What's New!

New topics: Updated our latest topic on Iterative Motion Correction (IMC) and video on Metal Artifact Reduction

“Good to Know” Canon MRI

Canon’s Good to Know helps to make complex topics simple by providing explanations from our expert employees. We try to make it easy to understand with videos and links to useful information, and PDFs are made available to print out if you would like to keep the information handy. If you would like more information or to suggest ideas for other topics, please email us on CMSC-goodtoknow@medical.canon and we will have our experts get in touch with you.


sou

Iterative Motion Correction (IMC)

sou

Wissam AlGhuraibawi, PhD

WHAT?

IMC is a Deep Learning-based motion correction method to improve the quality of images affected by patient motion.

WHY?

Patient motion creates artifacts that can cause images to lose their diagnostic value and may necessitate a repeated scan.

WHEN?

IMC can reduce imaging artifacts from sporadic, rigid, and nonrigid patient motion in fast spin-echo (FSE) sequences. IMC supports multiple imaging weightings such as T2, T1 IR, STIR & FLAIR, and in any plane for brain and cervical spine examinations.

sou

Metal Artifact Reduction

sou

Erin J. Kelly, PhD

WHAT?

Metal artifact reduction strategies and sequences are designed to reduce susceptibility artifacts caused by the presence of metal in an MR imaging volume.

WHY?

In MRI, most metallic implants cause artifacts which can interfere with the anatomy of interest in the image by causing distortion or signal loss, due primarily to strong magnetic susceptibility.

WHEN?

In patients with metallic implants, artifact reduction techniques are especially useful for reducing the interference of related artifacts thus facilitating a more confident diagnosis.

MOLLI for Myocardial T1 mapping

sou

Chia-Ying Liu, PhD

WHAT?

A specialized pulse sequence modified from original Look Locker technique for myocardial T1 mapping.

WHY?

T1 measurement could be time consuming due to multiple data acquisition successively after magnetization inversion. MOLLI techniques enable a fast assessment of myocardial T1 in one breath hold.

WHEN?

Myocardial T1 mapping provides a non-invasive quantitative tool for tissue characterization in myocardial disease.

sou

Functional MRI (fMRI)

sou

Alicia Palomar,
MSc & MRes

WHAT?

Fast scans of the whole brain every few seconds along a rest-task paradigm or during resting state.

WHY?

To assess neural activity based on the detection of blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) changes.

WHEN?

For multiple purposes such as functional area mapping, evaluation of brain state (related to stroke, trauma or neurodegenerative disorders) and pre-surgical planning.

sou

Non-Contrast MR Angiography

sou

Erin J. Kelly, PhD

WHAT?

A family of MR angiography techniques that utilize fresh spins to depict the contrast in blood vessels as an alternative to an injection of an exogenous contrast agent. In particular, Fresh Blood Imaging (FBI), Flow Spoiled FBI (FS-FBI) and Time-Spatial Labeling Inversion Pulse (Time-SLIP), are discussed.

WHY?

Non-contrast angiography (NC-MRA) provides the safest option for MR Angiography. It can exquisitely depict arteries and veins throughout the body in 3 dimensions, while eliminating the need for gadolinium-based contrast agents.

WHEN?

Any time visualization of the arteries or veins is needed for clinical diagnosis and follow-up related to narrowing or blockage of blood vessels, NC-MRA can be used for evaluation. NC-MRA is especially important for those patients who have a contraindication to exogenous contrast agents.

Multi-b Diffusion

sou

Alicia Palomar,
MSc & MRes

WHAT?

Acquisition of diffusion-weighted images (DWI) using multiple b-values.

WHY?

To improve sensitivity of DWI and obtain further information regarding tissue behavior (apart from pure diffusion).

WHEN?

For several clinical applications and all body regions, but mostly used for oncological purposes.

Precise IQ Engine (PIQE)

sou

Valentin H. Prevost, PhD

WHAT?

PIQE is a solution designed to increase the reconstructed matrix size, providing finer resolution while maintaining or improving SNR.

WHY?

PIQE can lead to a higher throughput and/or a better clinical confidence.

WHEN?

PIQE can be used on 2D Fast Spin Echo (FSE) sequences, at both 1.5 and 3T, especially when SNR is low but more sharpness is needed.

sou

Shape Coil

sou

Erin J. Kelly, PhD

WHAT?

The Shape Coil is part of a new line of coil technology, offering flexibility in design for imaging many regions of the body including the torso, pelvis, joints, bones and extremities.

WHY?

The Shape Coil is flexible, soft, and light. It can be adapted to conform with each patient’s body shape and anatomy to improve patient comfort.  

WHEN?

The Shape Coil can be used when more flexibility in positioning, orientation, acceleration, or coverage than traditional rigid or Flex coils is needed.

sou

Magnetic Resonance Elastography

sou

Wissam AlGhuraibawi, PhD

WHAT?

Elastography is an imaging technique that creates a map where the pixel value represents the stiffness of tissue (measured as the elastic modulus in kilopascals, kPa) at a given location.

WHY?

In many diseases, tissue stiffness can change. For example, stiffness increases with increasing fibrosis, which is directly linked to the clinical outcome of many diseases, such as liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, and steatohepatitis.

WHEN?

MRE is the most effective non-invasive technique for diagnosis, staging, disease monitoring, and treatment follow-up for multiple chronic liver diseases.

Ultra short TE multi-echo (UTE multi-echo)

sou

Hung P. Do, PhD

WHAT?

An MRI pulse sequence that allows acquisition of multi-echo data with ultra short echo times (TEs).

WHY?

Ultra short TEs allows reception of signals from tissues with short T2* which can not be obtained with conventional field echo (gradient echo) sequences.

WHEN?

UTE multi-echo is available at both 1.5T and 3T and can be used to visualize tissues with short T2* and to generate associated T2* maps.

Advanced intelligent Clear-IQ Engine (AiCE)

sou

Hung P. Do, PhD

WHAT?

A deep learning based reconstruction method for MRI that intelligently removes noise while maintaining feature integrity.

WHY?

To increase SNR of the reconstructed images. This increased SNR could be translated to increased resolution and/or shortened scan time. This could also enable high field-like image quality without high-field challenges (e.g. higher cost, B0 & B1 inhomogeneity, etc.).

WHEN?

Applicable to all anatomies and available at both 1.5T and 3T, for both wide and narrow bore system.

Arterial Spin Labeling

sou

Valentin H. Prevost, PhD

WHAT?

Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) method allows quantitative imaging of blood flow perfusion without the use of external contrast agent.

WHY?

The arterial blood used as an endogenous tracer is non-invasive and, due to its physical properties, it represents true tissue perfusion better than external contrast agents can.

WHEN?

To study perfusion disorders such as stroke or blood flow alterations induced by cancer, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Computed Diffusion (cDWI)

sou

Thiele Kobus, PhD
Wolter de Graaf, PhD

WHAT?

Calculate new diffusion-weighted images from acquired images.

WHY?

To obtain additional diffusion information of the tissues without additional scan time.

WHEN?

Mostly used for oncologic purposes; high b-value images may result in better tumor conspicuity.

Compressed SPEEDER

sou

Alba Iruela, MS

WHAT?

Acceleration technique based on incoherent undersampling in k-space.
It relies on the principles of compressed sensing technology.

WHY?

Compressed SPEEDER allows scan time reduction with higher acceleration factors than conventional SPEEDER while avoiding aliasing artifacts.

WHEN?

It is recommended for high-matrix situations, especially when the scanning conditions do not support traditional coil based parallel imaging.

Fat vs. Water, The Dixon Technique

sou

Min Xu, PhD

WHAT?

One fat suppression approach based on the difference between the precessional frequencies of fat and water protons.

WHY?

To get a more efficient and reproducible fat signal suppression technique to improve visualization of lesions.

WHEN?

  • For varied clinical applications, initially focused on abdominal regions, and then extended to musculoskeletal imaging, such as the neck, spine, the knee, brachial plexus, and the hands.
  • Useful when conventional fat suppression technique is not reliable (large FOV, neck and plexus, off-center imaging...)

Fat Fraction Quantification

sou

Mo Kadbi, PhD

WHAT?

A single breath-hold multi-echo Field Echo scan to accurately and reliably measure Proton Density Fat Fraction (PDFF) and R2*, even in the presence of increased iron concentration.

WHY?

To simultaneously provide, with one scan, quantitative maps of liver fat and R2*, in- & opposed-phase images, and fat- & water-only images.

WHEN?

Quantifying hepatic fat content and iron accumulation is needed for diagnosis, severity grading, disease monitoring, or treatment response assessment.

Parallel Imaging SPEEDER and Exsper

sou

Valentin H. Prevost, PhD

WHAT?

MRI images are created by gathering data from what is known in physics as the k-space. Parallel imaging (PI) under-samples data from the k-space by combining signal coming from multiple coils in parallel.

WHY?

By under-sampling data, we can speed-up scan time as less data is required in the acquisition phase.

WHEN?

Parallel Imaging can be used in several ways:
To go faster: higher patient throughput, shorter patient breath-hold, functional MRI, MR Angiography, reduce motion artifacts.
To reduce susceptibility artifacts : single shot EPI with Exsper(diffusion, DTI).

New Applications for Fast 3D Imaging

sou

Niharika Gajawelli, PhD

WHAT?

Advanced approach to reduce 3D imaging can time by utilizing efficient k-space sampling methods.

WHY?

To acquire 3D images faster, with up to about 50 % reduction in the scan time. 

WHEN?

Applicable when acquiring 3D volumes in various anatomies. Some examples include brain imaging or abdominal imaging where breath-holds are required. 

sou

Contact us

If you have questions and/or topic suggestions for
future editions, please send them to

CMSC-goodtoknow@medical.canon
sou