title: ViP MRI: virtual phantom magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The ability to generate reference signals is of great benefit for quantitation of the magnetic resonance (MR) signal. The aim of the present study was to implement a dedicated experimental set-up to generate MR images of virtual phantoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Virtual phantoms of a given shape and signal intensity were designed and the k-space representation was generated. A waveform generator converted the k-space lines into a radiofrequency (RF) signal that was transmitted to the MR scanner bore by a dedicated RF coil. The k-space lines of the virtual phantom were played line-by-line in synchronization with the magnetic resonance imaging data acquisition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Virtual phantoms of complex patterns were reproduced well in MR images without the presence of artifacts. Time-series measurements showed a coefficient of variation below 1% for the signal intensity of the virtual phantoms. An excellent linearity (coefficient of determination r (2) = 0.997 as assessed by linear regression) was observed in the signal intensity of virtual phantoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Virtual phantoms represent an attractive alternative to physical phantoms for providing a reference signal. MR images of virtual phantoms were here generated using a stand-alone, independent unit that can be employed with MR scanners from different vendors.
authors: UMR 1099, INSERM, 35000, Rennes, France, herve.saint-jalmes@univ-rennes1.fr.
authors: Hervé
authors: H
authors: Saint-Jalmes
authors: Pierre-Antoine
authors: PA
authors: Eliat
authors: Johanne
authors: J
authors: Bezy-Wendling
authors: Alejandro
authors: A
authors: Bordelois
authors: Giulio
authors: G
authors: Gambarota
mesh_terms: D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014584:User-Computer Interface