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Quantification and localization of contrast agents using delta relaxation enhanced magnetic resonance at 1.5 T

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Abstract

Object

Delta relaxation enhanced magnetic resonance (dreMR) is a new imaging technique based on the idea of cycling the magnetic field B 0 during an imaging sequence. The method determines the field dependency of the relaxation rate (relaxation dispersion dR 1/dB). This quantity is of particular interest in contrast agent imaging because the parameter can be used to determine contrast agent concentrations and increases the ability to localize the contrast agent.

Materials and methods

In this paper dreMR imaging was implemented on a clinical 1.5 T MR scanner combining conventional MR imaging with fast field-cycling. Two improvements to dreMR theory are presented describing the quantification of contrast agent concentrations from dreMR data and a correction for field-cycling with finite ramp times.

Results

Experiments demonstrate the use of the extended theory and show the measurement of contrast agent concentrations with the dreMR method. A second experiment performs localization of a contrast agent with a significant improvement in comparison to conventional imaging.

Conclusion

dreMR imaging has been extended by a method to quantify contrast agent concentrations and improved for field-cycling with finite ramp times. Robust localization of contrast agents using dreMR imaging has been performed in a sample where conventional imaging delivers inconclusive results.

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Acknowledgments

This work was performed with support from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research under Award No 01EZ0816, Siemens Healthcare Sector Erlangen and the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology. We thank Gunthard Lykowsky for his support with the RF birdcage coil and Philipp Kagerbauer for sample preparation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Magnetic Resonance Bavaria (MRB), Würzburg, Germany

    Uvo Christoph Hoelscher, Steffen Lother, Florian Fidler, Martin Blaimer & Peter Jakob

  2. Department of Experimental Physics 5, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

    Peter Jakob

Authors
  1. Uvo Christoph Hoelscher
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  2. Steffen Lother
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  3. Florian Fidler
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  4. Martin Blaimer
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  5. Peter Jakob
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Uvo Christoph Hoelscher.

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Hoelscher, U.C., Lother, S., Fidler, F. et al. Quantification and localization of contrast agents using delta relaxation enhanced magnetic resonance at 1.5 T. Magn Reson Mater Phy 25, 223–231 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-011-0291-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-011-0291-6

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