Imaging freely moving subjects using continuous interleaved orthogonal magnetic resonance imaging

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Radiology

Background:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly used for diagnosing fetal developmental abnormalities.
• Current MRI fetal imaging is limited by the challenge of imaging freely moving subjects, making it less effective than ultrasound.
• Artifacts in MRI can arise from the long T1 relaxation times in fluid environments like amniotic fluid.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an MRI approach to overcome the limitations of imaging moving fetuses.
• To enable rapid and interactive scan plane localization and orientation confirmation in fetal subjects.
• To optimize MRI acquisition parameters to minimize artifacts in fluid environments.

Main Methods:

• Interleaving orthogonal MRI image acquisitions.
• Deriving equations to optimize tip angles for minimizing artifacts in fluid environments.
• Minimizing acquisition-to-display delay and avoiding segmented reconstruction for high temporal resolution.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated interactive scan plane localization on a moving subject.
• Achieved high temporal resolution imaging.
• Confirmed image plane orientation relative to the subject during acquisition.

Conclusions:

• The proposed MRI technique effectively addresses the challenge of imaging moving fetuses.
• This method allows for interactive scan plane localization and high-quality fetal imaging.
• Optimized acquisition strategies minimize artifacts, enhancing diagnostic utility in fetal development assessment.