Advanced MRI

Advanced MR Imaging (1)
What causes the acoustic noise in MRI?
● The gradient magnetic field is the main source of acoustic

noise associated with an MR procedure.
● This noise occurs during the rapid alterations of currents
within the gradient coils.
● These currents, in the presence of the strong static
magnetic field of the MR system, produce significant
(Lorentz) forces that act upon the gradient coils.
● Acoustic noise, manifested as loud tapping, knocking,
chirping, squeaking sounds, or other sounds is produced
when the forces cause motion or vibration of the gradient
coils as they impact against their mountings which, in turn,
flex and vibrate.
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Advanced MR Imaging
● Magnetic Resonance Angiography
● Diffusion MRI
Advanced MR Imaging
Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA)
● Angiography is the
imaging of flowing blood
in the arteries and veins of
the body
● Magnetic resonance
angiography (MRA) on the
other hand produces
images of flowing blood.
CE-MRA DSA
● MRA is used to examine blood vessels in key areas

of the body, including the:
Brain
Neck
Heart
Chest
Abdomen (such as the kidneys and liver)
Pelvis
Legs and feet
Arms and hands
Vascular Diseases
● Aneurysm
● Arterial Venous Malformation (AVM)
● Thrombus
● Plaque
● Stenosis
● Internal bleeding
● There are three general types of MRA

Time-of-flight (TOF) MRA
Phase-contrast (PC) MRA
Contrast-enhanced (CE) MRA
● Time-of-flight (TOF) MRA

• With a GE sequence with a very short TR (25–35 ms)
• For static tissues, the longitudinal component of the magnetization
vectors becomes very small after a few excitations because it is not
given the time to relax. The signal will be low – an effect called
saturation.
• For the slice oriented perpendicular to a blood vessel, as blood
flows inward, the blood in the slice is not affected by the saturating
effect of the RF pulses. Its longitudinal component remains large
and yields a high signal.
● Phase-contrast (PC) MRA
Application of a bipolar gradient
Reference
positive
stationary
flowing
Reference
negative
stationary
flowing
● Phase-contrast (PC) MRA

Magnitude Phase Contrast
No Flow
Flow In
Velocity Out
29 cm/s In
Out
● Contrast-enhanced (CE) MRA

Gd contrast agent reduces blood T1 and increase contrast
between blood and surrounding tissue in T1w sequence
High contrast to noise ratio
Fast acquisition ‐> Dynamic imaging
● The velocity-induced phase shift is proportional to velocity
● Acquisition timing is important
Gadolinium(Gd)-based contrast agents
Short acquisition times (can visualize vasculature during breath-
holding)
0.1-0.2 mM/kg (20- 40ml) of Gd contrast injected at 2-3 ml/sec.
The effect of contrast agent
blood
fat fat
Soft tissue Soft tissue
blood
Time (ms) Time (ms)
Before Gd injection After Gd injection
Timing of CE-MRA
CA concentration
GD-CA injection
artery
vein
0 10 20 30 Time (sec)
● Visualization of MRA images
● Advantage of MRA
Detailed images without damaging the artery with a
catheter
Shorter procedure than with conventional
angiography
Less costly than catheter angiography
No exposure to ionizing radiation
Use of contrast is not necessary to obtain good
images
● Summary
Three different approaches to MRA are commonly used: Time-of-
Flight MRA & Phase Contrast MRA & Contrast Enhanced MRA
TOF-MRA is easy to implement and is robust but has difficulty with
slow flow
PC-MRA requires more time to acquire more images but can result
in high resolution, fewer flow related artifacts, and quantitative
measurement of flow
Phase-contrast MRI may provide the most accurate, noninvasive
method for measuring blood flow in vivo
Gd contrast agent is commonly used in contrast enhanced MRA
because it can reduce the T1 value of the blood
Advanced MR Imaging
Diffusion MRI
Diffusion MRI
DT-MRI (DTI):
• a well-established and
unique imaging technique
• measures diffusion tensor of
water in tissues
• provides biologically and
clinically relevant information
• apply gradient in a given Isotropic Anisotropic
direction dark regions
correspond to where non
Brownian motion has occurred.
Diffusion MRI
● Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)
Dxx Dxy Dxz

Effective
D= Dyx Dyy Dyz
tensor
Dzx Dzy Dzz
Diffusion MRI
● Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)

Mobility in a given direction is described by apparent
diffusion coefficient (ADC)
The tissue diffusivity is described by the tensor diffusion
coefficient (D)
Diffusion is represented by the 3×3 tensor D
Diffusion MRI
● Indices of Diffusion
Mean Diffusivity (MD)
MD= (λ1 + λ2 + λ3) /3
Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC)
Fractional anisotropy (FA)
FA= 0 → Diffusion is spherical (i.e. isotropic)

FA= 1 → Diffusion is tubular (i.e. anisotropic)
Diffusion MRI
Mean ADC map FA map Color-Coded FA map

(bright = high diffusion) (bright = anisotropic) (red = left-right
green = anterior-posterior
blue = superior-inferior)
Diffusion MRI
● Indices of Diffusion
Axial Diffusivity (DA)
DA=λ1
DA may index axonal integrity (Song SK, et al., Neuroimage 2003)
Radial Diffusivity (DR)
RD= ( λ2 + λ3) /2
DR has been related to the integrity and thickness of myelin sheets covering
the axons (Song SK, et al., Neuroimage 2002, 2005)
Diffusion MRI
● Tractography – Overview
Not actually a measure of individual axons, rather the
data extracted from the imaging data is used to infer
where fibre tracts are
Voxels are connected based upon similarities in the
maximum diffusion direction
Fiber Tractography
DTI-based tracking of uncinate fasciculus (UF), constrained

by frontal and temporal regions of interest (ROI, blue),
drawn on coronal views Rodrigo et al., 2007
Basser 1999, Westen, 2007
Diffusion MRI
● Tractography – Techniques
Streamline tractography Probabilistic tractography
Diffusion MRI
● Streamline (Deterministic) Tractography

Connects neighbouring voxels from user defined voxels
(SEED REGIONS) e.g. M1 for the CST
User can define regions to restrict the output of a tract e.g.
internal capsule for the CST
Tracts are traced until termination criteria are met (e.g.
anisotropy drops below a certain level or there is an abrupt
angulation)
Termination Criteria
Diffusion MRI
● Streamline (Deterministic) Tractography
(Catani et al, Brain, 2005)

Diffusion MRI
● Probabilistic tractography
Value of each voxel in the map = the probability the voxel
is included in the diffusion path between the ROIs
Run streamlines for each voxel in the seed ROI
Provides quantitative probability of connection at each
voxel
Allows tracking into regions where there is low anisotropy
e.g. crossing or kissing fibres
Diffusion MRI
(Friman et al, IEEE TMI,2006)

Diffusion MRI
Crossing/Kissing fibres
Crossing fibres Kissing fibres
Low FA within the voxels of intersection
Diffusion MRI
Crossing/Kissing fibres
(Assaf et al, J Mol Neurosci, 2008)
Diffusion MRI
● DTI - Tracts
Corticospinal Tracts - Streamline Corticospinal Tracts -Probabilistic
(Nucifora et al. Radiology, 2007)
Diffusion MRI
● The tensor model assumes that a single population of fibers

within a voxel runs in the same orientation. Even though this
is not exactly true due to the complexity of neuroanatomical
structures, the tensor model serves as a good approximation
in many applications utilizing diffusion of water molecules.
● Several more advanced methods have been introduced for
modelling more complex neuroanatomical structures, such as
HARDI, diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI), Q-ball imaging to
resolve the multiple fiber orientations within the voxel by
means of orientation distributions of fiber populations on the
basis of multiple recordings.
Diffusion MRI
● Diffusion Spectrum Imaging (DSI)

DSI
image distribution of fiber orientations within each voxel
can image crossing fibers
other techniques (HARDI, Q-BALL) are similar in spirit
Scan time is very long (~40 min)
DTI
image main direction and FA within each voxel
cannot image crossing fibers
Diffusion MRI

DSI vs. DTI of the optic chiasm
(Wedeen et al. NeuroImage, 2008)

Diffusion MRI

DSI vs. DTI tractography
DSI DTI
(Wedeen et al. NeuroImage, 2008)


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Advanced MR Imaging (1)

What causes the acoustic noise in MRI?

● The gradient magnetic field is the main source of acoustic

● Magnetic Resonance Angiography

Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA)

● MRA is used to examine blood vessels in key areas

● There are three general types of MRA

Phase-contrast (PC) MRA

Contrast-enhanced (CE) MRA

● Time-of-flight (TOF) MRA

● Phase-contrast (PC) MRA

● Contrast-enhanced (CE) MRA

Soft tissue Soft tissue

Time (ms) Time (ms)

Before Gd injection After Gd injection

● Visualization of MRA images

● Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)

Dxx Dxy Dxz

● Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)

MD= (λ1 + λ2 + λ3) /3

Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC)

Fractional anisotropy (FA)

FA= 0 → Diffusion is spherical (i.e. isotropic)

Mean ADC map FA map Color-Coded FA map

DA may index axonal integrity (Song SK, et al., Neuroimage 2003)

Radial Diffusivity (DR)

DTI-based tracking of uncinate fasciculus (UF), constrained

Streamline tractography Probabilistic tractography

● Streamline (Deterministic) Tractography

● Streamline (Deterministic) Tractography

(Catani et al, Brain, 2005)

(Friman et al, IEEE TMI,2006)

Crossing fibres Kissing fibres

Low FA within the voxels of intersection

Corticospinal Tracts - Streamline Corticospinal Tracts -Probabilistic

(Nucifora et al. Radiology, 2007)

● The tensor model assumes that a single population of fibers

● Diffusion Spectrum Imaging (DSI)

● Diffusion Spectrum Imaging (DSI)

(Wedeen et al. NeuroImage, 2008)

● Diffusion Spectrum Imaging (DSI)

(Wedeen et al. NeuroImage, 2008)

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