Improved MRI thermometry with multiple-echo spirals.
Low-bandwidth PRF shift thermometry is used to guide HIFU ablation treatments. Low sampling bandwidth is needed for high signal-to-noise ratio with short acquisition times, but can lead to off-resonance artifacts. In this work, improved multiple-echo thermometry is presented that allows for high bandwidth and reduced artifacts. It is also demonstrated with spiral sampling, to improve the trade-off between resolution, speed, and measurement precision.



Four multiple-echo thermometry sequences were tested in vivo, one using two-dimensional Fourier transform (2DFT) sampling and three using spirals. The spiral sequences were individually optimized for resolution, for speed, and for precision. Multifrequency reconstruction was used to correct for off-resonance spiral artifacts. Additionally, two different multiecho temperature reconstructions were compared.



Weighted combination of per-echo phase differences gave significantly better precision than least squares off-resonance estimation. Multiple-echo 2DFT sequence obtained precision similar to single-echo 2DFT, while greatly increasing sampling bandwidth. The multiecho spiral acquisitions achieved 2× better resolution, 2.9× better uncertainty, or 3.4× faster acquisition time, without negatively impacting the other two design parameters as compared to single-echo 2DFT.



Multiecho spiral thermometry greatly improves the capabilities of temperature monitoring, and could improve transcranial treatment monitoring capabilities. Magn Reson Med 76:747-756, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Michael
M
Marx
Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Kim
K
Butts Pauly
D000465:Algorithms; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013696:Temperature; D013817:Thermography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
HIFU; MR thermometry; multiple echo; spiral MRI