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Biomedical subjects

W A Edelstein

Publications and source records attributed to W A Edelstein.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Characterization and prediction of gradient acoustic noise in MR imagers.

Gradient acoustic noise has been measured and characterized for an epoxy-potted, shielded gradient assembly in a 1.5 T MRI system. Noise levels vary by 10 dB or more as a function of longitudinal position in the scanner and reflect the pattern of forces applied to the gradient assembly. The noise level increases slightly (1-3 dB) with a patient in the scanner. The spectrum of the noise is similar (but not identical) to the spectrum of the input signal. A gradient-pulse-to-acoustic-noise transfer function was obtained by using a white noise voltage input to the gradient system. The transfer function enabled us to accurately predict acoustic noise output for a pulse sequence consisting of a series of trapezoidal pulses on a single axis and for a clinical fast spin echo sequence with gradients present on all three axes.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

Optimizing MRI signal-to-noise ratio for quadrature unmatched RF coils: two preamplifiers are better than one.

Using separate preamplifiers for the two outputs of a quadrature receive coil (and then combining the preamplifier outputs in a quadrature hybrid) provides a better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than is obtained by directly combining the quadrature outputs in a hybrid followed by a single preamplifier. The advantage of the two-preamplifier configuration increases when the body coil impedance changes and is no longer matched to 50 ohms. Using 0.4 dB noise figure preamplifiers, theory predicts 1.53, 0.42, 0, 0.42, and 1.53 dB SNR advantage of the two-preamplifier configuration over the one-preamplifier arrangement at body coil impedances of 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 ohms, respectively. Experimental hot/cold resistor noise figure measurements indicate 2.86, 0.65, 0.36, 0.83, and 1.40 dB noise figure advantage for the two preamplifier configuration relative to the one-preamplifier configuration at those impedances. Empirical gains larger than theoretically calculated are attributable to insertion losses of various circuit elements, such as the quadrature hybrid, for the one-preamplifier configuration.

Amplifiers, Electronic↗
PubMed1990

The NMR phased array.

We describe methods for simultaneously acquiring and subsequently combining data from a multitude of closely positioned NMR receiving coils. The approach is conceptually similar to phased array radar and ultrasound and hence we call our techniques the "NMR phased array." The NMR phased array offers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and resolution of a small surface coil over fields-of-view (FOV) normally associated with body imaging with no increase in imaging time. The NMR phased array can be applied to both imaging and spectroscopy for all pulse sequences. The problematic interactions among nearby surface coils is eliminated (a) by overlapping adjacent coils to give zero mutual inductance, hence zero interaction, and (b) by attaching low input impedance preamplifiers to all coils, thus eliminating interference among next nearest and more distant neighbors. We derive an algorithm for combining the data from the phased array elements to yield an image with optimum SNR. Other techniques which are easier to implement at the cost of lower SNR are explored. Phased array imaging is demonstrated with high resolution (512 x 512, 48-cm FOV, and 32-cm FOV) spin-echo images of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Data were acquired from four-element linear spine arrays, the first made of 12-cm square coils and the second made of 8-cm square coils. When compared with images from a single 15 x 30-cm rectangular coil and identical imaging parameters, the phased array yields a 2X and 3X higher SNR at the depth of the spine (approximately 7 cm).

Humans↗
PubMed1988

Human in vivo phosphate metabolite imaging with 31P NMR.

Phosphorus (31P) spectroscopic images showing the distribution of high-energy phosphate metabolites in the human brain have been obtained at 1.5 T in scan times of 8.5 to 34 min at 27 and 64 cm3 spatial resolution using pulsed phase-encoding gradient magnetic fields and three-dimensional Fourier transform (3DFT) techniques. Data were acquired as free induction decays with a quadrature volume NMR detection coil of a truncated geometry designed to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio on the coil axis on the assumption that the sample noise represents the dominant noise source, and self-shielded magnetic field gradient coils to minimize eddy-current effects. The images permit comparison of metabolic data acquired simultaneously from different locations in the brain, as well as metabolite quantification by inclusion of a vial containing a standard of known 31P concentration in the image array. Values for the NMR visible adenosine triphosphate in three individuals were about 3 mM of tissue. The ratio of NMR detectable phosphocreatine to ATP in brain was 1.15 +/- 0.17 SD in these experiments. Potential sources of random and systematic error in these and other 31P measurements are identified.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1986

The intrinsic signal-to-noise ratio in NMR imaging.

The fundamental limit for NMR imaging is set by an intrinsic signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a particular combination of rf antenna and imaging subjects. The intrinsic SNR is the signal from a small volume of material in the sample competing with electrical noise from thermally generated, random noise currents in the sample. The intrinsic SNR has been measured for a number of antenna-body section combinations at several different values of the static magnetic field and is proportional to B0. We have applied the intrinsic and system SNR to predict image SNR and have found satisfactory agreement with measurements on images. The relationship between SNR and pixel size is quite different in NMR than it is with imaging modalities using ionizing radiation, and indicates that the initial choice of pixel size is crucial in NMR. The analog of "contrast-detail-dose" plots for ionizing radiation imaging modalities is the "contrast-detail-time" plot in NMR, which should prove useful in choosing a suitable pixel array to visualize a particular anatomical detail for a given NMR receiving antenna.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1986

Surface-coil T1 images.

A method for producing calculated T1 images with high signal-to-noise ratio and good spatial resolution using surface coils is presented. Separate transmit and receive rf coils with electronic decoupling are employed to insure uniform B1 excitation. The sensitivity profile of the receiver coil is normalized out of the image by the T1 calculation. T1 values determined by this method show close agreement with previously reported values.

Extremities↗
PubMed1986

High resolution magnetic resonance imaging using surface coils.

There is, of course, an intense activity directed at the improvement of MR imaging capabilities. Surface-coil techniques offer the possibility of improving the SNR sufficiently to permit the reduction of pixel sizes to values that would not be possible with conventional head and body coils. The successful application of surface-coil techniques to MR imaging suggests that this technique will be widely used in future MR imaging systems. This provides a fertile field for new research. This includes opportunities for mathematical and physical research into optimizing coil design. It also includes many opportunities for clinical research into the utilization of surface coils and high resolution MR imaging.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed1985

Orbital magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance images of the eye and orbit performed with surface coils at 1.5 tesla showed anatomic details superior to those of conventional third- and fourth-generation computed tomography.

Anterior Chamber↗
PubMed1985

Estimating radiofrequency power deposition in body NMR imaging.

Simple theoretical estimates of the average, maximum, and spatial variation of the radiofrequency power deposition (specific absorption rate) during hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance imaging are deduced for homogeneous spheres and for cylinders of biological tissue with a uniformly penetrating linear rf field directed axially and transverse to the cylindrical axis. These are all simple scalar multiples of the expression for the cylinder in an axial field published earlier (Med. Phys. 8, 510 (1981]. Exact solutions for the power deposition in the cylinder with axial (Phys. Med. Biol. 23, 630 (1978] and transversely directed rf field are also presented, and the spatial variation of power deposition in head and body models is examined. In the exact models, the specific absorption rates decrease rapidly and monotonically with decreasing radius despite local increases in rf field amplitude. Conversion factors are provided for calculating the power deposited by Gaussian and sinc-modulated rf pulses used for slice selection in NMR imaging, relative to rectangular profiled pulses. Theoretical estimates are compared with direct measurements of the total power deposited in the bodies of nine adult males by a 63-MHz body-imaging system with transversely directed field, taking account of cable and NMR coil losses. The results for the average power deposition agree within about 20% for the exact model of the cylinder with axial field, when applied to the exposed torso volume enclosed by the rf coil. The average values predicted by the simple spherical and cylindrical models with axial fields, the exact cylindrical model with transverse field, and the simple truncated cylinder model with transverse field were about two to three times that measured, while the simple model consisting of an infinitely long cylinder with transverse field gave results about six times that measured. The surface power deposition measured by observing the incremental power as a function of external torso radius was comparable to the average value. This is consistent with the presence of a variable thickness peripheral adipose layer which does not substantially increase surface power deposition with increasing torso radius. The absence of highly localized intensity artifacts in 63-MHz body images does not suggest anomalously intense power deposition at localized internal sites, although peak power is difficult to measure.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

Calculated T1 images derived from a partial saturation-inversion recovery pulse sequence with adiabatic fast passage.

Calculated T1 images of the head and abdomen have been obtained using an alternating partial saturation-inversion recovery pulse sequence. Timing parameters were adjusted to yield optimum T1 contrast-to-noise ratio for this sequence for the range of T1 studied. Adiabatic fast passage (AFP) was implemented for the nonselective inverting pulse, to reduce the sensitivity of the measurement to RF and static field inhomogeneity. A nonlinear frequency sweep was used to improve the efficiency of the AFP pulse. The effect on the T1 calculation of slice selection during the pi/2 pulses was also determined and corrected for in the image reconstruction algorithm. The T1's determined by this method show a standard deviation of less than 10%, and good agreement with the literature.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1985

In vivo solvent-suppressed localized hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: a window to metabolism?

Solvent-suppression NMR techniques are combined with a pulsed magnetic field gradient and surface coil detection method of spatial localization. The result is a technique that enables observation of metabolites in the hydrogen (1H) NMR chemical-shift spectra from preselected disk-shaped volumes of biological tissue in vivo. Localized spectra are recorded from the normal human brain and forearm and from a dog in acquisition periods of 2 s using a 1.5-T imaging/spectroscopy system. This is several hundred-fold faster than acquiring similar state-of-the-art 31P NMR spectra of brain metabolites in vivo. Spectroscopy experiments are followed by conventional surface coil imaging sequences to precisely define the selected volume. Contamination of spectra by lipid resonances is a problem.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Ocular and orbital lesions: surface coil MR imaging.

Nine lesions, four ocular (three melanomas, one hemangioma) and five orbital (two perioptic meningiomas, one hemangioma, one pseudotumor, one mucocele), were evaluated by magnetic resonance surface coil imaging at 1.5 T. Small ocular lesions with 3.9-4.5-mm-elevation were demonstrated. The use of two different pulse sequences resulted in separation of melanoma from adjacent retinal detachment. Contrast obtained between orbital lesions and the adjacent normal structures was better than that demonstrated with high-resolution computed tomography.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Improved MR imaging of the orbit at 1.5 T with surface coils.

A method for obtaining localized high-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) images of the eye and orbit is demonstrated. The method uses modified surface receiver coils placed immediately adjacent to the anatomy to detect the MR signal. Surface coils provide enhanced sensitivity for imaging voxels close to the surface of the body while limiting the received patient-generated noise. The resulting improvement in signal-to-noise ratio allows for a reduction in the imaging voxel size to about 0.5 X 0.5 X 5 mm in scan times of 3.4-5 min. At this level of resolution, anatomic detail in the orbital region previously unobservable in MR images is seen.

Eye↗
PubMed1984

Anatomy and metabolism of the normal human brain studied by magnetic resonance at 1.5 Tesla.

Proton magnetic resonance (MR) images were obtained of the human head in magnetic fields as high as 1.5 Tesla (T) using slotted resonator high radio-frequency (RF) detection coils. The images showed no RF field penetration problems and exhibited an 11 (+/- 1)-fold improvement in signal-to-noise ratio over a .12-T imaging system. The first localized phosphorus 31, carbon 13, and proton MR chemical shift spectra recorded with surface coils from the head and body in the same instrument showed relative concentrations of phosphorus metabolites, triglycerides, and, when correlated with proton images, negligible lipid (-CH2-) signal from brain tissue on the time scale of the imaging experiment. Sugar phosphate and phosphodiester concentrations were significantly elevated in the head compared with muscle. This method should allow the combined assessment of anatomy, metabolism, and biochemistry in both the normal and diseased brain.

Brain↗
PubMed1984

Magnetic resonance imaging of pituitary lesions using 1.0 to 1.5 T field strength.

Six patients with pituitary abnormalities and three normal volunteers were evaluated by high field superconductive (1.0, 1.4, or 1.5 Tesla) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, low field resistive (0.12 Tesla) MR imaging, and contrast-enhanced, high-resolution CT. Four macroadenomas, one microadenoma, and one empty sella were demonstrated. Their morphology and anatomic relationship to the visual pathway and the internal carotid and anterior cerebral arteries were best demonstrated by high field MR imaging. The low field resistive MR studies were least effective in showing the lesions.

Adenoma↗