title: Development of a robust method for generating 7.0 T multichannel phase images of the brain with application to normal volunteers and patients with neurological diseases.
abstract: The increased susceptibility effects and high signal-to-noise ratio at 7.0 T enable imaging of the brain using the phase of the magnetic resonance signal. This study describes and evaluates a robust method for calculating phase images from gradient-recalled echo (GRE) scans. The GRE scans were acquired at 7.0 T using an eight-channel receive coil at spatial resolutions up to 0.195 x 0.260 x 2.00 mm. The entire 7.0 T protocol took less than 10 min. Data were acquired from forty-seven subjects including clinical patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or brain tumors. The phase images were post-processed using a fully automated phase unwrapping algorithm that combined the data from the different channels. The technique was used to create the first phase images of MS patients at any field strength and the first phase images of brain tumor patients above 1.5 T. The clinical images showed novel contrast in MS plaques and depicted microhemorrhages and abnormal vasculature in brain tumors with unsurpassed resolution and contrast.
authors: University of California San Francisco/Berkeley Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA 94158-2532, USA. katehammond@berkeley.edu
authors: Kathryn E
authors: KE
authors: Hammond
authors: Janine M
authors: JM
authors: Lupo
authors: Duan
authors: D
authors: Xu
authors: Meredith
authors: M
authors: Metcalf
authors: Douglas A C
authors: DA
authors: Kelley
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Pelletier
authors: Susan M
authors: SM
authors: Chang
authors: Pratik
authors: P
authors: Mukherjee
authors: Daniel B
authors: DB
authors: Vigneron
authors: Sarah J
authors: SJ
authors: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology; D002550:Cerebral Veins / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D012016:Reference Values