Basic MR imaging & contrast

Steffen Ringgaard
Sept. 2003
 Spatial signal encoding
• After excitation, signal is
emitted from complete
object
• Linear field gradients for G
Field
gradient
introducing spatially Bandwidth

varying frequency
Z

Larmor frequency
ω = γ B0
Definition of coordinate axes

G
Field
gradient
Bandwidth

y, phase direction
Z
Slice thickness

x, frequency direction

z, slice direction
 Slice excitation
• Simultaneous gradient
and shaped RF-pulse
• Gradient induces
linearly varying field
G
• Shaped RF-pulse Field
gradient
excites frequency band Bandwidth

Z
Slice thickness
 Shaped RF-pulse
• Rectangular slice profile
requires sinc function Time

shaped pulse Fourier

Transform
• Slice thickness inversely
proportional to pulse
extension Frequency

• Position determined by
frequency

sin x
sinc( x ) =
x
 Slice interference

Slice Slice
gap gap
Slice Slice
thickness thickness

Half Half
maximum maximum
height height

Interference No slice
between slices interference
 Frequency encoding

Z
Gradient Magnetic field
perpendicular
to slice
Signal after Fourier Higher X 0 Frequency
transformation field Time

Frequency

• Signal from different positions has different frequency

• Position determined by invers Fourier Transform
 Phase encoding
• With gradient applied, the z z

phase of the 1
x x

magnetization changes z z

• With gradient turned off 2

x x

the frequency is again the z z

same, but phases are 3

x x

different B0

• When signal is read out

RF
(sampled) it contains
Gs
multiple frequencies and
Gp
multiple phases Gm
ACQ

Time
 Pulse sequence

RF

Gs

Gp

Gm

ACQ

Excitation Phase Acquisition

encoding
 Complete pulse sequence
RF
Gs
Gp
Gm
ACQ

TE TR
• Total scan time:
– TR*Matrix(y)

• Typical values:
K-space – TE: 2-100 ms
– TR: 10-1000 ms
– Matrix: 128-512
– Scan time: 1-512 s
 Contrast in MR images
• Two images with different contrast
Excitation of magnetization
z
Initial
B0 magnetization M 0
z'

y y'
Magnetization
M after 90opulse
B
1
B
1
x x'
Longitudinal and transversal
components
B0 z B0 z

Mz
M z (=M)
M
x x

Transverse Mxy =0 Transverse

plane (xy) y plane (xy) y
Mxy

Longitudinal
axis (z) Longitudinal
axis (z)
 Relaxation
• T1 relaxation: Mz
M0
– longitudinal relaxation T1
– re-growth of longitudinal 63%
Longitudinal relaxation
magnetization
Time
• T2 relaxation: 0
Mxy
– transverse relaxation M0

– disappearance of T2 Transverse relaxation

transversal magnetization 37%
• T2* relaxation: 0
Time

– as T2, but taking

inhomogeneity into account
• T2 < T1
• T2* < T2
 T1 and T2 values
• Tissues have different relaxation values
Tissue T1 (ms) T2 (ms)
Gray matter 950 100
White matter 600 80
Muscle 900 50
CSF 4500 2200
Fat 250 60
Blood 1200 100-200
 Contrast: long TR
Vertical Signal
magnetization (Mz )
+M0

Parenchyma,
CSF, long T short T2
1
Parenchyma,
short T1 CSF, long T2

0
TR TE

PD weighted T2 weighted
90o pulse
 Contrast: short TR
Vertical
magnetization (Mz )
Signal
+M0
Parenchyma
short T1 short T2

CSF CSF, long T2

long T1
0
TR TE
Mixed influence
90o pulse T1 weighted
 Three types of weighting
• Proton density weighting
– TR long
– TE short
• T1 weighting
– TR short (~ T1 of tissue)
– TE short
– long T1 tissue is dark
• T2 weighting
– TR long
– TE long (~ T2 of tissue)
– long T2 tissue is bright
 Calculating signal strength
Signal in spin echo sequence:
 − R  − E
T T
S (TR , TE ) = ρ 0 1 − e T1 e T2
 
Contrast between tissue A and B:

C AB = S A − S B
 Signal and contrast
Signal strength and contrast, varying TR Signal strength and contrast, varying TE

1 1.2

0.9
1
0.8

0.7
0.8
0.6
S1 S1
Signal

Signal
0.5 S2 0.6 S2
DIFF DIFF
0.4
0.4
0.3

0.2
0.2
0.1

0 0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Repetition time TE, ms
Spin echo and gradient echo

o
o 180
B 90 C 90
o
RF C
Gz
ky
ky
Gy
0
A 0
Gx A

signal
TE
TR
0 kx kx

Gradient echo Spin echo

Contrast for spin and gradient echo
sequences
Spin echo:
 − R  − E
T T
S (TR , TE ) = ρ 0 1 − e T1
e T2

 
Gradient echo:

 −TR  −TE
S (TR , TE ) = ρ 0 1 − e T1
e T2*

 
 MRI contrast agents
• Reduces T1 and T2
• Increases signal strength
• Improves image contrast
• Used for angiography, perfusion and myocardial
viability
• Gadolinium (Gd) based contrast most common
• Gd inserted in large molecule (DTPA)
• Used in approx. 30% of clinical scans
• Injected intra-venously
Contrast agents, structure
Contrast agents, signal strength
2500 Gd-DT PA of the kidney parenchyma

2000

MRI signal intensity

1500

1000
T 2-weighted
500
T 1-weighted
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
T ime [s]

• Increases signal in T1-weighted scans

• Decreases signal in T2-weighted scans
Example of
contrast
based
angiography
(Mobitrak)