MRI Fundamentals

Week 1:
Overview of MRI

Sung-Hong Park
Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST


 Biomedical Imaging Modalities
Radiographic imaging (X-ray, CT)
N
S

- Transmission of X-rays through the body

- Detection of X-rays on the opposite side of the body

Nuclear medicine (planar scintigraphy, SPECT, PET)

N
S

- Injection of radiotracers in the bloodstream of the body

- Detection of gamma rays emitted from radiotracers within the body

Ultrasound
N
S

- Transmission of ultrasonic waves toward the body

- Detection of reflected ultrasonic waves from the body

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

N
S

- Placing the body in a strong magnetic field to cause spin systems to

precess
- Transmitting radio frequency energy to the body (magnetic resonance)
- Receiving radio frequency energy induced in the body

 Electromagnetic Spectrum

Radio Microwave Infrared Visible Ultraviolet X-ray Gamma ray

Wavelength (m) 103 10-2 10-5 0.5x10-6 10-8 10-10 10-12

Frequency (Hz) 104 108 1012 1015 1016 1018 1020

Ultrasound Optical Imaging PET

MRI
CT


 Beauty of Biomedical Imaging
Noninvasive !!!
– Ultrasound, MRI (completely noninvasive)
– X-ray, CT, SPECT, PET (radiation exposure, still considered noninvasive)

Tomographic Imaging
– CT, SPECT, PET, Ultrasound, MRI (tomographic imaging)
– X-ray, planar scintigraphy (projection imaging)

Physiology, Metabolism, and Function

– SPECT, PET, Diffusion/Perfusion MRI, fMRI


 MRI in comparison with other imaging modalities

High spatial resolution

N
S

High soft tissue contrast

N
S

Tomographic imaging
N
S

Scan along any direction

N
S

Noninvasive
N
S

Integration of many different imaging modalities (anatomy,

N
S

physiology, metabolism, function, etc)


 MRI in comparison with other imaging modalities

Pulse sequence : time sequencing of currents in radio

N
S

frequency coil(s) and gradient coils

N

Manipulation of pulse sequences provides various

S

information of our body beyond anatomy

Bae et al, International Journal of Imaging System and Technology, 2013;23(2):152-156

Physiological and functional imaging <Angiogram & Venogram>

N
S

Ex) Perfusion, diffusion tensor imaging, functional MRI

The fastest growing imaging modality recent years

N
S

Park et al, NeuroImage 2011;58(1):168-176

Park et al, Magn Reson Imag 2013;31(7):1044-1050

<Perfusion Image> <DTI> <fMRI from rat and human>


 MRI signal source
Magnetic moment
 What is the main signal source of MRI?
N

μ
S

• Protons (hydrogens, 1H)

𝛷 N
 Why protons?
N

Spin angular momentum

=
S

• Protons behave like tiny magnets. H+

• 70% of body consists of water (H2O). S

 What other nuclei can be used for MRI?
N
S

• 13C, 19F, 23Na, 17O, 31P, and others with odd

atomic number or odd mass number.


 Brief Procedure of MR Image Acquisition
MRI Pulse sequence

Signal Acquisition

MR Image K-space

FFT


 Synopsis of MRI

• Magnetic: Putting a subject in the strong magnetic field

N
S

generated by the main magnet

• Resonance: Transmitting radio frequency (RF) energy to the

N
S

subject through an RF coil, turning off transmitter, and

receiving RF signals emitted by the subject using another RF
coil (or the same RF coil)

• Imaging: Spatially modulating the magnetic field strength to

N
S

distinguish signals from different locations using gradient coils.


 Three Major Hardware Components of MRI
• Magnet (typically superconducting) (Magnetic)
N
S

• A radiofrequency transmitter and receiver (Resonance)

N
S

• A set of 3 gradient coils (X, Y, Z) (Imaging)

N
S

Superconducting magnet

B0

Gradient coils RF coil


 Schematic Diagram of MRI Instrumentation

Control
RF Gradient Console
electronics
electronics amplifier

Pulse sequence
generator

Image reconstruction computer



 MRI Magnet
How strong are the magnets in MRI machines?
N
S

 Magnetic field strength of earth ranges from 0.25 to 0.65

gauss, average 0.5 gauss.

 1 Tesla = 10,000 gauss

 Human MRI scanners : 0.5T, 1.0T, 1.5T, 3.0T, 7.0T, 9.4T . . .

 Recently FDA approved 7T human MRI for clinical diagnosis.

However, most MRI scanners for clinical diagnosis is up to 3T
at this point.

Main function of magnet

N
S

 Causes proton spins to rotate (precess) at a frequency

proportional to the magnetic field, called resonance frequency.
13

 MRI Magnet

Types of MRI Magnet Superconducting Magnet

N
S

 Superconducting magnet
- Can achieve high magnetic field
- High maintenance cost for magnet
- Popular in hospitals

 Permanent magnet
- Magnetic field strength is limited to
about 1T. Vacuum
- No maintenance cost for magnet Liquid N2 ( < 77˚K )
Liquid He ( < 4.2˚ K )
Superconducting coil (Niobium-titanium wire)
Iron shield

• Superconducting property at temperature

lower than the critical temperature
14

 MRI Magnet

Why are MRI scans so expensive?

N
S

 Difficulty in making the magnetic field uniform.

- more difficult with higher magnetic field and wider
bore size, which is directly related to the price of MRI.

 Helium for maintaining superconducting magnet

(Helium is expensive!)

 MRI is an integration of a lot of hardware equipment,

requiring high maintenance cost.

 So, MRI scans are expensive ! !

15


 Radio Frequency (RF) coil

Source

A (440 Hz)

Transmission (Tx) coil Resonance

C B A G

Reception (Rx) coil

Signal Induction

• Two separate transmission and reception RF coils

MR
can be used, but a single RF coil can also be used signal

for both transmission and reception of MR signals. time

17


 Radio Frequency (RF) coil
Transmission (Tx) RF coil

Source

A (440 Hz)

Resonance

C B A G

• The proton spins that have the same frequency as the frequency in the transmission
coil will receive energy and get excited, which is called magnetic resonance.
• Transmission of homogeneous energy is important, so the transmission is often
performed with a large RF coil (typically a body coil premounted on the scanner).
18

 Radio Frequency (RF) coil
Reception (Rx) coil

Signal
Induction

MR
signal

time
• When the transmission RF energy is off, MR signals will be induced and detectable
in the receiver RF coil.
• High sensitivity to the object is important, so the reception of MR signals is often
performed with a smaller RF coil close to the object. 19


 Gradient Coils for Spatial Information

 In contrast to other imaging modalities (CT, Xray, SPECT, PET, Ultrasound,

N
S

optical imaging), positional information of detectors (RF coils) is not used to

get spatial information in MRI (exception : parallel imaging in MRI).

 How to get spatial information in MRI?

N
S

 Gradient coils

21

 Gradient Coils for Spatial Information

X X

Gradient coils

Y Y

Z
• The main magnetic fields are along the Z direction. X and Y gradient coils are to modulate the
N
S

main magnetic field strengths along X and Y, but not to generate any fields along X or Y. 22


 Gradient Coils for Spatial Information
X (or Y, Z)
• Magnetic field induced by a gradient coil is 1.5+△B Tesla
N

+10 cm
S

(64+△f MHz)
superimposed on the field of MRI magnet.
• Varying magnetic field or gradient causes
N
S

precession frequency  to be a function of

spatial location.
0 cm 1.5 Tesla
B(x,y,z)  (x,y,z) (64 MHz)

• Spatially different precession frequencies

N
S

enable us to get spatial information, i.e.,

imaging.
1.5△B Tesla
-10 cm (64△f MHz)
Gradient

 MRI safety

 Is MRI safe?
N
S

 No ionizing radiation
S N
 Pacemakers, artificial limbs, devices that contain metal are not allowed.

 SAR (specific absorption rate)

N
S

 A measure of the rate at which energy is absorbed by the human body when exposed to a radio
frequency (RF) electromagnetic field

 Unit of SAR : watts per kilogram (W/kg)

 There is an upper limit of SAR for safety. Most clinical scanners do not allow any scan that exceeds the
SAR limit.

24

 Summary
MRI is an noninvasive biomedical imaging device with relatively high spatial
N
S

resolution, various soft tissue contrast, and integration of many different imaging
modalities in one single scanner.

Typical clinical MRI has a field strength up to 3T, 60,000 times greater than the
N
S

earth’s magnetic field.

A magnet generates magnetic fields that causes protons to precess at a frequency

N
S

proportional to the strength of the magnetic fields (resonance frequency).

A radiofrequency (RF) coil transmits and/or receives signals at the resonance

N
S

frequency.

Gradient coils modulate the resonance frequency depending on the spatial

N
S

location along X, Y, and Z.

MRI is safe and does not cause ionizing radiation, but requires caution about
N
S

metal objects in the body and specific absorption rate.

