Image optimisation Flashcards
When is an MRI image optimal?
- High signal
- Low noise
- High tissue contrast
- Good spatial resolution
- Good temporal resolution
- Short imaging time
- No (or few) artefacts
What are the basic image parameters?
- Sequence type:
- 2D
- 3D
- TR
- TE
- Flip angle, TI
What is the flip angle?
The amount of rotation that the net magnetisation experiences during application of RF pulse
What is the resultant flip angle approximately proportional to?
Frequency of the B1 field
What are other image parameters?
- Number of averages, FOV, matrix size, bandwidth
2. Number of shots, slice thickness, echo train length
What is a measure of true signal to noise?
signal to noise ratio
What does a lower signal-to-noise ratio generally result in?
Grainy appearance to images
What is the equation of SNR?
s/n
signal level/ noise level
What is a measure used to determine image quality?
CNR
Contrast to noise ratio
What are the 2 equations for CNR?
- SA-SB/standard deviation
2. Stissue1-Stissue2/n
What are MR images?
Complex valued (real and imaginary channels)
What is phase useful in?
Susceptibility mapping
What is Quantiative susceptibility mapping (QSM)?
Absolute concentration of iron, calcium and other subtanced may be measured in tissue based on changes in local susceptibility
What do we refer to for noise?
Thermal noise
i.e. stochastic thermal fluctuation of voltage induced in the receiver coils
What does the thermal fluctuations of voltage include?
Contributions from:
- Imaged object
- Coil
- Electronics
What is noise in each image channel?
- zero-mean
2. Guassian-distributed
What do magnitude images have?
More complex noise distributions such as Rician distributions
What are Rician distributions?
Models the path the scattered signals take to receiver
What is the SNR calculations?
- S: use mean signal in a homogenous region (e.g. within white matter)
- N: use mean signal in an area with air
- N: use standard deviation of signal in an area with air
What is noise-only acquisition calculation
- S: use mean signal in a homogenous region (e.g. within white matter)
- N: use mean signal from noise-only acquisition (e.g. within same white matter region)
- S: use mean signal in a homogenous region-of-interest (e.g. within white matter)
- N: use standard deviation of signal from noise-only acquisition (e.g. within same white matter region)
What is SNR calculation: method 5?
- S: use mean signal over the acquisition in each voxel
* N: use standard deviation of signal over acquisition in each voxel
Why should we watch out for spatially-variant noise?
The noise level can vary across the image
- Watch out for image ghosts in ‘‘air’’ areas
Why is the acquisition of multiple images be required as part of a quantitative study?
These images can then be exploited to estimate SNR
What is time-consuming?
Acquistion of noise-only images
What does Contrast,C, measure?
Differences between the intensity of signal from two different tissues
- Differences is usually normalised
How can the contrast be changed?
Varying TR, TE, FA