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Initial feasibility testing of limited field of view magnetic resonance thermometry using a local cardiac radiofrequency coil
Author(s) -
Volland Nelly A.,
Kholmovski Eugene G.,
Parker Dennis L.,
Hadley J. Rock
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.24534
Subject(s) - electromagnetic coil , nuclear magnetic resonance , radiofrequency coil , magnetic resonance imaging , cardiac magnetic resonance , materials science , radiology , medicine , biomedical engineering , physics , quantum mechanics
The visualization of lesion formation in real time is one potential benefit of carrying out radiofrequency ablation under magnetic resonance (MR) guidance in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. MR thermometry has the potential to detect such lesions. However, performing MR thermometry during cardiac radiofrequency ablation requires high temporal and spatial resolution and a high signal‐to‐noise ratio. In this study, a local MR coil (2‐cm diameter) was developed to investigate the feasibility of performing limited field of view MR thermometry with high accuracy and speed. The local MR coil allowed high‐resolution (1 × 1 × 3 mm 3 ) image acquisitions in 76.3 ms with a field of view 64 × 32 mm 2 during an open‐chest animal experiment. This represents a 4‐fold image acquisition acceleration and an 18‐fold field of view reduction compared to that achieved using external MR coils. The signal sensitivity achieved using the local coil was over 20 times greater than that achievable using external coils with the same scan parameters. The local coil configuration provided fewer artifacts and sharper and more stable images. These results demonstrate that MR thermometry can be performed in the heart wall and that lesion formation can be observed during radiofrequency ablation procedures in a canine model. Magn Reson Med, 70:994–1004, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.>