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Efficient imaging of midbrain nuclei using inverse double‐echo steady‐state acquisition a)
Author(s) -
Wu MingLong,
Chang HingChiu,
Chao TzuCheng,
Chen NanKuei
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.4922402
Subject(s) - midbrain , nuclear magnetic resonance , nuclear medicine , spin echo , signal to noise ratio (imaging) , susceptibility weighted imaging , fast spin echo , contrast to noise ratio , signal (programming language) , echo (communications protocol) , physics , magnetic resonance imaging , optics , image quality , medicine , computer science , radiology , artificial intelligence , image (mathematics) , central nervous system , computer network , programming language , endocrinology
Purpose: Imaging of midbrain nuclei using T 2‐ or T 2*‐weighted MRI often entails long echo time, leading to long scan time. In this study, an inverse double‐echo steady‐state (iDESS) technique is proposed for efficiently depicting midbrain nuclei. Methods: Thirteen healthy subjects participated in this study. iDESS was performed along with two sets of T 2*‐weighted spoiled gradient‐echo images (SPGR1, with scan time identical to iDESS and SPGR2, using clinical scanning parameters as a reference standard) for comparison. Generation of iDESS composite images combining two echo signals was optimized for maximal contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) between the red nuclei and surrounding tissues. Signal‐to‐noise ratios (SNRs) were calculated from the occipital lobe. Comparison was also made using phase‐enhanced images as in standard susceptibility‐weighted imaging (SWI). Results: The iDESS images present significantly higher SNR efficiency (171.3) than SPGR1 (158.7, p = 0.013) and SPGR2 (95.5, p < 10 −8 ). iDESS CNR efficiency (19.2) is also significantly greater than SPGR1 (6.9, p < 10 −6 ) and SPGR2 (14.3, p = 0.0016). Compared with DESS, iDESS provides further advantage on enhanced phase information and hence improved contrast on SWI‐processed images. Conclusions: iDESS efficiently depicts midbrain nuclei with improved CNR efficiency, increased SNR efficiency, and reduced scan time and is less prone to susceptibility signal loss from air‐tissue interfaces.