PHYSICS - MRI Flashcards
Ferromagnetic substances
dramatic increase in local magnetic field, large increase in susceptibility; e.g. metal
Paramagnetic substances
small increase in local magnetic field, small increase in susceptibility; e.g. deoxyhemoglobin, gadolinium
Diamagnetic substances
small decrease in local magnetic field, small decease in susceptibility; e.g. tissues, calcium
Requirement for an atom to have net magnetism
odd mass number (protons + neutrons)
Net magnetization in the absence of an external magnetic field
no net magnetization; protons are randomly oriented
Larmor frequency is proportional to…
magnetic field strength
Net longitudinal magnetization (Mz) is proportional to…
magnetic field strength; parallel vs. antiparallel orientation
Larmor frequency for H+ at 1 Tesla
42 MHz; which means the gyromagnetic ratio of H+ is 42 MHz/Tesla
Transverse magnetization (Mxy) immediately after external magnetic field applied
none; phase is random
Is the parallel or antiparallel orientation a lower energy state?
parallel orientation is a lower energy state (preferred)
Susceptibility definition
extent to which matter becomes magnetized when placed in an external magnetic field; causes spin dephasing resulting in signal loss
Flip angle definition
angle of net magnetization vector relative to the Z-axis
For resonance to occur, the RF pulse must be…
RF pulse must be at the Larmor frequency and perpendicular to the Z-axis
Free induction decay signal
voltage detected by coils, which is induced by the rotating transverse magnetization vector; voltage oscillates at the Larmor frequency
Relationship between magnetic field strength and FID signal
directly proportional; increased field strength => increased FID signal
T1 relaxation time increases or decreases with increased field strength?
increases (longer T1 relaxation time); energy exchange with the lattice is less efficient
Short T1 relaxation time - bright or dark
bright; tissue recovers signal quickly
Long T1 relaxation time - bright or dark
dark; tissue recovers signal slowly
Short T2 relaxation time - bright or dark
dark; tissue loses signal quickly
Long T2 relaxation time - bright or dark
bright; tissue loses signal slowly
Causes of loss of phase coherence
spin-spin interactions and magnetic field inhomogeneities (may be external or local)
T2 relaxation time increases or decreases with increased field strength?
neither; T2 relaxation is independent of magnetic field strength
T1 or T2 relaxation times are longer? (generally)
T1 relaxation times are much longer
Faraday’s Law of Induction
a moving magnetic field with induce a current within a coil
T1 time constant
time at which 63% of Mz has formed
T2 time constant
time at which Mxy has decayed to 37% of its original value
How many T1’s for recovery of full net longitudinal magnetization?
4 T1’s (~99%); same for T2 decay (4 T2’s)
How does an increase in magnetic field strength by 4x affect T1 relaxation?
2x increases in T1 relaxation time
T2 signal when longitudinal magnetization has fully recovered
none; not possible to have T2 signal (transverse magnetization) when longitudal magnetization has fully recovered
T2* decay
dephasing due to spin-spin interactions and magnetic field inhomogenties (local or external)
Formula for T1 contribution to signal
1 - e^(-t/T1), where t is the TR and T1 is tissue specific
Formula for T2 contribution to signal
e^(-t/T2), where t is the TE and T2 is tissue specific
Short TR
<500 msec
Long TR
> 2000 msec
Short TE
<30 msec
Long TE
> 80 msec
TR and TE for proton density
long TR, short TE
Spin density sequence
a.k.a. proton density
Spin echo: 180 degree pulse timing
TE/2
T2 vs. T2* decay
T2 decay is the result of spin-spin interactions, while T2* decay is the result of spin-spin interactions + field inhomogeneities
Relationship between magnetic field strength and SNR
directly proportional; 2x field strength => 2x SNR (noise does not change with field strength)
Gradient echo pulse sequence
very short TR; <90 degree pulse => bipolar (dephasing and rephasing) gradients
How to: increase T1-weighting on GRE
increase flip angle
How to: increase T2-weighting on GRE
increase TE
Effect of gadolinium on T1 and T2 relaxation
gad increases T1 and T2 relaxation (shortening) => T1 bright, T2 dark
Standard dose of gadolinium
0.1 mmol/kg
Risk of gadolinium administration in CKD
nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (widespread tissue fibrosis)
Contraindications to gadolinium
pregnancy, GFR <30
Gadolinium agents with no known association with NSF
macrocyclic gadolinium agents
Timing of slice select gradient
applied during RF pulse (RF pulse determines which “slice” of tissue is excited); during ALL RF pulses, not just initial
How to: obtain thinner slices
decrease transmit bandwidth (of RF pulse), increase slice select gradient strength
Timing of frequency encoding gradient
applied at TE (during sampling)
Echo sampling rate
number of times each echo is sampled; corresponds to frequency encode matrix size
Determinants of matrix size
number of times each echo is sampled in the frequency encoding direction, number of phase encoding gradients in the phase encoding direction
Timing of phase encoding gradient
between RF pulse and echo; different phase encoding gradient is applied for each acquired echo
Center of k-space
center represents low spatial frequencies (large structures/”contrast”)
Periphery of k-space
periphery represents high spatial frequencies (small features and edges/”details”)
Gradient applied across the widest dimension (generally)
frequency encoding gradient