Magnets
Magnetic Dipole 3. Paramagnetic
— small magnet created by
electron spin — between diamagnetic &
ferromagnetic
Magnetic Domain
— accumulation of many dipoles — Slightly attracted
— CM used in MRI are
2 Principal Types of Magnets paramagnetic.
1. Natural — natural
• SI unit of Magnetic Field — Tesla ( T )
2. Permanent — artificial
3. Electromagnet — iron core • Older Unit — Gauss ( G )
— wrapped around an iron core
• 1 Tesla = 10,000 Gauss
Interaction of Matter with Magnets
1. DIAmagnetic Earth’s magnetic field at the
— Unaffected • Equator — 50 μT
• Poles — 100 μT
2. FERROmagnetic
Note:
— strongly attracted * Tesla – Better quality image
— ALNICO * Tesla – poor quality
― Extremities (good)
ALNICO — alloy of ALuminum, NIckel, & ― Vertebral / abdomen (bad)
CObalt
— most useful magnets produced * CT:
by ferromagnetic material. ― slices = Poor Quality
* Cryogen – insulator
* Brace – causes artifact
Magnets used in Medical Imaging ADVANTAGES:
1. RESISTIVE Magnets
• Children, obese, & claustrophobic
- open design
— coils of wire which Magnetic
fields is induced. - Ease
• Interventional & dynamic procedures
ADVANTAGES:
• No power supply
Lighter
Low C. Cost • Low O. cost
No Cryogens
DISADVANTAGES:
DISADVANTAGES:
• Heavy
• Large Power
• 0.2 – 0.3 T
• High O. Cost
• Time
• < 0.3 T
• Time 3. SUPERCONDUCTING Magnets
• Stray fringe field — Niobium-titanium ( Nb-Ti ) alloy
- safe but May fringe field
- outside interference ADVANTAGES:
- need faraday shield / cage
• 0.5 – 3 T
2. PERMANENT Magnets
• Power
― most common
• O. Cost
― ALNICO
- used to make permanent magnets
• No resistance
INNER – Liquid HELIUM
• Advanced applications
OUTER – Liquid NITROGEN
• Optimum image quality
2 CHAMBERS OF DEWAR
DISADVANTAGES: 1. INNER Chamber-contains Liquid
HELIUM
• C. Cost
2. OUTER Chamber-contain Liquid
NITROGEN
• Fringe field
- Need shielding
• Not for Obese / Claustrophobic
- Tunnel
— Has liquid cryogen
Liquid Cryogen – cooling agents
— Low temperature
— 4K
Ramping -- process of bringing the
Dewar / Cryostat – insulated chamber superconducting magnets to
necessary temperature.
— Electromagnetic coils are placed
in Dewar.
Quenching – magnet’s sudden loss of
— High insulated bottle superconductivity.
— Sudden loss of absolute zero of
Liquid helium is surrounded by temperature
another dewar (Liquid Nitrogen)
— Helium escape
— leakage
MRI Plane Precession – rotation of object
— Due to angular momentum
MRI uses Hydrogen for image
generation
Note:
* Pedia – not for MRI
— Dapat / unless SEDATE
Z -- T1 — If nd, e CT-scan
– 60%
* Now MRI – 1.5 T
Y – Anatomy (Patient) — Superconductive magnets
— RMCI & Regional
X – T2
― 37% * Slices = expensive
― Anatomy & T1
* slices = cheap
Principles of MRI -- based on the * < 60% temperature = less
fact that nuclei of element have superconductive
magnetic moment.
* 2000 L Helium
NO magnetic field
2 Intrinsic Properties
— Nuclei RANDOM
1. Angular Momentum
WITH magnetic field 2. Magnetic Moment
— Nuclei ALIGN / LIGN UP
Proton spin has SAME Magnitude
- Fundamental property of particles
Spin is simply there all the time
2 Alignments Fringe Field – portion of MF extends
away
1. Parallel — Not use in imaging
— Affect equipment & personnel
2. Anti-parallel
Radiofrequency ( RF ) Pulse – short burst
of radio waves
LENGTH of pulse = amount
ENERGY to nuclei
- Length = Energy
Use nuclei of HYDROGEN atoms
( 1H )
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
- Clockwise / Counterclockwise
- Kasin / trumpo Hydrogen Nucleus – MR active
- Abundant
- Large magnetic moment
MAGNETIC MOMENT
- Parallel / Anti-parallel
MR Active – Odd number of protons
― Tiny bars
HyCaNOFSop Larmor / Precession Frequency
1. Hydrogen – 1 ― Rate at spin WOBBLE
2. Carbon – 13
Larmor / Precession Frequency
3. Nitrogen – 15 DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to Bo /
strength of MF
4. Oxygen – 17
5. Fluorine – 19 Larmor Equation
6. Sodium – 23 ω0 = γ x B0
7. Phosphorus – 31
ω0 = Larmor Frequency ( MHz )
Protons & neutrons spin on own γ = Gyromagnetic Ratio ( MHz/T )
axes w/in nucleus
Direction of spin is RANDOM
B0 = Strength of MF ( T )
- Static external MF
2 Spins
Protons have gyromagnetic ratio
1. Clockwise of
Y = 42.58 MHz/T
2. Anti-clockwise /
Counterclockwise
Net Magnetization Vector ( NMV )
― magnetic moment of hydrogen
ODD Number EVEN Number
Interaction of NMV w/ Bo
MR Active Not Active
― basis of MRI
No cancel With cancel
Unit of Bo – Tesla ( T )
Spin No spin
Resonance – occurs when net FID signals can be detected as
magnetization vector is PERTURBED an Oscillating Voltage,
from equilibrium.
- At the Larmor frequency (fL)
Transverse Magnetization - In a receiver coil placed around
― emits MR signal from receiver coil the sample
FID signals are detected,
digitized, stored in a computer
― Through use of FOURIER Analysis
― Transformed into MR images
Relaxation – NMV loses its energy /
return of excited nuclei to normal
unexcited state by release of energy.
180o RF Pulse – parallel to MF ― Return
― opposite to equilibrium
900 RF Pulse – perpendicular to MF Relaxation occurs in:
1. Recovery of Longitudinal
Excitation – application of RF magnetization
― causes resonance to occur
2. Decay of Transverse
magnetization
Free Induction Decay
― Longitudinal magnetization Relaxation Time – measure of rate
converted to Transverse Resonance – energy absorption by an
magnetization object
This rotation gives rise to Free Recovery – increase, Longitudinal
Induction Decay ( FID )
Decay – Decrease, Transverse
― Loss of signal due to relaxation
T1 T2 T1 relaxation
Dependent on strength of
Longitudinal Transverse external MF (Bo) & internal motion
of molecules.
Spin-lattice Spin-spin
The nuclei return to ground state
Parallel II Perpendicular ⊥
by releasing their energy to
Recovery (+) Decay (-)
surroundings.
Align 63% Lose 63% The time it takes from excited
spins to recover and be available
Dissipate Exchange for next excitation.
180o 90o T1 Short
Intermediate molecules (fats)
Hundreds ms Tens ms
Recover MOST
SS LL SL LS More magnetization is available
Short = Strong Short = Low to be flipped into transverse
Long = Low Long = Strong
plane by the next RF pulse.
SHORT = STRONG SHORT = LOW
T1 long
= Bright = Dark Small molecules (water)
= Fat = Fat (large & Large molecules (proteins)
= Recover Most solids) Recover NOT
= Lose Most
LONG = LOW LONG = STRONG
= Dark = Bright
= Water & Protein = Water & Liquids
= Recover Not = Retain Most
TR (Short) TE (Long)
Anatomy Pathology
Pathology (CM)
T2 relaxation - owing to inhomogeneities in the
main magnetic field and T2.
Do not dissipate energy
Process of energy transfer b/w Determines how quickly an MR
spins signal fades after excitation.
Short T2 – Lose most
Long T2 – Retain most
T2*
Free Induction decay (FID) – loss of MR
signal due to T2* effects
T2* effects can be avoided by
using Spin echo sequences.
Effects of additional field
inhomogeneities contributing to
dephasing.
Decay of transverse
magnetization caused by both
spin dephasing,
RF System
Spine
The electromagnetic
components of RF system may be Shoulders
provided by outside suppliers &
assembled by the MRI TMJ’S
manufacturer.
Stomach
These components attached to
RF coils
- Made of varying designs. 2. Paired Saddle Coil -- BETTER
homogeneity
― Volume coils
2 Types of Coils ― X & Y gradient coils
1. Shim Coils – make magnetic field Knee
homogenous.
2. Receiver Coils – detect the returning 3. Helmhortz Pair Coil
radio signals.
― 2 circular coils parallel
― Gradient coils
RF Coils
Pelvis
― The antenna of MRI system
― Broadcast Spine
― Receives return signal RF coils can
be receive only
4. Bird Cage Coil
Body Coil
― BEST Homogeneity of all
― Used as Transmitter ― Bird cage
― Transmit & receive ― Transceiver coil
― Transceiver
Head
RF BODY COILS Extremities (Knees) – Occasionally
1. Surface Coils – loop of wire
― Circular / rectangular
― Limited / one radius
― Small parts
Power Supply of MRI
If SNR will INCREASE….
2.4 kW
5% Voltage Ripple INCREASE
BoNeFoPiSli T2 TR
Refrigeration Unit FACTORS RELATIONSHIP
AFFECTING SNR
* Insert Picture
Bo Increase
FARADAY CAGE NEX Increase
― Radiofrequency shielding FOV Increase
― Aluminum / Galvanized steel Pixel Size Increase
― Shield against Radiofrequency Slice Thickness Increase
(RF) interference
To function properly, an MRI
scanner needs to sit in a DECREASE
specialzed room / chamber MaRbIE
shielded against Radio Frequency
(RF) interference. FACTORS RELATIONSHIP
AFFECTING SNR
Without such protection.
- Very weak RF signals that Matrix Size Decrease
emanate from the patient when
scanned would be overwhelmed. RF Bandwidth Decrease
T1 Decrease
Signal to Noise Ratio
TE Decrease
― Detected signal of true signal &
random superimposed signals
(background noise)
𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑆𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑙
𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐵𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑁𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑒
If all parameters are CONSTANT…. rBW has DIRECT RELATIONSHIP to
SNR
RF Coil
SMALLER the sensitive volume of
coil SNR = 1/Square root (rBW)
LOWER the noise
Transmit Bandwidth
BETTER SNR
― required for slice selection in
pulse sequence
A Local Coil / Surface Coil have
HIGHER SNR than a body coil. Slice Thickness is PROPORTIONAL
to BW
RF Bandwidth Slice Thickness is INVERSELY
PROPORTIONAL to Applied
― Frequencies associated either w/ Gradient Strength
RF-excitation (Transmitter
Bandwidth, tBW) or Signal Lowering pulse BW can REDUCE
reception (Receiver Bandwidth, the Slice Thickness
rBW) or the highest or lowest
signal.
RF-excitation -- Transmitter Bandwidth, Slice Thickness in MRI is determined:
tBW
The Bandwidth of RF
Signal reception -- Receiver Bandwidth, ― Longer BW, Lower ST
rBW ― LB, LS
* Insert Picture Steepness of slope of Gradient
Coil (STRENGTH)
Receiver / Acquisition Bandwidth (rBW) MRI uses techniques called Pulse
Sequences
― accepted by the receiver to
sample MR signal.
Pulse Sequences – techniques
ADC / Apparent Diffusion Coefficient
― Different tissue contrast
mechanisms ― Entangle diffusion & relaxation
― Set of specific instructions effects
― How the images should appear. ― Diffusion process is complex in
biological tissues & reflects
several different mechanisms.
DWI / Diffusion Weighted Imaging ― Diffusion values
― Diffusion of molecules ― No T2 effects
- Random motion
― More useful
― If an incident occurs <72 hours
prior to scan, ― Less pretty
- Swelling to edema occurs.
― Inverted DWI images
― Used for CVA & CNS
― Combination of Actual diffusion Spin Echo
values & T2 signal
― Widely used
― Isotropic water movement ― STARTS 90o pulse & ENDS 1800
Examples: Grey matter in cerebral pulse
cortex & major brain nuclei / in a body.
- Where the diffusion rate appears
to be the same when measured
along any axis. Gradient Echo Sequences (GRE)
― Sensitive to T1 & T2 relaxation Gradient Echo
― Refocus spins
Note:
* CVA – CerebroVascular Accident ― Susceptible to blood flows
― Stroke
― Flip angles LESSER than 90o
- in addition to TR & TE
― Alternative technique to Spin
Echo Sequences
― Utilize gradient fields
- To generate Transverse
Magnetization
― Flip angles of less than 900
― AKA Reverse Polarity of Gradient
Fast Pulse Sequence
Fast Gradient Echo (FGRE)
― Fast gradient imaging technique
― Turbulent blood flow
Fast Spin Echo
― Quicker
- Covers wide range tissue
― Increase specific absorbed rate
― STARTS 900 & followed w/ series of
1800 pulse.
