C. A.

Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Can be very high resolution
No radiation exposure
Very flexible and programable
Tends to be expensive, noisy,
slow

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

MRI Attributes
Based on magnetic resonance effect in atomic species
Does not require any ionizing radiation
Numerous modalities
Conventional anatomical scans
Functional MRI (fMRI)
MRI Tagging
Image formation
RF excitation of magnetic resonance modes
Magnetic field gradients modulate resonance frequency
Reconstruction computed with inverse Fourier transform
Fully programmable
Requires an enormous (and very expensive) superconducting magnet

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

Magnetic Resonance
Magnetic Field

Procession

Atom

Atom will precess at the Larmor frequency

o = LM
Quantities of importance
M - magnitude of ambient magnetic field
o - frequency of procession (radians per second)
L - Larmor constant. Depends on choice of atom

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

The MRI Magnet

Liquid Helium

Z axis

Megnetic Field

X axis

Superconducting Magnet

Large super-conducting magnet

Uniform field within bore
Very large static magnetic field of Mo

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

Magnetic Field Gradients

Magnetic field magnitude at the location (x, y, z) has the
form
M (x, y, z) = Mo + xGx + yGy + zGz
Gx, Gy , and Gz control magnetic field gradients
Gradients can be changed with time
Gradients are small compared to Mo
For time varying gradients
M (x, y, z, t) = Mo + xGx(t) + yGy (t) + zGz (t)

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

MRI Slice Select

Selected Slice

Magnetic Field
Mo

1
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
Zc

RF Pulse
RF Antenna

Slope Gz
0

Design RF pulse to excite protons in single slice

Turn off x and y gradients, i.e. Gx = Gy = 0.
Set z gradient to fix positive value, Gz > 0.
Use the fact that resonance frequency is given by
= L (Mo + zGz ) .

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

Slice Select Pulse Design

Design parameters
Slice center = zc.
Slice thickness = z.
Slice centered at zc pulse center frequency
zcLGz
LMo zcLGz
+
= fo +
.
fc =
2
2
2
Slice thickness z pulse bandwidth
f =

zLGz
.
2

Using these parameters, the pulse is given by

s(t) = ej2fctsinc (tf )
and its CTFT is given by
S(f ) = rect

(f fc)
f

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

How Do We Imaging Selected Slice?

Y axis
Selected Slice

RF Antenna

X axis

Precessing atoms radiate electromagnetic energy at RF

frequencies
Strategy
Vary magnetic gradients along x and y axies
Measure received RF signal
Reconstruct image from RF measurements

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

Signal from a Single Voxel

RF Antenna

Voxel of Selected Slice

RF signal from a single voxel has the form

r(x, y, t) = f (x, y)ej(t)
f (x, y) voxel dependent weighting
Depends on properties of material in voxel
Quantity of interest
Typically weighted by T1, T2, or T2*
(t) phase of received signal
Can be modulated using Gx and Gy magnetic field gradients
We assume that (0) = 0

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

Analysis of Phase
Frequency = time derivative of phase
d(t)
= L M (x, y, t)
dt
t

L M (x, y, )d

(t) =
0
t

LMo + xLGx( ) + yLGy ( )d

=
0

= ot + xkx(t) + yky (t)

where we define
o = L Mo
t

LGx( )d

kx(t) =
0
t

ky (t) =

LGy ( )d
0

10

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

11

Received Signal from Voxel

RF Antenna

Voxel of Selected Slice

RF signal from a single voxel has the form

r(t) = f (x, y)ej(t)
= f (x, y)ej (ot+xkx(t)+yky (t))
= f (x, y)ejotej (xkx(t)+yky (t))

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

12

Received Signal from Selected Slice

Y axis
RF Antenna

Selected Slice
0

X axis

RF signal from the complete slice is given by

R(t) =

r(x, y, t)dxdy
IR

IR

f (x, y)ejotej (xkx(t)+yky (t))dxdy

=
IR

IR

f (x, y)ej (xkx(t)+yky (t))dxdy

= ejot
IR

IR

= ejotF (kx(t), ky (t))

were F (u, v) is the CSFT of f (x, y)

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

13

K-Space Interpretation of Demodulated Signal

RF signal from the complete slice is given by
F (kx(t), ky (t)) = R(t)ejot
where
t

kx(t) =

LGx( )d
0
t

ky (t) =

LGy ( )d
0

Strategy
Scan spatial frequencies by varying kx(t) and ky (t)
Reconstruct image by performing (inverse) CSFT
Gx(t) and Gy (t) control velocity through K-space

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

14

Controlling K-Space Trajectory

Relationship between gradient coil voltage and K-space
di(t)
= vx(t) Gx(t) = Mxi(t)
Lx
dt
Ly

di(t)
= vy (t) Gy (t) = My i(t)
dt

using this results in

LMx
kx(t) =
Lx
LMy
ky (t) =
Ly

vx(s)dsd
0

0
t

vy (s)dsd
0

vx(t) and vy (t) are like the accelerator peddles for kx(t)
and ky (t)

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

15

Echo Planer Imaging (EPI) Scan Pattern

A commonly used raster scan pattern through K-space

Ky

Serpintine Scan

0
t
LMx
Gx( )d =
kx(t) = L
Lx
0
t

ky (t) = L
0

LMy
Gy ( )d =
Ly

Kx

vx(s)dsd
0

vy (s)dsd
0

C. A. Bouman: Digital Image Processing - January 14, 2014

Gradient Waveforms for EPI

Gradient waveforms in x and y look like
Gx(t)

Gy(t)

Voltage waveforms in x and y look like

Vx(t)

Vy(t)

16