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A USPIO doped gel phantom for R2* relaxometry

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Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

This work describes a phantom containing regions of controlled R2* (1/T2*) values to provide a stable reference object for testing implementations of R2* relaxometry commonly used for liver and heart iron assessments.

Materials and methods

A carrageenan-strengthened gadolinium DTPA doped agarose gel was used to enclose nine gels additionally doped with ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide. R2* values were determined at 1.5 T using multi-echo GRE sequences and exponential regression of pixel values from a region of interest against echo time using non-linear regression algorithms. We measured R2*, R2 and R1 values and the inter-scan and inter-operator reproducibility.

Results

The phantom reliably demonstrated R2* values in seven steps between 22.4 s−1 (SE 1.98) and 441.9 s−1 (SE 6.76), with an R2* relaxivity (r2*) of 792 (SE 5.6) mM−1 s−1. The doped gels displayed a concentration-dependent R2ʹ component of R2* phantom, indicating superparamagnetic enhancement effects. We observed no significant change in relaxivity (r2*) over 12 months, and estimate a useful life of 3 years. Detailed descriptions of the production process and calculators are been provided as Online Resources.

Conclusion

The phantom provides a durable test object with controlled R2* relaxation behaviour, useful for a range of R2* relaxometry reference work.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the following colleagues for their valuable assistance. Dr. Yasvir Tesiram Ph.D. and Dr. Viktor Vegh Ph.D. for their critical review of the text, Dr. Rajiv Bhalla Ph.D. for laboratory support and skills training, Dr. Katie McMahon Ph.D. for statistical advice, and Dr. Taracad K. Venkatachalam Ph.D. DSc. for insights into gel chemistry and material control. The work is supported by a University of Queensland Research Scholarship, and employed equipment of the Australian National Imaging Facility.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Building 57, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Gregory C. Brown & Gary J. Cowin

  2. Translational Research Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

    Graham J. Galloway

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  1. Gregory C. Brown
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  2. Gary J. Cowin
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  3. Graham J. Galloway
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Correspondence to Gregory C. Brown.

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This manuscript does not contain patient data or make use of human or animal imaging. The work has been conducted according to The University of Queensland's standards of research and academic integrity.

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Brown, G.C., Cowin, G.J. & Galloway, G.J. A USPIO doped gel phantom for R2* relaxometry. Magn Reson Mater Phy 30, 15–27 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-016-0576-x

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