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MRI PRINCIPLES
Yves De Deene

NMR imaging is non-invasive

Strong static magnetic field

Radiofrequent electromagnetic waves

Space and time dependent magnetic fields

MRS
Magnetic Resonantce Spectroscopy

MRI
Magnetic Resonance Imaging

MRR
Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry
N.M.R

Spectra

Images
M

Relaxation times Diffusion coefficients

M

g(R1,2)

R1,2

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Properties of the atomic nucleus

N.M.R

m p = 0,00000000000000000000000167 g m p = 1,67.10-24 g + ++ + + + + ++ + qp = 0,00000000000000000016 C qp = 1,6.10-19 C

Water

L=
H2O

I .( I + 1)

Lz = .mI

p = g L .(q p / 2m p ) L
p , z = g L .( q p / 2m p ) Lz

1922
Frankfurt

Discovery: Nuclear spin momentum of the proton

N Otto Stern

Walther Gerlach

Nobel price for physics in 1943

1938
New York

Discovery of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

N N N Z
Isidor Isaac Rabi

H z

Fz =

( H) z

H z

From left to right: N. Bohr, J. Franck, A. Einstein, I. Rabi

Nobel price physics in 1944

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1946
Harvard

Nuclear magnetic resonance in a block of parafine

E = B
E
-1/2

E = h f

+1/2

Edward Purcell

B0

B
f Larmor =

Nobel price physics (Bloch & Purcell) in 1952

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: Spin precession

Magnetic moment in a magnetic field Spinning top in a gravitational field
dL = LG dt

Precession of the proton magnetic moment in a magnetic field S

L
N Spinning charge in a magnetic field ++ + ++ ++ N

G
S

N Charge only (no mass)

1946
Leipzig / Stanford

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: Spin precession

dL = L G dt

L
G
The Bloch equation
Felix Bloch

dM = ( M B) dt

M
Nobel price Physics (Bloch & Purcell) in 1952

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Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: Nuclear spin precession

B
dM dt

The Bloch equation

dM = ( M B) dt

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Basic principle

Topview of precession (transverse plane)

f RF =

B0

B0

B0
COIL

B0
Cryogenic magnet

EXCITATION PULSE

Hydrogen proton transmits a radiofrequent electromagnetic wave (yellow) after excitation by an RF pulse (red)

Radiofrequency coil Gradient coil

Water molecule

Image Processing (2D-FFT)

Cross-section of an NMR scanner

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Excitation and signal reception

= . B

EXCITATION

SIGNAL RECEPTION

COIL

OBJECT: spin-system

COIL

OBJECT: spin-system

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Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Dephasing

= . B

IN PHASE

OUT OF PHASE

1949
Illinois

Pulsed field NMR The spin-echo experiment

Excitation pulse Refocusing pulse Excitation pulse Refocusing pulse

Erwin Hahn

TE TR

First discovery of a spin-echo - E. Hahn (1950) -

Pulsed field NMR The spin-echo experiment

Erwin Hahn 1949
EXCITATION PULSE REFOCUSSING PULSE

TE/2

TE/2

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Pulsed field NMR The spin-echo experiment

Erwin Hahn 1949

MAGNETIC DIPOLE MOMENT PHASORS

Excitation pulse Refocusingpulse

TE/2

TE/2

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Relaxation mechanisms

EXCITATION PULSE REFOCUSING PULSE

Nicolaas Bloembergen

Robert Pound

Edward Purcell

EXCITATION PULSE

REFOCUSING PULSE

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Relaxation mechanisms

T1, T2

T1 (128 MHz)

10

1 0
liquids

T1 (64 MHz) solids T2 (64 & 128 MHz)

B0
c
t

10 1

BL
One water molecule

10

10 12

10 9

10 6

BL
Many water molecules

T
t

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Relaxation theory in tissue (Daskiewicz, Zimmerman, Brittin, Edzes en Samulski)

BL
Hydrogen bridges

FREE WATER

J
+ - O +
C

Bound layer 0 > 1/c 0 = 1/c 0 < 1/c Intermediate layer Free water

INTERMEDIATE LAYER +
O

+ -

+ +
-

+ -

+ +
N

+ + BOUND LAYER
R2 most effective

0
R1 most effective

Bloembergen

Pound

Purcell

Contrast in MR images is determined by the interaction of spin systems

Hydrogen bridges

M
FREE WATER

High mobility

t M

+ - O +
C

INTERMEDIATE LAYER

+
O

+ -

t
+ +
-

+ -

+ +
N

+ +
BOUND LAYER

Protein, polymer, cell membrane

Low mobility

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Two important relaxation mechanisms

Spin-lattice relaxation T1 Spin-spin relaxation T2

B0

B0

time Restoration of longitudinal magnetization Energy transfered to lattice (phonons) Entropy increases Repopulation of spins between spin energy levels Interactions with magnetic field fluctuations at Larmor frequency Dephasing of transverse magnetization Energy transferred between spins No entropy change of total spin system No repopulation of spins between spin energy levels Interactions with magnetic field fluctuations at low frequency

time

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From nuclear magnetic resonance signal to Magnetic Resonance Imaging

1972
Downstate Medical Center - Brooklyn

First NMR experiments in vivo

= . B
Resonance condition fulfilled

Raymond V. Damadien

Inhomogeneous magnetic field

First MRI scan

From nuclear magnetic resonance signal to Magnetic Resonance Imaging An analogon in acoustics

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From nuclear magnetic resonance signal to Magnetic Resonance Imaging An analogon in acoustics

From nuclear magnetic resonance signal to Magnetic Resonance Imaging An analogon in acoustics: Localisation of glasses close together

Frequency encoding

Spatial encoding of the NMR signal is based on frequency changes in the precession

RF COIL
B

f = 64 MHz

=c/ f
= 4.7 m

Fourier transform

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1973
Illinois / Nottingham

NMR scanner with backprojection

Paul Lauterbur

Peter Mansfield

Nature 242, (1973), 190-191 Nobel price for physiology and medicine (Lauterbur & Mansfield) in 2003

1974
Zurich

NMR scanner with 2D Fourier transformation

Richard Ernst

Nobel price for chemistry in 1991

Spatial encoding of the NMR signal Slice selection

= . B

B z

1.52 T f = 64.8 MHz

GRADIENT COILS

64.8 MHz

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Spatial encoding of the NMR signal Frequency encoding

BG x

1.4

1.5

1.6 T

= . B

60

64

68 MHz

EXCITATION PULSE

SLICE SELECTION

B z 1.52 T

f = 64.8 MHz

1.52 T

= . B R = 64.8 MHz

B = 1.52 T

EXCITATION PULSE

PHASE ENCODING
y

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EXCITATION PULSE

REFOCUSING PULSE

FREQUENCY ENCODING
B y

1.4

1.5

1.6 T

SLICE SELECTION

FREQUENCY AND PHASE ENCODING

2D-FOURIER TRANSFORM

FREQUENCY

AMPLITUDE IMAGE

(f , )

PHASE

The first MRI scanners ...

Interventional MRI unit

Open MRI unit

Mobile MRI unit

and recent ones

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Anatomical imaging: Multiple sclerosis

Proton density (transverse)

T2 weighted (transverse)

T1 weighted With contrastagent

Proton density (sagital)

Cluster analysis (T1w, T2w, PDw)

Anatomical Imaging: Arterio venous diseases

Arterio venous malformation (AVM) Aneurism

T2 weighted (transverse)

MR angiography

MR angiography

MR angiography

Thrombosis

Infarct (stroke)

Neck trauma

T2 weighted

MR angiography

Proton density

Proton density

T2 weighted

Anatomical imaging: Oncology

T2 weighted (cyst) Protondensity (Brain metastasis)

T1 weighted with contrastagent (Breast carcinoma)

T2 weighted (chondrosarcoma) T2 weighted (cervix carcinoma) T2 weighted (prostate tumor)

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Anatomical imaging Bone and soft tissue

rheumatoid arthritis knee

rheumatoid arthritis whrist

T2 weighted (torn ligaments) T2 weighted (hernia)

Osteoporosis (femur)

But there is more to MRI than anatomical imaging ...

2008

In research phase 1972 State of the art

3D images dynamic images sharp image resolution quantitative imaging celspecific contrastagents hyperpolarized MRI in vivo spectroscopy functional imaging multimodality imaging

First NMR images

I visited Copenhagen frequently after the war. At one point, I gave a talk in Copenhagen, and then afterwards we met with Bjerrum. Bjerrum was a chemist and a great friend of Niels Bohr Bohr said to him: You know, what these people do is really very clever. They put little spies into the molecules and send radio signals to them, and they have to radio back what they are seeing. I thought that was a very nice way of formulating it. That was exactly how they were used. It was not anymore the protons as such. But from the way they reacted, you wanted to know in what kind of environment they are, just like spies that you send out. That was a nice formulation. - Felix Bloch -

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