“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.


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Non-Contrast MR Angiography

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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.

Advanced intelligent Clear-IQ Engine (AiCE)

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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).

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

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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.

Multi-b Diffusion

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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.

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