Convertible pneumatic actuator for magnetic resonance elastography of the brain.
Here we present a novel pneumatic actuator design for brain magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). Magnetic resonance elastography is a phase contrast technique capable of tracing strain wave propagation and utilizing this information for the calculation of mechanical properties of materials and living tissues. In MRE experiments, the acoustic waves are generated in a synchronized way with respect to image acquisition, using various types of mechanical actuators. The unique feature of the design is its simplicity and flexibility, which allows reconfiguration of the actuator for different applications ranging from in vivo brain MRE to experiments with phantoms. Phantom and in vivo data are presented to demonstrate actuator performance.
Latta
Peter
P
Institute for Biodiagnostics, National Research Council of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 1Y6. peter.latta@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Gruwel
Marco L H
ML
Debergue
Patricia
P
Matwiy
Brendon
B
Sboto-Frankenstein
Uta N
UN
Tomanek
Boguslaw
B
D000388:Air; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D055119:Elastic Modulus / Q000502:physiology; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014159:Transducers