Browsing by Subject "Quantitative Imaging"

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    Evaluation of variable flip angle, MOLLI, SASHA, and IR-SNAPSHOT pulse sequences for T1 relaxometry and extracellular volume imaging of the pancreas and liver
    (Elsevier, 2019-06-04) Tirkes, Temel; Zhao, Xuandong; Lin, Chen; Stuckey, Alex Jordan; Li, Liang; Giri, Shivriman; Nickel, Dominik; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    Purpose Compare four T1 mapping pulse sequences for T1 relaxometry and extracellular volume (ECV) fraction of the pancreas and liver Materials and Methods In vitro phase of this prospective study was performed on a T1 phantom, followed by imaging twenty-two patients. Variable flip angle (VFA), modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI), prototype saturation recovery single-shot acquisition (SASHA), and prototype inversion recovery (IR-SNAPSHOT) pulse sequences were used to obtain T1 and ECV maps on the same 1.5T MR scanner using the same imaging protocol. Results In vitro tests showed almost perfect precision of MOLLI (ρc=0.9998), SASHA (ρc=0.9985) and IR-SNAPSHOT (ρc=0.9976) while VFA showed relatively less, however substantial precision (ρc=0.9862). Results of patient scans showed similar ECV fraction of the liver (p=0.08), pancreas (p=0.43), and T1 of the liver (p=0.08) with all pulse sequences. T1 of the pancreas with MOLLI, SASHA and IR-SNAPSHOT were statistically similar (p>0.05). Conclusion MOLLI, SASHA and IR-SNAPSHOT provided almost perfect in vitro precision and similar T1 during in vivo scans. Similar ECV fractions of the liver and pancreas were obtained with all sequences. More refinement of pulse sequences to provide sufficient spatial coverage in one breath hold together with high precision would be desirable in abdominal imaging.
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    Normal T1 relaxometry and extracellular volume of the pancreas in subjects with no pancreas disease: correlation with age and gender
    (Springer, 2019-05-28) Tirkes, Temel; Mitchell, Jacob R.; Li, Liang; Zhao, Xuandong; Lin, Chen; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    OBJECTIVE Determine normal T1 and extracellular volume (ECV) of the pancreas in subjects with no pancreas disease and correlate with age and gender SUBJECTS AND METHODS We imaged 120 healthy subjects (age range: 20-78 years) who are on annual screening with MRI/MRCP for the possibility of pancreatic cancer. Subjects had a predisposition to develop pancreatic cancer, but no history of pancreas disease or acute symptoms. Equal number (n=60) of subjects were scanned on either 1.5 T or 3 T scanner using dual flip angle spoiled gradient echo technique incorporating fat suppression and correction for B1 field inhomogeneity. Optimization of imaging parameters were performed using a T1 phantom. ECV was calculated using pre- and post-contrast T1 of the pancreas and plasma. Regression analysis and Mann-Whitney tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Median T1 on 1.5 T was 654 ms (IQR: 608-700); median T1 on 3 T was 717 ms (IQR: 582-850); median ECV on 1.5 T was 0.28 (IQR: 0.21-0.33) and median ECV on 3 T was 0.25 (IQR: 0.19-0.28). Age had a mild positive correlation with T1 (r= 0.24, p= 0.009), but not with ECV (r= 0.06, p=0.54). T1 and ECV were similar in both genders (p >0.05). CONCLUSION This study measured the median T1 and ECV of the pancreas in subjects with no pancreas disease. Pancreas shows longer T1 relaxation times in older population, whereas extracellular fraction remains unchanged. Median T1 values were different between two magnet strengths; however, no difference was seen between genders and ECV fractions.