MRI

Part-2
Gradient Slice Selection
Bapplied
wL= γBo
wL : Lamor Freq.
H H H H γ : Gyration Const.
Bo : Mag. Field

H H H H Applied
Perpendicular to
desired plane.
H H H H Spin speed
represents
processional
frequency.
H H H H
 Why is a Slice Selection
Gradient used?
• Magnetic Field applied
perpendicular to desired slice, Bapplied
because we can now “focus”
on a layer with a specific H H H H
processional frequency.
– Hydrogen atoms to either H H H H
side of desired layer are
either too fast or too slow. H H H H

H H H H

Lets select this

slice
 Phase Encoding –
• Resolves image in second dimension. B B
• Apply a magnetic gradient, but only
briefly. H H H
H H H H
• Goal: Get hydrogen atoms out of
sync with each other so they can be
H H
distinguished along another axis. H H H H H

H H H
H H H H

H H
H H H H H
Current

Next, select one

Turn off gradient!
First resolve theslice
first based on with
dimension
Time Apply a gradient along another
precessional axis.
frequency.
an applied gradient.
Notice the precession is “out of sync”
Phase Encoding

Animation from http://www.e-mri.org

 Resolving the Third Dimension
Frequency Encoding

Review of Spatial Resolution:

1. Apply slice selection gradient and B H H H
choose a slice based on precession H
frequency.
H H
Consider plane your image! H H
2. Apply and turn off phase encoding
gradient. This gets hydrogen in the x- H H H
axis out of sync.
H
3. Apply a third gradient, now we can H H
distinguish hydrogen in the y-axis based H H
on the precessional speeds.
Slice plane
We have now resolved all three dimensions! y

But now what do we do with all this info…. z x

Anatomy of a Scanner
Four main hardware components
• Main magnet
• RF system
• Magnetic field gradient system
• Computer system.
 RF Bandwidth
• The RF frequency of the oscillating B1 magnetic
field has an associated bandwidth. Rather than
oscillating at a single frequency of 63.870 MHz,
a range or “bandwidth” of frequencies is present.
A typical bandwidth for the oscillating B1
magnetic field is + 1 kHz, thus RF frequencies
from 63.869 MHz to 63.871 MHz are present.
The bandwidth of RF frequencies present in the
oscillating B1 magnetic field is inversely
proportional to the duration of the RF pulse.
22
 RF Bandwidth (continued)
• There are actually two RF bandwidths are associated
with MRI:
Transmit and Receive

RF Transmit bandwidth ~ +1 kHz affects

slice thickness (we are discussing this)

RF Receive bandwidth ~ +16 kHz is

sometimes adjusted to optimize
signal-to-noise in images (more in a later
lecture)
23
RF Bandwidth (continued)

24
 RF Bandwidth (continued)
• Where will excited nuclei be located, assuming an 63.87
MHz (+ 1 kHz) RF bandwidth and a 0.5 Gauss / cm
gradient field superimposed on a 1.5 Tesla static
magnetic field?

At the inferior-most position of excitation, w is:

(63.87 – 0.001) MHz = 63.869 MHz
= (42.58 MHz/Tesla)(B inferior)

B inferior = 63.869 MHz/(42.58 MHz/T)

= 1.4999765 Tesla = 14999.765 Gauss

25
 RF Bandwidth (continued)
So, change of field from center to the inferior
extent of excitation = (15000 – 14999.765) Gauss
= -0.235 Gauss
The gradient imposes a field change of
0.5 Gauss/cm, so a change of –0.235 Gauss occurs
at the following distance from the center:

- .235 Gauss
.5 Gauss / cm  - .47 cm

26
 RF Bandwidth (continued)
• Same is true of the superior position:

63.871 MHz = (42.58 MHz / Tesla)(B superior)

B superior = 1.5000235 Tesla = 15000.235 Gauss

.235 Gauss
.5 Gauss / cm
 .47 cm

27
RF Bandwidth (continued)

28
 RF Bandwidth (continued)
• A + 1 kHz RF pulse at 63.870 MHz will excite a
9.4 mm thick slice in the presence of a 0.5
Gauss/cm gradient at 1.5 Tesla.
• The maximum gradient on the GE LX Horizon
Echospeed+ is 3.3 Gauss/cm. The maximum
gradient on the Siemens Vision is 2.5 Gauss/cm.
• Slice thickness can be changed with RF
bandwidth or gradient magnetic field or both.

29
 RF Bandwidth (continued)

At a specific RF bandwidth (D w), a high magnetic

field gradient (line A) results in slice thickness (D zA).
By reducing the magnetic field gradient (line B), the
selected slice thickness increases in width (D zB).
30
 RF Bandwidth (continued)

An increase in the RF bandwidth applied at a constant

magnetic field gradient results in a thicker slice
(D zB > D zA).
31
Slice Location (RF frequency)

The location of the selected slice can be moved by

changing the center RF frequency (w0B > w0A).

32
 Two-Dimensional Fourier Transform
MRI (2DFT)
• Planar imaging - a plane or slice of spins has been
selectively excited as shown previously. After the Z
gradient and RF pulse have been turned off, (and after a
brief rephasing with the Z gradient) all spins in the slice
are precessing in phase at the same frequency.

• A 2 Dimensional Fourier Transform (2DFT)

technique can now be used to image the plane.

• After imaging a plane, the RF frequency can be changed

to image other planes in order to build up an image
volume.
33
 Two-Dimensional Fourier Transform
MRI (2DFT)
Q: Once spins in a slice are excited, how does the scanner
“observe” the data?
A: The receive coil in the scanner detects the TOTAL
transverse magnetization signal in a particular direction,
resulting from the SUM of ALL excited spins.

Example #1: one spin case

Receiver Coil

Spin Transverse received signal over time

34
 Two-Dimensional Fourier Transform
MRI (2DFT)
Receiver Coil
Spin #1 Example #2:
two spin case,

Spin #2
+ with different
frequencies

Summed signal can be complicated…but, this is useful.

35
 Fourier Transform Basics
In 1-D, we can create a wave
with a complicated shape by
adding periodic waves of
A different frequency together.

A+B
B

C
A+B+C+D

D In this example, we could

A+B+C+D+E+F
keep going to create a
E square wave, if we wanted.

F 36
 Fourier Transform Basics
This process works in reverse as well: we can decompose a
complicated wave into a combination of simple component
waves.
The mathematical
process for doing this
is known as a
“Fourier
Decomposition”.

37
 Fourier Transform Basics
For each different …and the phase,
frequency to construct a
component, we need unique wave.
to know the
f
amplitude…

f f

Amplitude Phase
change change
38
 Fourier Transform Basics

So, if spins in an excited slice were prepared such

that they precess with a different frequency and
phase at each position, the resulting signal could
only be constructed with a unique set of
magnetization amplitudes from each position.

Thus, we could apply a Fourier transform to our

total signal to determine the transverse
magnetization at every position.

So, let’s see how we do this…

39
 What is k-space?
If you were asked to explain how an automobile works, you could
?
divide your answer into two parts. 1: what it is and what it does, and
2: how it works. An automobile is a box on wheels that gets you from
one place to another under its own power, and under your control.
The practical information is in your answer, but do you know how a
car works? Not at all! K-space is a bit like this: the devil is in the
what
detail. The it is
challenge vs how
is in understanding it works
phase encoding, and why
k-space
we acquire MR data in many steps, and it’s not very intuitive.

WeHowever, it isconsidering
will start by worth persevering, because
what k-space is, knowledge of the
andproperties
some of itsof properties.
k-space willThen
be very
we’llrewarding
get into in your
theunderstanding
harder stuff in oftheMR techniques.
second k-spaceThe link between the
tutorial:
dataencoding.
spatial acquisition method and the effect on the image is an
understanding of what happened in k-space.

© D M Higgins
 …

• It is where we store our MR signals

• It has a mathematical relationship to the
image (Fourier transform)
K-space is simply an array
• NB. we create the MR image fromThose numbers
of numbers.
this data what it is
have been translated into
grey-scale values when you
• We need to fill a lot of k-space, line
see k-space
The most by line,
like this.
Because those numbers
before we have enough datarepresent
to create
essential adata is a type
certain good of
found in the
MR image data, that array has
centre of k-
interesting properties. An
space.
array with those properties is
called k-space.

© D M Higgins
 storing data in k-space
many radiofrequency signals

We have illustrated the

digitisation of just one
line in k-space. In fact
many MR signals need
The different
to be samples
acquired under
This is a schematic (numbers) areimaging
different illustrated
representation of one of the here by using
conditions. Thisdifferent
is why
many MR signals we need in grey-scale
the values.
acquisition of MR
order to create a single image. data can take some
We sample the amplitude of time.
the signal and put these
numbers into a list. This is
digitisation. “ raw data space”

This array of numbers in k-space is

sometimes referred to as raw data
space. That’s just what it is!
© D M Higgins
k-space is an array of numbers
whose Fourier transform is the MR image.

It’s impossible to guess what the image is going

to be of, but there are some hints about the
quality of the image one may expect, from looking
at the raw data. Read on…

Here are some different k-spaces. You can see that the
information they contain can vary quite a lot. Some are
noisy data sets
Clickorthe
have clear
image forareas
1MB of higher
movie of signal
k-
(e.g. the third). This is partly
space to do with
(magnitude how we acquire
images).
the data, partly because of the nature of what were
scanning, NB!! If the movie
and partly plays
to do with theinnature
a new of
window,
k-space.
press Alt-F4 to return to the tutorial.

© D M Higgins