Off-resonance frequency filtered magnetic resonance imaging

Magn Reson Imaging. 2010 May;28(4):527-36. doi: 10.1016/j.mri.2009.12.027. Epub 2010 Feb 4.

Abstract

One of the main problems with rapid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques is the artifacts that result from off-resonance effects. The proposed off-resonance frequency filtered MRI (OFF-MRI) method focuses on the elimination of off-resonance components from the image of the observed object. To maintain imaging speed and simultaneously achieve good frequency selectivity, MRI is divided into two steps: signal acquisition and post-processing. After the preliminary phase in which we determine imaging parameters, MRI takes place; the signal from the same object is successively acquired M times. As a result, we obtain M partial signals in k-space, from which we form the image of the observed object in the post-processing phase, after signal acquisition has been completed. This paper demonstrates that with proper selection of acquisition parameters and weighting coefficients in the post-processing phase, OFF-MRI is equivalent to filtering the signal by finite impulse response filter of length M. It is shown that with M successive acquisitions M-1 off-resonance components can be eliminated (filtered-out) from images, and therefore, only two acquisitions are needed to eliminate one off-resonance components. On the other hand, with OFF-MRI, it is also possible to form the image of an arbitrary off-resonance component by eliminating all other off-resonance components, including the on-resonance component. The proposed OFF-MRI method is suitable for MRI where rapid acquisition is required and elimination of off-resonance components can improve reliability of measurements.

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue / pathology
  • Algorithms
  • Computer Simulation
  • Contrast Media / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Models, Statistical
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Phantoms, Imaging
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Contrast Media
  • Water