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Intravascular MR imaging in a porcine animal model
1Department of Medical Biophysics, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
An opposed solenoid intravascular receiver coil is used in a series of five pigs to generate images of the aorta. Severe ghosting artifacts are shown to occur if the motion of the intravascular coil is not restricted with respect to the vessel wall. Restricting coil motion and saturating the blood signal superior to the imaging plane are shown to produce high quality MR images. Layers within the artery wall could be discerned and the results of the in vivo analysis compared favorably with high resolution MR images of the corresponding tissue after excision.
Insights
Restricting intravascular coil motion improves magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of pig aortas by reducing artifacts. This technique, combined with blood signal saturation, yields high-quality images revealing artery wall layers.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Imaging
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is crucial for visualizing blood vessels.
- Intravascular receiver coils offer high-resolution imaging but are prone to motion artifacts.
- Artifacts can obscure critical details of vascular anatomy, such as artery wall layers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate methods for improving the quality of intravascular MRI of the aorta.
- To assess the impact of intravascular coil motion on image artifacts.
- To evaluate techniques for artifact reduction in aortic MRI.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an opposed solenoid intravascular receiver coil in five pigs.
- Examined image quality with and without restricting coil motion relative to the vessel wall.
- Implemented blood signal saturation superior to the imaging plane.
Main Results:
- Unrestricted coil motion caused severe ghosting artifacts in aortic MRI.
- Restricting coil motion significantly reduced artifacts, enhancing image quality.
- High-quality MR images allowed visualization of artery wall layers in vivo.
Conclusions:
- Controlling intravascular coil motion is essential for artifact-free aortic MRI.
- Combining motion restriction with blood signal saturation produces high-resolution images.
- In vivo MRI findings correlated well with ex vivo high-resolution images.