Measurement of sub-zero temperatures in MRI using T₁ temperature sensitive soft silicone materials: Applications for...

One standard method, proton resonance frequency shift, for measuring temperature using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in MRI-guided surgeries, fails completely below the freezing point of water. Because of this, we have developed a new methodology for monitoring temperature with MRI below freezing. The purpose of this paper is to show that a strong temperature dependence of the nuclear relaxation time T₁ in soft silicone polymers can lead to temperature-dependent changes of MRI intensity acquired with T₁ weighting. We propose the use of silicone filaments inserted in tissue for measuring temperature during MRI-guided cryoablations.

The temperature dependence of T₁ in bio-compatible soft silicone polymers was measured using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and MRI. Phantoms, made of bulk silicone materials and put in an MRI-compatible thermal container with dry ice, allowed temperature measurements ranging from -60°C to + 20°C. T₁ -weighted gradient echo images of the phantoms were acquired at spatially uniform temperatures and with a gradient in temperature to determine the efficacy of using these materials as temperature indicators in MRI. Ex vivo experiments on silicone rods, 4 mm in diameter, inserted in animal tissue were conducted to assess the practical feasibility of the method.

Measurements of nuclear relaxation times of protons in soft silicone polymers show a monotonic, nearly linear, change with temperature (R²  > 0.98) and have a significant correlation with temperature (Pearson's r > 0.99, p < 0.01). Similarly, the intensity of the MR images in these materials, taken with a gradient echo sequence, are also temperature dependent. There is again a monotonic change in MRI intensity that correlates well with the measured temperature (Pearson's r < -0.98 and p < 0.01). The MRI experiments show that a temperature change of 3°C can be resolved in a distance of about 2.5 mm. Based on MRI images and external sensor calibrations for a sample with a gradient in temperature, temperature maps with 3°C isotherms are created for a bulk phantom. Experiments demonstrate that these changes in MRI intensity with temperature can also be seen in 4 mm silicone rods embedded in ex vivo animal tissue.

We have developed a new method for measuring temperature in MRI that potentially could be used during MRI-guided cryoablation operations, reducing both procedure time and cost, and making these surgeries safer.