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Purpose: Diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) suffers from geometric distortion and chemical shift artifacts due to the commonly used Echo Planar Imaging (EPI) trajectory. Even with fat suppression in DWI, severe B0 and B1 variations can result in residual fat, which becomes both a source of image artifacts and a confounding factor in diffusion‐weighted contrast in distinguishing benign and malignant tissues. This work presents a method for acquiring distortion‐free diffusion‐weighted images using spatiotemporal acquisition and joint reconstruction. Water‐fat separation is performed by chemical‐shift encoding. Methods: Spatiotemporal acquisition is employed to obtain distortion‐free images at a series of echo times. Chemical‐shift encoding is used for water‐fat separation. Reconstruction and separation are performed jointly in the spat‐spectral domain. To address the shot‐to‐shot motion‐induced phase in DWI, an Fast Spin Echo (FSE)‐based phase navigator is incorporated into the sequence to obtain distortion‐free phase information. The proposed method was validated in phantoms and in vivo for the brain, head and neck, and breast. Results: The proposed method enables the acquisition of distortion‐free diffusion‐weighted images in the presence of B0 field inhomogenieties commonly observed in the body. Water and fat components are separated with no obvious spectral leakage artifacts. The estimated Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) is comparable to that of multishot DW‐EPI. Conclusion: Distortion‐free, water‐fat separated diffusion‐weighted images in body can be obtained through the utilization of spatiotemporal acquisition and joint reconstruction methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To increase the RF coil performance and RF management for body imaging at 10.5 T by validating and evaluating a high‐density 16‐channel transceiver array, implementing virtual observation points (VOPs), and demonstrating specific absorption rate (SAR) constrained imaging in vivo. Methods: The inaccuracy of the electromagnetic model of the array was quantified based on B1+ and SAR data. Inter‐subject variability was estimated using a new approach based on the relative SAR deviation of different RF shims between human body models. The pTx performance of the 16‐channel array was assessed in simulation by comparison to a previously demonstrated 10‐channel array. In vivo imaging of the prostate was performed demonstrating SAR‐constrained static RF shimming and acquisition modes optimized for refocused echoes (AMORE). Results: The model inaccuracy of 29% and the inter‐subject variability of 85% resulted in a total safety factor of 1.91 for pelvis studies. For renal and cardiac imaging, inter‐subject variabilities of 121% and 141% lead to total safety factors of 2.25 and 2.45, respectively. The shorter wavelength at 10.5 T supported the increased element density of the 16‐channel array which in turn outperformed the 10‐channel version for all investigated metrics. Peak 10 g local SAR reduction of more than 25% without a loss of image quality was achieved in vivo, allowing a theoretical improvement in measurement efficiency of up to 66%. Conclusions: By validating and characterizing a 16‐channel dipole transceiver array, this work demonstrates, for the first time, a VOP‐enabled RF coil for human torso imaging enabling increased pTx performance at 10.5 T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a topic of substantial interest for radiologists in recent years. Although many of the first clinical applications were in the neuro, cardiothoracic, and breast imaging subspecialties, the number of investigated and real-world applications of body imaging has been increasing, with more than 30 FDA-approved algorithms now available for applications in the abdomen and pelvis. In this manuscript, we explore some of the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning, review major functions that AI algorithms may perform, introduce current and potential future applications of AI in abdominal imaging, provide a basic understanding of the pathways by which AI algorithms can receive FDA approval, and explore some of the challenges with the implementation of AI in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic materials in tissue, such as iron, calcium, or collagen, can be studied using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). To date, QSM has been overwhelmingly applied in the brain, but is increasingly utilized outside the brain. QSM relies on the effect of tissue magnetic susceptibility sources on the MR signal phase obtained with gradient echo sequence. However, in the body, the chemical shift of fat present within the region of interest contributes to the MR signal phase as well. Therefore, correcting for the chemical shift effect by means of water‐fat separation is essential for body QSM. By employing techniques to compensate for cardiac and respiratory motion artifacts, body QSM has been applied to study liver iron and fibrosis, heart chamber blood and placenta oxygenation, myocardial hemorrhage, atherosclerotic plaque, cartilage, bone, prostate, breast calcification, and kidney stone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI has gained recognition as a valuable addition to the molecular imaging and quantitative biomarker arsenal, especially for characterization of brain tumors. There is also increasing interest in the use of CEST‐MRI for applications beyond the brain. However, its translation to body oncology applications lags behind those in neuro‐oncology. The slower migration of CEST‐MRI to non‐neurologic applications reflects the technical challenges inherent to imaging of the torso. In this review, we discuss the application of CEST‐MRI to oncologic conditions of the breast and torso (i.e., body imaging), emphasizing the challenges and potential solutions to address them. While data are still limited, reported studies suggest that CEST signal is associated with important histology markers such as tumor grade, receptor status, and proliferation index, some of which are often associated with prognosis and response to therapy. However, further technical development is still needed to make CEST a reliable clinical application for body imaging and establish its role as a predictive and prognostic biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its first observation in the 18th century, the diffusion phenomenon has been actively studied by many researchers. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a technique to probe the diffusion of water molecules and create a MR image with contrast based on the local diffusion properties. The DWI pixel intensity is modulated by the hindrance the diffusing water molecules experience. This hindrance is caused by structures in the tissue and reflects the state of the tissue. This characteristic makes DWI a unique and effective tool to gain more insight into the tissue's pathophysiological condition. In the past decades, DWI has made dramatic technical progress, leading to greater acceptance in clinical practice. In the abdominal region, however, acquiring DWI with good quality is challenging because of several reasons, such as large imaging volume, respiratory and other types of motion, and difficulty in achieving homogeneous fat suppression. In this review, we discuss technical advancements from the past decades that help mitigate these problems common in abdominal imaging. We describe the use of scan acceleration techniques such as parallel imaging and compressed sensing to reduce image distortion in echo planar imaging. Then we compare techniques developed to mitigate issues due to respiratory motion, such as free-breathing, respiratory-triggering, and navigator-based approaches. Commonly used fat suppression techniques are also introduced, and their effectiveness is discussed. Additionally, the influence of the abovementioned techniques on image quality is demonstrated. Finally, we discuss the current and future clinical applications of abdominal DWI, such as whole-body DWI, simultaneous multiple-slice excitation, intravoxel incoherent motion, and the use of artificial intelligence. Abdominal DWI has the potential to develop further in the future, thanks to scan acceleration and image quality improvement driven by technological advancements. The accumulation of clinical proof will further drive clinical acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To present electromagnetic simulation setups for detailed analyses of respiration's impact on B1+$$ {B}_1^{+} $$ and E‐fields, local specific absorption rate (SAR) and associated safety‐limits for 7T cardiac imaging. Methods: Finite‐difference time‐domain electromagnetic field simulations were performed at five respiratory states using a breathing body model and a 16‐element 7T body transceiver RF‐coil array. B1+$$ {B}_1^{+} $$ and SAR are analyzed for fixed and moving coil configurations. SAR variations are investigated using phase/amplitude shimming considering (i) a local SAR‐controlled mode (here SAR calculations consider RF amplitudes and phases) and (ii) a channel‐wise power‐controlled mode (SAR boundary calculation is independent of the channels' phases, only dependent on the channels' maximum amplitude). Results: Respiration‐induced variations of both B1+$$ {B}_1^{+} $$ amplitude and phase are observed. The flip angle homogeneity depends on the respiratory state used for B1+$$ {B}_1^{+} $$ shimming; best results were achieved for shimming on inhale and exhale simultaneously (|ΔCV|<35%$$ \mid \Delta CV\mid <35\% $$). The results reflect that respiration impacts position and amplitude of the local SAR maximum. With the local‐SAR‐control mode, a safety factor of up to 1.4 is needed to accommodate for respiratory variations while the power control mode appears respiration‐robust when the coil moves with respiration (SAR peak decrease: 9% exhale→inhale). Instead, a spatially fixed coil setup yields higher SAR variations with respiration. Conclusion: Respiratory motion does not only affect the B1+$$ {B}_1^{+} $$ distribution and hence the image contrast, but also location and magnitude of the peak spatial SAR. Therefore, respiration effects may need to be included in safety analyses of RF coils applied to the human thorax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longitudinally orientated dipoles and microstrip antennas have both demonstrated superior results as RF transmit elements for body imaging at 7 T MRI, and are as of today the most commonly used transmit elements. In this study, the performances of the two antenna concepts were compared for use in local RF antenna arrays by numerical simulations. Antenna elements investigated are the fractionated dipole and the microstrip line with meander structures. Phantom simulations with a single antenna element were performed and evaluated with regard to specific absorption rate (SAR) efficiency in the center of the subject. Simulations of array configurations with 8 and 16 elements were performed with anatomical body models. Both antenna elements were combined with a loop coil to compare hybrid configurations. Singular value decomposition of the B1+ fields, RF shimming, and calculation of the voxel‐wise power and SAR efficiencies were performed in regions of interest with varying sizes to evaluate the transmit performance. The signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) was evaluated to estimate the receive performance. Simulated data show similar transmit profiles for the two antenna types in the center of the phantom (penetration depth > 20 mm). For body imaging, no considerable differences were determined for the different antenna configurations with regard to the transmit performance. Results show the advantage of 16 transmit channels compared with today's commonly used 8‐channel systems (minimum RF shimming excitation error of 4.7% (4.3%) versus 2.7% (2.8%) for the 8‐channel and 16‐channel configurations with the microstrip antennas in a (5 cm)3 cube in the center of a male (female) body model). Highest SNR is achieved for the 16‐channel configuration with fractionated dipoles. The combination of either fractionated dipoles or microstrip antennas with loop coils is more favorable with regard to the transmit performance compared with only increasing the number of elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Respiratory motion‐compensated (MC) 3D cardiac fat‐water imaging at 7T. Methods: Free‐breathing bipolar 3D triple‐echo gradient‐recalled‐echo (GRE) data with radial phase‐encoding (RPE) trajectory were acquired in 11 healthy volunteers (7M\4F, 21–35 years, mean: 30 years) with a wide range of body mass index (BMI; 19.9–34.0 kg/m2) and volunteer tailored B1+ shimming. The bipolar‐corrected triple‐echo GRE‐RPE data were binned into different respiratory phases (self‐navigation) and were used for the estimation of non‐rigid motion vector fields (MF) and respiratory resolved (RR) maps of the main magnetic field deviations (ΔB0). RR ΔB0 maps and MC ΔB0 maps were compared to a reference respiratory phase to assess respiration‐induced changes. Subsequently, cardiac binned fat‐water images were obtained using a model‐based, respiratory motion‐corrected image reconstruction. Results: The 3D cardiac fat‐water imaging at 7T was successfully demonstrated. Local respiration‐induced frequency shifts in MC ΔB0 maps are small compared to the chemical shifts used in the multi‐peak model. Compared to the reference exhale ΔB0 map these changes are in the order of 10 Hz on average. Cardiac binned MC fat‐water reconstruction reduced respiration induced blurring in the fat‐water images, and flow artifacts are reduced in the end‐diastolic fat‐water separated images. Conclusion: This work demonstrates the feasibility of 3D fat‐water imaging at UHF for the entire human heart despite spatial and temporal B1+ and B0 variations, as well as respiratory and cardiac motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main challenges in ultra-high field whole body MRI relates to the uniformity and efficiency of the radiofrequency field. Although recent advances in the design of RF coils have demonstrated that dipole antennas have a current distribution ideally suited to 7T MRI, they are limited by low isolation and poor robustness to loading changes. Multi-layered and self-decoupled loop coils have demonstrated improved RF performance in these areas at lower field MRI but have not been adapted to dipole designs. In this work, we introduce a novel type of RF antenna consisting of integrated multi-modal antenna with coupled radiating structures (I-MARS), which use layered conductors and dielectric substrates to allow dipole and transmission line modes to co-exist on the same compact dipole-shaped structure. The proposed antenna was optimally designed for 7T MRI and compared with existing dipole antennas using numerical simulations, which showed that I-MARS had similar B1 over specific absorption rate efficiency and superior isolation and stability. Subsequently, a prototype pTx coil array was built and tested in vivo on healthy volunteers at 7T. The articulated, modular construction of the I-MARS coil array allowed it to be readily conformed across multiple body regions (hip, knee, shoulder, lumbar spine and prostate), without requiring modification of the tuning and matching of the antennas. Using RF shimming, uniform and efficient excitation was successfully achieved in the acquisition of high-resolution MR images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The coax dipole antenna, a flexible antenna for body imaging at 7T is presented. Similar to the high impedance coil, this coaxial cable antenna is fed on the central conductor and through gaps in the shield, the current passes to the outside of the antenna to generate B1 field. This could achieve more favorable current distributions and better adaptation to the body curvature. Methods: Finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations are performed to optimize the positions of the gaps in the shield for a flat current profile. Lumped inductors are added to each end to reduce losses. The performance of a single antenna is compared to a fractionated dipole using B1 maps and MR thermometry. Finally, an array of eight coax dipoles is evaluated in simulations and used for in‐vivo scanning. Results: An optimal configuration is found with gaps located at 10 cm from the center and inductor values of 28 nH. In comparison to the fractionated dipole antenna, in single antenna phantom measurements the coax dipole achieves similar B1 amplitude with 18% lower peak temperature. In simulations, the eight‐channel array of coax dipoles improved B1 homogeneity by 18%, along with small improvements in transmit efficiency and specific absorption rate (SAR). MRI measurements on three volunteers show more consistent performance for the coax dipoles. Conclusion: The coax dipole is a novel antenna design with a flattened current distribution resulting in beneficial properties. Also, the flexible design of the coax dipoles allows better adaptation to the body curvature and can potentially be used for a wide range of imaging targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: An unmet need in carbon‐13 (13C)‐MRI is a transmit system that provides uniform excitation across a large FOV and can accommodate patients of wide‐ranging body habitus. Due to the small difference between the resonant frequencies, sodium‐23 (23Na) coil developments can inform 13C coil design while being simpler to assess due to the higher naturally abundant 23Na signal. Here we present a removable 23Na birdcage, which also allows operation as a 13C abdominal coil. Methods: We demonstrate a quadrature‐driven 4‐rung 23Na birdcage coil of 50 cm in length for both 23Na and 13C abdominal imaging. The coil transmit efficiencies and B1+ maps were compared to a linearly driven 13C Helmholtz‐based (clamshell) coil. SNR was investigated with 23Na and 13C data using an 8‐channel 13C receive array within the 23Na birdcage. Results: The 23Na birdcage longitudinal FOV was > 40 cm, whereas the 13C clamshell was < 32 cm. The transmit efficiency of the birdcage at the 23Na frequency was 0.65 µT/sqrt(W), similar to the clamshell for 13C. However, the coefficient of variation of 23Na‐B1+ was 16%, nearly half that with the 13C clamshell. The 8‐channel 13C receive array combined with the 23Na birdcage coil generated a greater than twofold increase in 23Na‐SNR from the central abdomen compared with the birdcage alone. Discussion: This 23Na birdcage coil has a larger FOV and improved B1+ uniformity when compared to the widely used clamshell coil design while also providing similar transmit efficiency. The coil has the potential to be used for both 23Na and 13C imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To introduce and investigate a method for free‐breathing three‐dimensional (3D) B1+ mapping of the human body at ultrahigh field (UHF), which can be used to generate homogenous flip angle (FA) distributions in the human body at UHF. Methods: A 3D relative B1+ mapping sequence with a radial phase‐encoding (RPE) k‐space trajectory was developed and applied in 11 healthy subjects at 7T. An RPE‐based actual flip angle mapping method was applied with a dedicated B1+ shim setting to calibrate the relative B1+ maps yielding absolute B1+ maps of the individual transmit channels. The method was evaluated in a motion phantom and by multidimensional in vivo measurements. Additionally, 3D gradient echo scans with and without static phase‐only B1+ shims were used to qualitatively validate B1+ shim predictions. Results: The phantom validation revealed good agreement for B1+ maps between dynamic measurement and static reference acquisition. The proposed 3D method was successfully validated in vivo by comparing magnitude and phase distributions with a 2D Cartesian reference. 3D B1+ maps free from visible motion artifacts were successfully acquired for 11 subjects with body mass indexes ranging from 19 kg/m2 to 34 kg/m2. 3D respiration‐resolved absolute B1+ maps indicated FA differences between inhalation and exhalation up to 15% for one channel and up to 24% for combined channels for shallow breathing. Conclusion: The proposed method provides respiration‐resolved absolute 3D B1+ maps of the human body at UHF, which enables the investigation and development of 3D B1+ shimming and parallel transmission methods to further enhance body imaging at UHF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In computed tomography (CT), organ dose modulation (ODM) reduces radiation exposure from the anterior side to reduce radiation dose received by the radiosensitive organs located anteriorly. We investigated the effects of ODM applied to a part of the scan range on radiation dose in body CT. The thorax and thoraco-abdominopelvic region of an anthropomorphic whole-body phantom were imaged with and without ODM. ODM was applied to various regions, and the tube current modulation curves were compared. Additionally, the dose indices were compared with and without ODM in thoracic and thoraco-abdominopelvic CTs in 800 patients. ODM was applied to the thyroid in male patients and to the thyroid and breast in female patients. In phantom imaging of the thorax, the application of ODM below the scan range decreased the tube current, and that to the breast showed a further decrease. Decreased tube current was also observed in phantom imaging of the thoraco-abdominopelvic regions with ODM below the scan range, and the application of ODM to the whole scan range, thyroid, breast, and both thyroid and breast further reduced the tube current in the region to which ODM was applied. In patient imaging, the dose indices were significantly lower with ODM than without ODM, regardless of the scan range or sex. The absolute reduction in dose-length product was larger for thoraco-abdominopelvic CT (male, 43.2 mGy cm; female, 59.7 mGy cm) than for thoracic CT (male, 30.8 mGy cm; female, 37.6 mGy cm) in both sexes, indicating dose reduction in the abdominopelvic region to which ODM was not applied. In conclusion, The application of ODM in body CT reduces radiation dose not only in the region to which ODM is applied but also outside the region. In radiation dose management, it should be considered that even ODM applied to a limited region affects the dose indices., (© 2024 Society for Radiological Protection. Published on behalf of SRP by IOP Publishing Limited. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.)

Three-dimensional (3D) body imaging has become an important mean for applications based on body measurement, such as apparel customization and obesity assessment. In this article, we present a 3D body imaging system built upon stereovision technology. The system utilizes paired, high-resolution single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras to image the front and back body surfaces of a person, and robust and efficient stereo matching algorithms to reconstruct the 3D surface of the body with high-density data clouds. The system's accuracy and repeatability have been evaluated on mannequins and human subjects in comparison with other measurement methods. It was found that the geometrical measurements from reconstructed 3D body models, including body circumferences and volumes, were highly repeatable and consistent with the manual and other 3D instrumental measurements (CV 2 > 0.99).

The two most common primary liver malignancies that radiologists encounter in clinical practice are hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). However, there are other less common primary hepatic malignancies that radiologists should be aware of. The correct radiographic and pathologic diagnosis of these entities have important treatment and prognostic implications. In this paper, we review a series of five cases that we have encountered in clinical practice at our institution that were initially thought to be HCC or ICC, but turned out to be a rarer primary hepatic malignancy. We will review the radiographic and pathologic characteristics of each of these rare primary hepatic malignancies as well as discuss the prognosis and treatment for each. • The two most common primary liver malignancies are hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. • Hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma make up approximately 85% of primary liver malignancies. • Other less common rare primary hepatic tumors make up the other 15%, which will be discussed in this article. • The correct radiologic diagnosis of rare primary liver tumors can have significant impact on prognosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize the individual contribution of multiple fat peaks to the measured chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) signal when using water-selective binomial-pulse excitation and to determine the effects of multiple fat peaks in the presence of B0 inhomogeneity. Methods: The excitation profiles of multiple binomial pulses were simulated. A CEST sequence with binomial-pulse excitation and modified point-resolved spectroscopy localization was then applied to the in vivo lumbar spinal vertebrae to determine the signal contributions of three distinct groups of lipid resonances. These confounding signal contributions were measured as a function of the irradiation frequency offset to determine the effect of the multi-peak nature of the fat signal on CEST imaging of exchange sites (at 1.0, 2.0 and 3.5 ppm) and robustness in the presence of B0 inhomogeneity. Results: Numerical simulations and in vivo experiments showed that water excitation (WE) using a 1-3-3-1 (WE-4) pulse provided the broadest signal suppression, which provided partial robustness against B0 inhomogeneity effects. Confounding fat signal contributions to the CEST contrasts at 1.0, 2.0 and 3.5 ppm were unavoidable due to the multi-peak nature of the fat signal. However, these CEST sites only suffer from small lipid artifacts with ∆B0 spanning roughly from − 50 to 50 Hz. Especially for the CEST site at 3.5 ppm, the lipid artifacts are smaller than 1% with ∆B0 in this range. Conclusion: In WE-4-based CEST magnetic resonance imaging, B0 inhomogeneity is the limiting factor for fat suppression. The CEST sites at 1.0, 2.0 ppm and 3.5 ppm unavoidably suffer from lipid artifacts. However, when the ∆B0 is confined to a limited range, these CEST sites are only affected by small lipid artifacts, which may be ignorable in some cases of clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of imaging the human torso and to evaluate the performance of several radiofrequency (RF) management strategies at 10.5T. Methods: Healthy volunteers were imaged on a 10.5T whole‐body scanner in multiple target anatomies, including the prostate, hip, kidney, liver, and heart. Phase‐only shimming and spoke pulses were used to demonstrate their performance in managing the B1+ inhomogeneity present at 447 MHz. Imaging protocols included both qualitative and quantitative acquisitions to show the feasibility of imaging with different contrasts. Results: High‐quality images were acquired and demonstrated excellent overall contrast and signal‐to‐noise ratio. The experimental results matched well with predictions and suggested good translational capabilities of the RF management strategies previously developed at 7T. Phase‐only shimming provided increased efficiency, but showed pronounced limitations in homogeneity, demonstrating the need for the increased degrees of freedom made possible through single‐ and multispoke RF pulse design. Conclusion: The first in‐vivo human imaging was successfully performed at 10.5T using previously developed RF management strategies. Further improvement in RF coils, transmit chain, and full integration of parallel transmit functionality are needed to fully realize the benefits of 10.5T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Artifacts caused by strong lipid signals pose challenges in body chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging. This study aimed to develop an accurate water‐fat reconstruction method based on the multi‐echo Dixon technique to remove lipid artifacts in CEST imaging. Theory and Methods: It is well known that fat has multiple spectral peaks. Furthermore, RF pulses in CEST preparation saturate each fat peak at different levels, complicating fat modeling. Therefore, a self‐adapting multi‐peak model (SMPM) is proposed to update relative amplitudes of fat peaks using numerical calculation. With the SMPM‐based updating, nonlinear least‐squares fitting combined with IDEAL (Iterative Decomposition of water and fat with Echo Asymmetry and Least‐squares estimation) algorithms was used for water‐fat reconstruction and B0 mapping. The proposed method was compared with the reported 3‐point Dixon method and the fixed multi‐peak model in a phantom study using a fat‐free Z‐spectrum obtained from MR spectroscopy acquisition as the ground truth. This method was also validated by in vivo experiments on human breast. Results: In the phantom experiments, the Z‐spectrum from the SMPM‐based method agreed well with the fat‐free Z‐spectrum from CEST‐PRESS (point‐resolved spectroscopy), validating the effective removal of lipid artifacts, while a decrease or a rise that appeared at −3.5 ppm was observed in the Z‐spectrum from the 3‐point method and the FMPM‐based method, respectively. In the in vivo experiments, no lipid artifacts were observed in the Z‐spectrum or the amide CEST map from the SMPM‐based method in the fibro‐glandular region of the breast with high fat fractions. Conclusion: The SMPM‐based method successfully removes lipid artifacts and significantly improves the accuracy of CEST contrast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of a specialized MR-compatible incubator (INC) is very poorly described in the literature and only with regard to brain imaging. Objectives. To present our own experience with brain and body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the INC in a large cohort of neonates. Material and methods. A total of 555 examinations were performed in 530 newborns with the use of a 1.5T system and Nomag IC 1.5 incubator, equipped with head and body coils. Results. More than half of neonates (54%) were prematurely born at 22 + 6-36 + 6 gestational weeks. They were examined from the first to 153 days of life (median: 18.5, mean: 37.7) with body weights 600-5000 g (mean: 3051 g), 23% of less than 2500 g. The proportion of brain MRIs to other body regions was 533 : 85 = 86% : 14%. In 36.6% of cases, MRI showed more abnormalities than ultrasound (USG), in a further 21.8%, MRI diagnosis was completely different, in 4.7%, a pathology described on a USG was ruled out on MRI. The superiority of MRI over USG was 63.1%. Conclusions. MR-compatible incubator significantly increased the availability of MRI to newborns, especially to premature and unstable newborns. The integration of body coils into the INC increased the spectrum of examinations and made possible the scanning not only of the brain but also the body. Dedicated neonatal coils improved image quality and allowed more accurate diagnosis than the previously used adult coils. Immobilization of the babies in the INC by means of Velcro belts and head fixation inserts is better than in adult coils. The closed space of the INC isolates newborns to a greater extent from the negative influence of noise in the MR environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A radiologist's search pattern can directly influence patient management. A missed finding is a missed opportunity for intervention. Multiple studies have attempted to describe and quantify search patterns but have mainly focused on chest radiographs and chest CTs. Here, we describe and quantify the visual search patterns of 17 radiologists as they scroll through 6 CTs of the abdomen and pelvis. Search pattern tracings varied among individuals and remained relatively consistent per individual between cases. Attendings and trainees had similar eye metric statistics with respect to time to first fixation (TTFF), number of fixations in the region of interest (ROI), fixation duration in ROI, mean saccadic amplitude, or total number of fixations. Attendings had fewer numbers of fixations per second versus trainees (p < 0.001), suggesting efficiency due to expertise. In those cases that were accurately interpreted, TTFF was shorter (p = 0.04), the number of fixations per second and number of fixations in ROI were higher (p = 0.04, p = 0.02, respectively), and fixation duration in ROI was increased (p = 0.02). We subsequently categorized radiologists as "scanners" or "drillers" by both qualitative and quantitative methods and found no differences in accuracy with most radiologists being categorized as "drillers." This study describes visual search patterns of radiologists in interpretation of CTs of the abdomen and pelvis to better approach future endeavors in determining the effects of manipulations such as fatigue, interruptions, and computer-aided detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To increase the RF coil performance and RF management for body imaging at 10.5 T by validating and evaluating a high-density 16-channel transceiver array, implementing virtual observation points (VOPs), and demonstrating specific absorption rate (SAR) constrained imaging in vivo., Methods: The inaccuracy of the electromagnetic model of the array was quantified based on B 1 + and SAR data. Inter-subject variability was estimated using a new approach based on the relative SAR deviation of different RF shims between human body models. The pTx performance of the 16-channel array was assessed in simulation by comparison to a previously demonstrated 10-channel array. In vivo imaging of the prostate was performed demonstrating SAR-constrained static RF shimming and acquisition modes optimized for refocused echoes (AMORE)., Results: The model inaccuracy of 29% and the inter-subject variability of 85% resulted in a total safety factor of 1.91 for pelvis studies. For renal and cardiac imaging, inter-subject variabilities of 121% and 141% lead to total safety factors of 2.25 and 2.45, respectively. The shorter wavelength at 10.5 T supported the increased element density of the 16-channel array which in turn outperformed the 10-channel version for all investigated metrics. Peak 10 g local SAR reduction of more than 25% without a loss of image quality was achieved in vivo, allowing a theoretical improvement in measurement efficiency of up to 66%., Conclusions: By validating and characterizing a 16-channel dipole transceiver array, this work demonstrates, for the first time, a VOP-enabled RF coil for human torso imaging enabling increased pTx performance at 10.5 T., (© 2023 The Authors. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging of patients who find difficulty lying still or holding their breath can be challenging. Unresolved intra-frame motion yields blurring artifacts and limits spatial resolution. To correct for intra-frame non-rigid motion, such as in pediatric body imaging, this paper describes a multi-scale technique for joint estimation of the motion occurring during the acquisition and of the desired uncorrupted image. This technique regularizes the motion coefficients to enforce invertibility and minimize numerical instability. This multi-scale approach takes advantage of variable-density sampling patterns used in accelerated imaging to resolve large motion from a coarse scale. The resulting method improves image quality for a set of two-dimensional reconstructions from data simulated with independently generated deformations, with statistically significant increases in both peak signal to error ratio and structural similarity index. These improvements are consistent across varying undersampling factors and severities of motion and take advantage of the variable density sampling pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents current best knowledge to assess the projected outcomes benefit of adding multi‐modality surveillance imaging to standard follow‐up care for breast cancer patients at high risk (>30%) for developing future metastases. This analysis is motivated by recent preliminary clinical studies that have suggested that augmenting systemic treatment of early‐stage metastases with targeted surgery and/or radiosurgery achieves significant overall survival and disease‐free survival benefit. Our primary aims are to: (a) describe the clinical motivation and scan parameters needed to identify the early onset of metastatic progression in breast cancer patients for effective surgical or radiosurgical treatment; (b) estimate the anticipated survival benefit for high‐risk patients under this recommended protocol; and (c) estimate the radiation risks associated with the repeated body imaging of this protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This work demonstrates a magnetization prepared diffusion‐weighted single‐shot fast spin echo (SS‐FSE) pulse sequence for the application of body imaging to improve robustness to geometric distortion. This work also proposes a scan averaging technique that is superior to magnitude averaging and is not subject to artifacts due to object phase. Theory and Methods: This single‐shot sequence is robust against violation of the Carr‐Purcell‐Meiboom‐Gill (CPMG) condition. This is achieved by dephasing the signal after diffusion weighting and tipping the MG component of the signal onto the longitudinal axis while the non‐MG component is spoiled. The MG signal component is then excited and captured using a traditional SS‐FSE sequence, although the echo needs to be recalled prior to each echo. Extended Parallel Imaging (ExtPI) averaging is used where coil sensitivities from the multiple acquisitions are concatenated into one large parallel imaging (PI) problem. The size of the PI problem is reduced by SVD‐based coil compression which also provides background noise suppression. This sequence and reconstruction are evaluated in simulation, phantom scans, and in vivo abdominal clinical cases. Results: Simulations show that the sequence generates a stable signal throughout the echo train which leads to good image quality. This sequence is inherently low‐SNR, but much of the SNR can be regained through scan averaging and the proposed ExtPI reconstruction. In vivo results show that the proposed method is able to provide diffusion encoded images while mitigating geometric distortion artifacts compared to EPI. Conclusion: This work presents a diffusion‐prepared SS‐FSE sequence that is robust against the violation of the CPMG condition while providing diffusion contrast in clinical cases. Magn Reson Med 79:3032–3044, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI is increasingly evolving from brain to body applications. One of the known problems in the body imaging is the presence of strong lipid signals. Although their influence on the CEST effect is acknowledged, there was no study that focuses on the interplay among echo time, fat fraction, and Z‐spectrum. This study strives to address these points, with the emphasis on the application in the breast. Methods: Z‐spectra were simulated in phase and out of phase of the main fat peak at −3.4 ppm, with the fat fraction varying from 0 to 100%. The magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry in two ranges, centering at the exchanging pool and at 3.5 ppm approximately opposite the nonexchanging fat pool, were calculated and were plotted against fat fraction. The results were verified in phantoms and in vivo. Results: The results demonstrate the combined influence of fat fraction and echo time on the Z‐spectrum for gradient echo based CEST acquisitions. The influence is straightforward in the in‐phase images, but it is more complicated in the out‐of‐phase images, potentially leading to erroneous CEST contrast. Conclusions: This study provides a basis for understanding the origin and appearance of lipid artifacts in CEST imaging, and lays the foundation for their efficient removal. Magn Reson Med 79:2731–2737, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of compressed sensing for increasing imaging speed in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has raised significant interest among researchers and clinicians, and has initiated a large body of research across multiple clinical applications over the last decade. Compressed sensing aims to reconstruct unaliased images from fewer measurements than are traditionally required in MRI by exploiting image compressibility or sparsity. Moreover, appropriate combinations of compressed sensing with previously introduced fast imaging approaches, such as parallel imaging, have demonstrated further improved performance. The advent of compressed sensing marks the prelude to a new era of rapid MRI, where the focus of data acquisition has changed from sampling based on the nominal number of voxels and/or frames to sampling based on the desired information content. This article presents a brief overview of the application of compressed sensing techniques in body MRI, where imaging speed is crucial due to the presence of respiratory motion along with stringent constraints on spatial and temporal resolution. The first section provides an overview of the basic compressed sensing methodology, including the notion of sparsity, incoherence, and nonlinear reconstruction. The second section reviews state-of-the-art compressed sensing techniques that have been demonstrated for various clinical body MRI applications. In the final section, the article discusses current challenges and future opportunities.Level Of Evidence: 5 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:966-987. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Payesh2009; 8: 279-287Accepted for publication: 15 May 2008[EPub a head of print-20Apr. 2009] Objective(s): To compare body image between patients under hemodialysis treatment and renal transplantation.Methods: Randomly one hundred fifty patients who had hospitalized in renal units affiliated to Tehran and Iran universities of medicals sciences. The method of data collection was interviewing. An interview from including 2 sections and 38 questions has been arranged.Results: Our study showed that 33.3% of hemodialysis patients have had quite negative body imaging, while only 2.7% patients with renal transplantation had negative image about their body. This difference was statistically significant (P

Vindication of the body belongs to great projects of our times and the attention body receives can easily be named as one of the leitmotifs of modern age. Body has been subjected to repression, alienation and taming of its uncontrollable tendencies and wide disregard. Previous epochs left us with the dualism of mind and body, in which the spiritual element has been largely favored as the one connected to the universal truth. In recent times the situation shifted and it is the body that is seen as a source of authenticity and individuality. Attitudes towards the body have changed with the development of modern science, cultural perspective and new knowledge about body and its functions including psychosomatic and psychological. Moreover now-a-days bodies are protected like never before with new technologies. Subsequently bodies have become substituted in interaction with the outside world and estranged.

Sarcopenia encompasses the loss of muscle mass and strength/function during aging. Several methods are available for the estimation of muscle or lean body mass. Popular assessment tools include body imaging techniques (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, dual X-ray absorptiometry, ultrasonography), bioelectric impedance analysis, anthropometric parameters (e.g., calf circumference, mid-arm muscle circumference), and biochemical markers (total or partial body potassium, serum and urinary creatinine, deuterated creatine dilution method). The heterogeneity of the populations to be evaluated as well as the setting in which sarcopenia is investigated impacts the definition of 'gold standard' assessment techniques. The aim of this article is to critically review available methods for muscle mass estimation, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of each of them as well as their proposed field of application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To explore the potential of performing body imaging at 10.5 Tesla (T) compared with 7.0T through evaluating the transmit/receive performance of similarly configured dipole antenna arrays. Methods Fractionated dipole antenna elements for 10.5T body imaging were designed and evaluated using numerical simulations. Transmit performance of antenna arrays inside the prostate, kidneys and heart were investigated and compared with those at 7.0T using both phase-only radiofrequency (RF) shimming and multi-spoke pulses. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) comparisons were also performed. A 10-channel antenna array was constructed to image the abdomen of a swine at 10.5T. Numerical methods were validated with phantom studies at both field strengths. Results Similar power efficiencies were observed inside target organs with phase-only shimming, but RF nonuniformity was significantly higher at 10.5T. Spokes RF pulses allowed similar transmit performance with accompanying local specific absorption rate increases of 25-90% compared with 7.0T. Relative SNR gains inside the target anatomies were calculated to be >two-fold higher at 10.5T, and 2.2-fold SNR gain was measured in a phantom. Gradient echo and fast spin echo imaging demonstrated the feasibility of body imaging at 10.5T with the designed array. Conclusion While comparable power efficiencies can be achieved using dipole antenna arrays with static shimming at 10.5T; increasing RF nonuniformities underscore the need for efficient, robust, and safe parallel transmission methods. Magn Reson Med 77:434-443, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to document and review advances and groundbreaking progress in cardiac and body MR at ultrahigh fields (UHF, B0 ≥ 7.0 T) with the goal to attract talent, clinical adopters, collaborations and resources to the biomedical and diagnostic imaging communities. This review surveys traits, advantages and challenges of cardiac and body MR at 7.0 T. The considerations run the gamut from technical advances to clinical opportunities. Key concepts, emerging technologies, practical considerations, frontier applications and future directions of UHF body and cardiac MR are provided. Examples of UHF cardiac and body imaging strategies are demonstrated. Their added value over the kindred counterparts at lower fields is explored along with an outline of research promises. The achievements of cardiac and body UHF-MR are powerful motivators and enablers, since extra speed, signal and imaging capabilities may be invested to overcome the fundamental constraints that continue to hamper traditional cardiac and body MR applications. If practical obstacles, concomitant physics effects and technical impediments can be overcome in equal measure, sophisticated cardiac and body UHF-MR will help to open the door to new MRI and MRS approaches for basic research and clinical science, with the lessons learned at 7.0 T being transferred into broad clinical use including diagnostics and therapy guiding at lower fields. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant effect, independent of patient size, of patient vertical centering on the current-modulated CT scanner radiation output in adult abdominopelvic CT. A phantom was used to evaluate calculation of vertical positioning and effective diameter at five different table heights. In addition, 656 consecutive contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic scans using the same protocol and automatic tube current modulation settings on a Philips Brilliance 64 MDCT scanner were retrospectively evaluated. The vertical position of the patient center of mass and the average effective diameter of the scanned patient were computed using the reconstructed images. The average volume CT dose index (CTDI) for each scan was recorded. The mean patient center of mass y coordinate ranged from −3.7 to 6.7 cm (mean ± SD, 2.8 ± 1.2 cm), indicating that patients were on average positioned slightly below the scanner isocenter. There was a slight tendency for smaller patients to be mis-centered lower than larger patients. Average CTDI closely fit a quadratic regression curve with respect to mean effective diameter. However, the value of the regression coefficient relating CTDI to the patient's vertical position was nearly zero, indicating only a very slight increase in CTDI with patient mis-centering for the scanner used in this study. The techniques used here may be useful both for automated evaluation of proper patient positioning in CT and for estimating the radiation dose effects of patient mis-centering for any CT scanner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract.

Since its first observation in the 18th century, the diffusion phenomenon has been actively studied by many researchers. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a technique to probe the diffusion of water molecules and create a MR image with contrast based on the local diffusion properties. The DWI pixel intensity is modulated by the hindrance the diffusing water molecules experience. This hindrance is caused by structures in the tissue and reflects the state of the tissue. This characteristic makes DWI a unique and effective tool to gain more insight into the tissue's pathophysiological condition. In the past decades, DWI has made dramatic technical progress, leading to greater acceptance in clinical practice. In the abdominal region, however, acquiring DWI with good quality is challenging because of several reasons, such as large imaging volume, respiratory and other types of motion, and difficulty in achieving homogeneous fat suppression. In this review, we discuss technical advancements from the past decades that help mitigate these problems common in abdominal imaging. We describe the use of scan acceleration techniques such as parallel imaging and compressed sensing to reduce image distortion in echo planar imaging. Then we compare techniques developed to mitigate issues due to respiratory motion, such as free-breathing, respiratory-triggering, and navigator-based approaches. Commonly used fat suppression techniques are also introduced, and their effectiveness is discussed. Additionally, the influence of the abovementioned techniques on image quality is demonstrated. Finally, we discuss the current and future clinical applications of abdominal DWI, such as whole-body DWI, simultaneous multiple-slice excitation, intravoxel incoherent motion, and the use of artificial intelligence. Abdominal DWI has the potential to develop further in the future, thanks to scan acceleration and image quality improvement driven by technological advancements. The accumulation of clinical proof will further drive clinical acceptance.

Purpose Dipole antennas in ultrahigh field MRI have demonstrated advantages over more conventional designs. In this study, the fractionated dipole antenna is presented: a dipole where the legs are split into segments that are interconnected by capacitors or inductors. Methods A parameter study has been performed on dipole antenna length using numerical simulations. A subsequent simulation study investigates the optimal intersegment capacitor/inductor value. The resulting optimal design has been constructed and compared to a previous design, the single-side adapted dipole (SSAD) by simulations and measurements. An array of eight elements has been constructed for prostate imaging on four subjects (body mass index 20-27.5) using 8 × 2 kW amplifiers. Results For prostate imaging at 7T, lowest peak local specific-absorption rate (SAR) levels are achieved if the antenna is 30 cm or longer. A fractionated dipole antenna design with inductors between segments has been chosen to achieve even lower SAR levels and more homogeneous receive sensitivities. Conclusion With the new design, good quality prostate images are acquired. SAR levels are reduced by 41% to 63% in comparison to the SSAD. Coupling levels are moderate (average nearest neighbor: −14.6 dB) for each subject and prostate levels range from 12 to 18 μT. Magn Reson Med 75:1366-1374, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of high-field whole-body systems, advances in gradient performance and refinement of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-efficient short-TE sequences suitable for sodium imaging have led to a resurgence of interest in sodium imaging for body applications. With this renewed interest has come increased demand for SNR-efficient sodium coils. Efficient coils can significantly increase SNR in sodium imaging, allowing higher resolutions and/or shorter scan times. In this work, we focus on body imaging applications of sodium MRI, and review developments in MRI radiofrequency (RF) coil topologies for sodium imaging. We first provide a brief discussion of RF coil design considerations in sodium imaging. This is followed by an overview of common coil topologies, their advantages and disadvantages, and examples of each. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: In 1988, the first contrast agent specifically designed for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), gadopentetate dimeglumine (Magnevist(®)), became available for clinical use. Since then, a plethora of studies have investigated the potential of MRI contrast agents for diagnostic imaging across the body, including the central nervous system, heart and circulation, breast, lungs, the gastrointestinal, genitourinary, musculoskeletal and lymphatic systems, and even the skin. Today, after 25 years of contrast-enhanced (CE-) MRI in clinical practice, the utility of this diagnostic imaging modality has expanded beyond initial expectations to become an essential tool for disease diagnosis and management worldwide. CE-MRI continues to evolve, with new techniques, advanced technologies, and novel contrast agents bringing exciting opportunities for more sensitive, targeted imaging and improved patient management, along with associated clinical challenges. This review aims to provide an overview on the history of MRI and contrast media development, to highlight certain key advances in the clinical development of CE-MRI, to outline current technical trends and clinical challenges, and to suggest some important future perspectives.Funding: Bayer HealthCare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Transmembrane sodium ((23)Na) gradient is critical for cell survival and viability and a target for the development of anti-cancer drugs and treatment as it serves as a signal transducer. The ability to integrate abdominal (23)Na MRI in clinical settings would be useful to non-invasively detect and diagnose a number of diseases in various organ systems. Our goal in this work was to enhance the quality of (23)Na MRI of the abdomen using a 3-Tesla MR scanner and a novel 8-channel phased-array dual-tuned (23)Na and (1)H transmit (Tx)/receive (Rx) coil specially designed to image a large abdomen region with relatively high SNR.Methods: A modified GRE imaging sequence was optimized for (23)Na MRI to obtain the best possible combination of SNR, spatial resolution, and scan time in phantoms as well as volunteers. Tissue sodium concentration (TSC) of the whole abdomen was calculated from the inhomogeneity-corrected (23)Na MRI for absolute quantification. In addition, in vivo reproducibility and reliability of TSC measurements from (23)Na MRI was evaluated in normal volunteers.Results: (23)Na axial images of the entire abdomen with a high spatial resolution (0.3 cm) and SNR (~20) in 15 min using the novel 8-channel dual-tuned (23)Na and (1)H transmit/receive coil were obtained. Quantitative analysis of the sodium images estimated a mean TSC of the liver to be 20.13 mM in healthy volunteers.Conclusion: Our results have shown that it is feasible to obtain high-resolution (23)Na images using a multi-channel surface coil with good SNR in clinically acceptable scan times in clinical practice for various body applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]