MR temperature imaging using PRF phase difference and a geometric model-based fat suppression method.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biophysics
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background:

• Proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS)-based MR thermometry is hindered by fat's lack of temperature-dependent frequency shift.
• Fat and lipid presence introduces disturbances in PRFS thermometry, affecting accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel fat suppression method for PRFS-based MR thermometry.
• To achieve accurate phase angle variation measurements in the presence of fat.

Main Methods:

• The method utilizes complex MR image scanning, similar to the two-point Dixon technique, for reference and temperature-dependent data.
• Geometric relationships are applied to the conventional PRFS method to eliminate fat's influence on phase angle variation.

Main Results:

• Temperature mapping was tested using phantoms with varying water-to-fat ratios.
• Experimental results demonstrated consistent temperature images across different phantoms under identical conditions.

Conclusions:

• The developed fat suppression method is straightforward and effective for PRFS-based MR thermometry.
• This technique enhances the reliability of MR thermometry in biological tissues containing fat.