids and abscesses were compared statistically.

Results

In cysts and abscesses, respectively, the mean 1/T₁ was 0.9355 s⁻¹ and 0.8245 s⁻¹ and the mean 1/T₂ was 2.4575 s⁻¹ and 4.7073 s⁻¹. The 1/T₂ in cysts was very highly significantly different from that in abscesses (p = 0.0001). Both T₁ and T₂ were linearly proportional to material contents. T₂ relaxivities [26.458 ml (g s)⁻¹ for abscesses and 21.455 ml (g s)⁻¹ for cysts] were higher than T₁ relaxivities [5.4766 ml (g s)⁻¹ for abscesses and 10.075 ml (g s)⁻¹ for cysts].

Discussion

Present T₂ measurements differentiate cysts from abscesses with a confidence interval of 95%. Because in vivo and in vitro image contrasts are changed by the same parameters, the T₂ findings should present valuable information for in vivo MRI. Hence the significant difference and the relaxivities may provide quantitative information for clinicians and researchers making image analyses.

Conclusion

T₂ may differentiate cysts from abscesses. The difference in T₂ is related to the material content of samples.     

Contrast behavior of high-spatial-resolution T1-weighted MR imaging at 3.0 T vs. 1.5 T

Twenty-four volunteers were examined at T1-weighted images with thin sections using gradient-based sequences with a possible short and same TR at 3.0 and 1.5 T. Pancreas-to-spleen contrast measurements and scores for visual assessments of image contrast were significantly worse at 3.0 T than at 1.5 T on both sequences. The image contrast of high-spatial-resolution T1-weighted images at 3.0 T is decreased compared to that of images with the same and possible short TR at 1.5 T.     

Effect of multislice acquisition on T1 and T2 measurements of articular cartilage at 3T

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of magnetization transfer on multislice T1 and T2 measurements of articular cartilage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A set of phantoms with different concentrations of collagen and contrast agent (Gd-DTPA2-) were used for the in vitro study. A total of 20 healthy knees were used for the in vivo study. T1 and T2 measurements were performed using fast-spin-echo inversion-recovery (FSE-IR) sequence and multi-spin-echo (MSE) sequence, respectively, in both in vitro and in vivo studies. We investigated the difference in T1 and T2 values between that measured by single-slice acquisition and that measured by multislice acquisition. RESULTS: Regarding T1 measurement, a large drop of T1 in all slices and also a large interslice variation in T1 were observed when multislice acquisition was used. Regarding T2 measurement, a substantial drop of T2 in all slices was observed; however, there was no apparent interslice variation when multislice acquisition was used. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the adaptation of multislice acquisition technique for T1 measurement using FSE-IR methodology is difficult and its use for clinical evaluation is problematic. In contrast, multislice acquisition for T2 measurement using MSE was clinically applicable if inaccuracies caused by multislice acquisition were taken into account.     

Effect of Gd-DTPA-BMA on blood and myocardial T1 at 1.5T and 3T in humans

PURPOSE: To compare T(1) values of blood and myocardium at 1.5T and 3T before and after administration of Gd-DTPA-BMA in normal volunteers, and to evaluate the distribution of contrast media between myocardium and blood during steady state. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten normal subjects were imaged with either 0.1 mmol/kg (N = 5) or 0.2 mmol/kg (N = 5) of Gd-DTPA-BMA contrast agent at 1.5T and 3T. T(1) measurements of blood and myocardium were performed prior to contrast injection and every five minutes for 35 minutes following contrast injection at both field strengths. Measurements of biodistribution were calculated from the ratio of DeltaR(1) (DeltaR(1myo)/DeltaR(1blood)). RESULTS: Precontrast blood T(1) values (mean +/- SD, N = 10) did not significantly differ between 1.5T and 3T (1.58 +/- .13 sec, and 1.66 +/- .06 sec, respectively; P > 0.05), but myocardium T(1) values were significantly different (1.07 +/- .03 sec and 1.22 +/- .07 sec, respectively; P < 0.05). The field-dependent difference in myocardium T(1) postinjection (T(1)@3T - T(1)@1.5T) decreased by approximately 72% relative to precontrast T(1) values, while the field-dependent difference of blood T(1) decreased only 30% postcontrast. Measurements of DeltaR(1myo)/DeltaR(1blood) were constant for 35 minutes postcontrast, but changed between 1.5T and 3T (0.46 +/- .06 vs. 0.54 +/- .06, P < 0.10). CONCLUSION: T(1) is significantly longer for myocardium (but not blood) at 3T compared to 1.5T. The differences in T(1) due to field strength are reduced following contrast administration, which may be attributed to changes in DeltaR(1myo)/DeltaR(1blood) with field strength.     

前列腺癌的高场强MR成像

目的：探讨前列腺癌的高场强ＭＲ成像价值，评价快速自旋回波序列和脂肪抑制术在前列腺检查中的价值。材料和方法：共搜集９８例前列腺的１０６次ＭＲＩ资料，用ＧＥ１．５ＴＳｉｇｎａ机，体部线圈。结果：２０例前列腺癌均位于前列腺周围带。典型的前列腺癌在Ｔ１像与正常前列腺组织呈等信号，而在Ｔ２像上表现为周围带内异常低信号灶。１９例病变显示清楚。１９／２０例形态不规则，１例为椭圆形。快速自旋回波序列不仅缩短了扫描时间，且与自旋回波序列比提高了图像质量。加脂肪抑制术比不加脂肪抑制要获得更好的图像质量。结论：ＭＲＩ对发现周围带的前列腺癌是敏感的，对分期有重要价值。快速自旋回波序列加脂肪抑制术是较理想的前列腺Ｔ２成像方法。     

Musculoskeletal tumors: T1 and T2 relaxation times

The T1 and T2 relaxation times of primary tumors of the musculoskeletal system were calculated in 54 patients. No correlation was found between the relaxation values and the histopathologic type of the tumors. Lipoma had the same relaxation characteristics as normal fat. Otherwise tumors could be differentiated from normal tissue, but there was no significant difference between malignant and benign tumors, and the mean values for the different histopathologic types differed significantly only in a few instances. Hence T1 and T2 measurements are of limited value for histologic characterization of musculoskeletal tumors.     

Suitability of T(1Gd) as the dGEMRIC index at 1.5T and 3.0T.

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) is based on the theory that Gd-DTPA(2-) will distribute in inverse relation to cartilage glycosaminoglycan (GAG). T(1Gd) (T(1) after penetration of a 0.2 mmol/kg dose of Gd-DTPA(2-)) has been used as the dGEMRIC index, although (1/T(1Gd)-1/T(1o)) should be more representative of Gd-DTPA(2-) concentration (where T(1o) = T(1) before contrast). T(1o) and T(1Gd) were measured in 20 volunteers at both 1.5T and 3T and the correlation between the metrics of T(1Gd) and (1/T(1Gd)-1/T(1o)) was calculated. There was a high correlation coefficient between the two metrics at both field strengths, with R = 0.94, 0.93, and 0.90 for central medial femur, posterior medial femur, and medial tibia, respectively, at 1.5T and 0.87, 0.94, 0.96 at 3T. In all cases P < 0.0001. Therefore, these data suggest that, for native cartilage, the current practice of measuring T(1Gd) (but not also T(1o)) is adequate at both 1.5T and 3T.