Top

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine

Published in:

01-02-2017 | Research Article

Diffusion-weighted echo planar MR imaging of the neck at 3 T using integrated shimming: comparison of MR sequence techniques for reducing artifacts caused by magnetic-field inhomogeneities

Authors: Sergios Gatidis, Hansjörg Graf, Jakob Weiß, Alto Stemmer, Berthold Kiefer, Konstantin Nikolaou, Mike Notohamiprodjo, Petros Martirosian

Published in: Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine | Issue 1/2017

Abstract

Objective

Our objective was to compare available techniques reducing artifacts in echo planar imaging (EPI)-based diffusion-weighed magnetic resonance imaging MRI (DWI) of the neck at 3 Tesla caused by B0-field inhomogeneities.

Materials and methods

A cylindrical fat–water phantom was equipped with a Maxwell coil allowing for additional linear B0-field variations in z-direction. The effect of increasing strength of this superimposed gradient on image quality was observed using a standard single-shot EPI-based DWI sequence (sEPI), a zoomed single-shot EPI sequence (zEPI), a readout-segmented EPI sequence (rsEPI), and an sEPI sequence with integrated dynamic shimming (intEPI) on a 3-Tesla system. Additionally, ten volunteers were examined over the neck region using these techniques. Image quality was assessed by two radiologists. Scan durations were recorded.

Results

With increasing strength of the external gradient, marked distortions, signal loss, and failure of fat suppression were observed using sEPI, zEPI, and rsEPI. These artifacts were markedly reduced using intEPI. Significantly better in vivo image quality was also observed using intEPI compared with the other techniques. Scan time of intEPI was similar to sEPI and zEPI and shorter than rsEPI.

Conclusion

The use of integrated 2D shim and frequency adjustment for EPI-based DWI results in a significant improvement in image quality of the head/neck region at 3 Tesla. Combining integrated shimming with rsEPI or zEPI can be expected to provide additional improvements.

Padhani AR, Koh DM, Collins DJ (2011) Whole-body diffusion-weighted MR imaging in cancer: current status and research directions. Radiology 261(3):700–718CrossRefPubMed

Fung SH, Roccatagliata L, Gonzalez RG, Schaefer PW (2011) MR diffusion imaging in ischemic stroke. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 21(2):345–377

Thoeny HC, De Keyzer F, King AD (2012) Diffusion-weighted MR imaging in the head and neck. Radiology 263(1):19–32CrossRefPubMed

Filipe JP, Curvo-Semedo L, Casalta-Lopes J, Marques MC, Caseiro-Alves F (2013) Diffusion-weighted imaging of the liver: usefulness of ADC values in the differential diagnosis of focal lesions and effect of ROI methods on ADC measurements. Magn Reson Mater Phy 26(3):303–312CrossRef

Skare S, Newbould RD, Clayton DB, Albers GW, Nagle S, Bammer R (2007) Clinical multishot DW-EPI through parallel imaging with considerations of susceptibility, motion, and noise. Magn Reson Med 57(5):881–890CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Ahlhelm F, Hagen T, Schneider G, Dorenbeck U, Nabhan A, Reith W (2004) ADC mapping of normal human brain. Med Sci Monit 10(11):MT121–M125

Yoshikawa T, Kawamitsu H, Mitchell DG, Ohno Y, Ku Y, Seo Y, Fujii M, Sugimura K (2006) ADC measurement of abdominal organs and lesions using parallel imaging technique. AJR Am J Roentgenol 187(6):1521–1530CrossRefPubMed

Porter DA, Heidemann RM (2009) High resolution diffusion-weighted imaging using readout-segmented echo-planar imaging, parallel imaging and a two-dimensional navigator-based reacquisition. Magn Reson Med 62(2):468–475CrossRefPubMed

Riffel P, Michaely HJ, Morelli JN, Pfeuffer J, Attenberger UI, Schoenberg SO, Haneder S (2014) Zoomed EPI-DWI of the pancreas using two-dimensional spatially-selective radiofrequency excitation pulses. PLoS One 9(3):e89468CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

10.

Thierfelder KM, Scherr MK, Notohamiprodjo M, Weiss J, Dietrich O, Mueller-Lisse UG, Pfeuffer J, Nikolaou K, Theisen D (2014) Diffusion-weighted MRI of the prostate: advantages of Zoomed EPI with parallel-transmit-accelerated 2D-selective excitation imaging. Eur Radiol 24(12):3233–3241CrossRefPubMed

11.

Holdsworth SJ, Yeom K, Skare S, Gentles AJ, Barnes PD, Bammer R (2011) Clinical application of readout-segmented- echo-planar imaging for diffusion-weighted imaging in pediatric brain. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 32(7):1274–1279CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

12.

Blamire AM, Rothman DL, Nixon T (1996) Dynamic shim updating: a new approach towards optimized whole brain shimming. Magn Reson Med 36(1):159–165CrossRefPubMed

13.

Lee SK, Tan ET, Govenkar A, Hancu I (2014) Dynamic slice-dependent shim and center frequency update in 3 T breast diffusion weighted imaging. Magn Reson Med 71(5):1813–1818CrossRefPubMed

14.

Zhang H, Xue H, Alto S, Hui L, Kannengiesser S, Berthold K, Jin Z (2015) Integrated shimming improves lesion detection in whole-body diffusion-weighted examinations of patients with plasma disorder at 3 T. Invest Radiol 51(5):297–305

15.

Koyasu S, Iima M, Umeoka S, Morisawa N, Porter DA, Ito J, Le Bihan D, Togashi K (2014) The clinical utility of reduced-distortion readout-segmented echo-planar imaging in the head and neck region: initial experience. Eur Radiol 24(12):3088–3096CrossRefPubMed

16.

Schick F, Forster J, Machann J, Huppert P, Claussen CD (1997) Highly selective water and fat imaging applying multislice sequences without sensitivity to B1 field inhomogeneities. Magn Reson Med 38(2):269–274CrossRefPubMed

17.

Barth BK, Cornelius A, Nanz D, Eberli D, Donati OF (2015) Diffusion-weighted imaging of the prostate: image quality and geometric distortion of readout-segmented versus selective-excitation accelerated acquisitions. Invest Radiol 50(11):785–791CrossRefPubMed

18.

Stemmer A, Kiefer B (2015) Combination of integrated slice-specific dynamic shimming and pixel-wise unwarping of residual epi distortions. Proc Intl Soc Mag Reson, Med

Title: Diffusion-weighted echo planar MR imaging of the neck at 3 T using integrated shimming: comparison of MR sequence techniques for reducing artifacts caused by magnetic-field inhomogeneities
Authors: Sergios Gatidis
Hansjörg Graf
Jakob Weiß
Alto Stemmer
Berthold Kiefer
Konstantin Nikolaou
Mike Notohamiprodjo
Petros Martirosian
Publication date: 01-02-2017
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine / Issue 1/2017
Print ISSN: 0968-5243
Electronic ISSN: 1352-8661
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-016-0582-z

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Diffusion-weighted echo planar MR imaging of the neck at 3 T using integrated shimming: comparison of MR sequence techniques for reducing artifacts caused by magnetic-field inhomogeneities

Abstract

Objective

Materials and methods

Results

Conclusion

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objective

Materials and methods

Results

Conclusion

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

Influence of spatial resolution and contrast agent dosage on myocardial T1 relaxation times

A USPIO doped gel phantom for R2* relaxometry

Assessing the accuracy of using oscillating gradient spin echo sequences with AxCaliber to infer micron-sized axon diameters

Erratum to: Thin film based semi-active resonant marker design for low profile interventional cardiovascular MRI devices

3D single point imaging with compressed sensing provides high temporal resolution R 2* mapping for in vivo preclinical applications

Thin film based semi-active resonant marker design for low profile interventional cardiovascular MRI devices