MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING

Module #12 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

Lesson title: BASIC IMAGING TECHNIQUES (PART 2) Materials:

Electronic gadget, pen, & notebook
Learning Targets:
At the end of the module, students will be able to: References:
1. Describe the significance of the presented basic imaging
techniques in this session; Fonseca, M. G. (March 2013). Spin echo
2. Analyze the imaging differences of each techniques; and, magnetic resonance imaging. doi:
3. Differentiate these basic imagine techniques with its 10.5772/53693
advantages and disadvantages.
Hornak, J. P. (2020). The basics of MRI.
https://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/mri/inside.htm

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW

Let us have a quick review of what you have learned from the previous session. Kindly answer the posted task/question
on the space provided. You may use the back page of this sheet, if necessary.

How many slices could you image with a gradient-echo sequence which uses a 20 ms slice selection gradient, 10 ms
phase encoding gradient, 100 ms frequency encoding gradient, and TR of 1 second?

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B. MAIN LESSON

This lesson covers the second part of the basic imaging techniques: oblique imaging, and spin-echo imaging.

OBLIQUE IMAGING
 This refers to the production of images which lie between the conventional X, Y, and Z axes.
 This is performed by applying linear combinations of the X, Y, and Z magnetic field gradients so as to produce a
slice selection gradient which is perpendicular to the imaged plane, a phase encoding gradient which is along one
edge of the imaged plane, and a frequency encoding gradient which is along the remaining edge of the image.
o For example, if we wanted to image a slice lying along the X axis but passing between the Z and Y axes
such that it made an angle of 30° with respect to the Y axis and 60° with the Z axis, the following
combination of gradients would be needed.

 Slice Selection Gradient

 Gz = Gs Sin 60°
 Gy = -Gs Cos 60°

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 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
Module #12 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

 Phase Encoding Gradient

 Gz = G Sin 30°
 Gy = G Cos 30°

 Frequency Encoding Gradient

 Gx = Gf

 The frequency and phase encoding gradients are interchangeable.

 Note that a positive gradient will achieve the same thing as a negative gradient, and Cos(θ) = Sin(90-&theta) and
Cos(90-θ) = Sin(&theta). The timing diagram for the sequence looks as follows:

 Oblique imaging has become very common in MRI because the most diagnostically useful imaging planes are not
always perpendicular to the X, Y, or Z axes, or parallel to each other.
 The orientation of the imaging plane is set graphically by the operator after obtaining a set of initial scans through
the anatomy.
o The scanner's operating system calculates the exact Gz, Gy, and Gx values to use to create the Gs, GΦ,
and Gf needed to produce the oblique slice.

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 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
Module #12 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

 MRI allows freedom in choosing oblique planes

of section and rotation of the image plane with
respect to the frequency-encoded (F) and
phase-encoded (P) dimensions.
 A general method is described for
understanding geometric relationships between
the fixed magnetic coordinate system, patient
positioning, and the flexible observer's
coordinate system.
 Oblique planes of section are clinically useful in
studying organs with an axis of symmetry that is
oblique to the magnet coordinate system, such
as the heart.
 Rotation of the image plane can be used to
move motion artifacts away from anatomic
regions of interest, such as the liver and spine.
 Appropriate use of oblique section selection
and image rotation can improve MR image
quality and diagnostic value of patient study.

SPIN-ECHO IMAGING
 Simply known as the refocusing of spin magnetization by a pulse of resonant electromagnetic radiation.
 The spin echo sequence is made up of a series of events:
o 90° pulse – 180° rephasing pulse at TE/2 – signal reading at TE.
o This series is repeated at each time interval TR (repetition time).
o With each repetition, a k-space line is filled, thanks to a different phase encoding.
o The 180° rephasing pulse compensates for the constant field heterogeneities to obtain an echo that is
weighted in T2 and not in T2*.
 These pulse sequences are one of the earliest developed and still widely used (in the form of fast spin-echo) of all
MRI pulse sequences.
o The pulse sequence timing can be adjusted to give T1-weighted, proton density, and T2-weighted images.
o Dual echo and multi-echo sequences can be used to obtain both proton density and T2-weighted images
simultaneously.
 The two variables of interest in spin echo sequences are
the repetition time (TR) and the echo time (TE).
o Another important additional sequence is the
inversion-recovery sequence, which promotes fat
suppression, highlighting areas of injury with an
additional parameter - the inversion time (TI).
 All spin echo sequences include a slice selective 90˚
pulse followed by one or more 180˚ refocusing pulses.
 An advantage of using a spin-echo sequence is that it
introduces T2 dependence to the signal.
 Since some tissues and pathologies have similar T1
values but different T2 values it is advantageous to have
an imaging sequence which produces images with T2
dependence.
 The spin-echo imaging sequence will be presented in the

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 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
Module #12 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

form of a timing diagram only, since the evolution of the magnetization vectors from the application of slice
selection, phase encoding, and frequency encoding gradients.
 The signal equation for a repeated spin-echo sequence as a function of the TR and the TE defined as the time
-TR/T1 -TE/T2
between the 90˚ pulse and the maximum amplitude in the echo is S = k &rho ( 1 - e )e
o This equation is only valid when TR >> TE.
 The timing diagram for a spin-echo imaging sequence has entries for the RF pulses, the gradients in the magnetic
field, and the signal.
o A slice selective 90° RF pulse is applied in conjunction with a slice selection gradient.
o A period of time equal to TE/2 elapses and a 180° slice selective 180° pulse is applied in conjunction with
the slice selection gradient.
 A phase encoding gradient is applied bet. 90° & 180° pulses.
 The phase encoding gradient could be applied after the 180° pulse, however to minimize the TE period the pulse
is applied between the 90° and 180° RF pulses.

 The frequency encoding gradient is applied after the 180° pulse during the time that echo is collected.
o The recorded signal is the echo.
o The FID, which is found after every 90° pulse, is not used.
o One additional gradient is applied between the 90° and 180° pulses.
o This gradient is along the same direction as the frequency encoding gradient.
o It dephases the spins so that they will rephase by the center of the echo.
o This gradient in effect prepares the signal to be at edge of k-space by start of the acquisition of the echo.

 The entire sequence is repeated every TR seconds until all the phase encoding steps have been recorded.
 The signal from a spin echo sequence is as follows: S = k ρ (1-exp(-TR/T1)) exp(-TE/T2)
 Duration of a spin echo sequence:
o Duration = TR ∙ NPy ∙ Nex
- TR = Repetition time
- NPy = Number of phase encoding steps
- Nex = Number of excitations

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 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
Module #12 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

 Phase Sequences:
1. T 1 Weighted (T1)
- measuring spin–lattice relaxation by using a short repetition time (TR) and echo time (TE)
- clinical distinction: lower signal for more water content, high signal for fat, and high signal for
paramagnetic substances (such as MRI contrast agents)
o T 2 Weighted (T2)
- measuring spin–spin relaxation by using long TR and TE times
- clinical distinction: higher signal for more water content, low signal for fat [note that this only
applies to standard Spin Echo sequences and not the more modern Fast Spin Echo (FSE)
sequence – also referred to as Turbo Spin Echo, TSE, which is the most commonly used
technique today. In FSE/TSE, fat will have a high signal], and low signal for paramagnetic
substances
o Proton Density Weighted (PD)
- long TR (to reduce T1) and short TE (to minimize T2)
- clinical distinction: joint disease and injury, and high signal from meniscus tear

 In classic spin echo, after TR time, a single k-space line will be acquired. TR repetition is thus responsible for the
duration of the sequence.

 In the T2–weighted spin echo sequence the TR and TE parameters are optimized to reflect T2 relaxation.
o Associated with long TE (80 to 140 milliseconds), the different tissues are better highlighted according to
their T2.
o Long T2 tissues will appear as a hypersignal, as opposed to short T2 structures, which will appear as a
hyposignal.

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 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
Module #12 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

 The proton density weighted spin echo sequence has optimized TR and TE parameters to minimize the influence
of both T2 and T1. The contrast obtained will depend on the density of the hydrogen nuclei (i.e. protons).
o A long TR (over 2000 milliseconds), associated with a short TE (10 to 20 milliseconds) will relatively
suppress both the influence of T1 and the effect of T2 on signal magnitude.

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
Module #12 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

Check for Understanding

After studying the main lesson, you may now answer the following multiple choice questions and provide the rationale for
each item.

1. This is performed by applying linear combinations of the X, Y, and Z magnetic field gradients so as to produce a slice
selection gradient which is perpendicular to the imaged plane.
a. Multi-slice imaging
b. Volume Imaging
c. Oblique Imaging
d. Spin-Echo Imaging
Answer: ________
Rationale:
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2. Which of the following combination of gradients would be needed to reflect Gx = Gf?

a. Frequency encoding gradient
b. Phase encoding gradient
c. Slice selection gradient
d. Oblique imaging
Answer: ________
Rationale:
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3. All are variables of interests in spin echo, except:

a. repetition time
b. echo time
c. inversion time
d. reverse time
Answer: ________
Rationale:
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4. What phase sequence has the physics of measuring spin–spin relaxation by using long TR and TE times?
a. T1
b. T2
c. PD
d. SFE
Answer: ________
Rationale:
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This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
Module #12 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

5. This is acquired in a classic spin echo after TR time.

a. Spin echo
b. K-space line
c. Proton density
d. T1 weighted
Answer: ________
Rationale:
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C. LESSON WRAP-UP

Thinking about Learning

CAT: MINUTE PAPER

This strategy provides feedback on whether or not you understand the lesson. Use the space provided in this activity
sheet to answer the following questions. Make sure to not miss a tiny detail!

How will you describe the significance of oblique imaging and spin echo in MRI scanning?

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