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Feasibility of 39‐potassium MR imaging of a human brain at 9.4 Tesla
Author(s) -
Atkinson Ian C.,
Claiborne Theodore C.,
Thulborn Keith R.
Publication year - 2014
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.24821
Subject(s) - magnetic resonance imaging , radiofrequency coil , potassium , nuclear magnetic resonance , sodium , image resolution , human brain , resolution (logic) , neuroimaging , nuclear medicine , chemistry , biomedical engineering , medicine , computer science , physics , radiology , artificial intelligence , organic chemistry , psychiatry
Purpose To demonstrate the feasibility of performing 39‐potassium MR imaging of a human brain. Methods 39‐Potassium magnetic resonance imaging of a human brain was performed at 9.4 T using a flexible twisted projection imaging acquisition with a nominal isotropic spatial resolution of 10 mm in 40 min using a single‐tuned birdcage radiofrequency coil. Co‐registered sodium imaging with a nominal isotropic spatial resolution of 3.5 mm was performed on the same subject in 10 min. Results The 39‐potassium flexible twisted projection imaging imaging had a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 5.2 in brain paranchyma. This qualitative imaging showed the expected features when compared to co‐registered high‐ and low‐resolution sodium imaging of the same subject. Conclusion Potassium MR images may offer complementary information to that of sodium MR images by sampling the intracellular rather that interstitial environment. Quantification will require additional improvement in signal‐to‐noise ratio to produce clinically useful bioscales as are developing for sodium MR imaging. Magn Reson Med 71:1819–1825, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc .