Magnets

Magnetic Dipole 3. Paramagnetic

— small magnet created by
electron spin — between diamagnetic &
ferromagnetic
Magnetic Domain
— accumulation of many dipoles — Slightly attracted

— CM used in MRI are

2 Principal Types of Magnets paramagnetic.

1. Natural — natural
• SI unit of Magnetic Field — Tesla ( T )
2. Permanent — artificial

3. Electromagnet — iron core • Older Unit — Gauss ( G )

— wrapped around an iron core

• 1 Tesla = 10,000 Gauss

Interaction of Matter with Magnets

1. DIAmagnetic Earth’s magnetic field at the

— Unaffected • Equator — 50 μT
• Poles — 100 μT
2. FERROmagnetic
Note:
— strongly attracted *  Tesla – Better quality image

— ALNICO *  Tesla – poor quality

― Extremities (good)
ALNICO — alloy of ALuminum, NIckel, & ― Vertebral / abdomen (bad)
CObalt
— most useful magnets produced * CT:
by ferromagnetic material. ―  slices = Poor Quality

* Cryogen – insulator

* Brace – causes artifact

Magnets used in Medical Imaging ADVANTAGES:

1. RESISTIVE Magnets
• Children, obese, & claustrophobic
- open design
— coils of wire which Magnetic
fields is induced. - Ease

• Interventional & dynamic procedures

ADVANTAGES:
• No power supply
 Lighter

 Low C. Cost • Low O. cost

 No Cryogens
DISADVANTAGES:
DISADVANTAGES:

• Heavy
• Large Power
• 0.2 – 0.3 T
• High O. Cost
•  Time
• < 0.3 T

•  Time 3. SUPERCONDUCTING Magnets

• Stray fringe field — Niobium-titanium ( Nb-Ti ) alloy

- safe but May fringe field
- outside interference ADVANTAGES:
- need faraday shield / cage
• 0.5 – 3 T
2. PERMANENT Magnets
•  Power
― most common
•  O. Cost
― ALNICO
- used to make permanent magnets
• No resistance
 INNER – Liquid HELIUM
• Advanced applications
OUTER – Liquid NITROGEN

• Optimum image quality

2 CHAMBERS OF DEWAR

DISADVANTAGES: 1. INNER Chamber-contains Liquid

HELIUM
•  C. Cost
2. OUTER Chamber-contain Liquid
NITROGEN
• Fringe field
- Need shielding

• Not for Obese / Claustrophobic

- Tunnel

— Has liquid cryogen

Liquid Cryogen – cooling agents

— Low temperature
— 4K
Ramping -- process of bringing the
Dewar / Cryostat – insulated chamber superconducting magnets to
necessary temperature.
— Electromagnetic coils are placed
in Dewar.
Quenching – magnet’s sudden loss of
— High insulated bottle superconductivity.

— Sudden loss of absolute zero of

 Liquid helium is surrounded by temperature
another dewar (Liquid Nitrogen)
— Helium escape

— leakage
 MRI Plane Precession – rotation of object

— Due to angular momentum

 MRI uses Hydrogen for image

generation

Note:

* Pedia – not for MRI

— Dapat / unless SEDATE
Z -- T1 — If nd, e CT-scan
– 60%
* Now MRI – 1.5 T
Y – Anatomy (Patient) — Superconductive magnets
— RMCI & Regional
X – T2
― 37% *  Slices = expensive
― Anatomy & T1
*  slices = cheap

 Principles of MRI -- based on the * < 60% temperature = less

fact that nuclei of element have superconductive
magnetic moment.
* 2000 L Helium

 NO magnetic field
2 Intrinsic Properties
— Nuclei RANDOM
1. Angular Momentum

 WITH magnetic field 2. Magnetic Moment

— Nuclei ALIGN / LIGN UP

 Proton spin has SAME Magnitude
- Fundamental property of particles

 Spin is simply there all the time

2 Alignments Fringe Field – portion of MF extends
away
1. Parallel — Not use in imaging
— Affect equipment & personnel
2. Anti-parallel

Radiofrequency ( RF ) Pulse – short burst

of radio waves

 LENGTH of pulse = amount

ENERGY to nuclei

- Length = Energy

 Use nuclei of HYDROGEN atoms

( 1H )

ANGULAR MOMENTUM
- Clockwise / Counterclockwise
- Kasin / trumpo Hydrogen Nucleus – MR active
- Abundant
- Large magnetic moment
MAGNETIC MOMENT
- Parallel / Anti-parallel
MR Active – Odd number of protons
― Tiny bars

HyCaNOFSop Larmor / Precession Frequency

1. Hydrogen – 1 ― Rate at spin WOBBLE

2. Carbon – 13
 Larmor / Precession Frequency
3. Nitrogen – 15 DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to Bo /
strength of MF
4. Oxygen – 17

5. Fluorine – 19 Larmor Equation

6. Sodium – 23 ω0 = γ x B0

7. Phosphorus – 31
ω0 = Larmor Frequency ( MHz )

 Protons & neutrons spin on own γ = Gyromagnetic Ratio ( MHz/T )

axes w/in nucleus

 Direction of spin is RANDOM

B0 = Strength of MF ( T )
- Static external MF

2 Spins
 Protons have gyromagnetic ratio
1. Clockwise of
Y = 42.58 MHz/T
2. Anti-clockwise /
Counterclockwise
Net Magnetization Vector ( NMV )
― magnetic moment of hydrogen
ODD Number EVEN Number
Interaction of NMV w/ Bo
 MR Active  Not Active
― basis of MRI
 No cancel  With cancel
Unit of Bo – Tesla ( T )
 Spin  No spin
Resonance – occurs when net  FID signals can be detected as
magnetization vector is PERTURBED an Oscillating Voltage,
from equilibrium.
- At the Larmor frequency (fL)

Transverse Magnetization - In a receiver coil placed around

― emits MR signal from receiver coil the sample

 FID signals are detected,

digitized, stored in a computer

― Through use of FOURIER Analysis

― Transformed into MR images

Relaxation – NMV loses its energy /

return of excited nuclei to normal
unexcited state by release of energy.

180o RF Pulse – parallel to MF ― Return

― opposite to equilibrium

900 RF Pulse – perpendicular to MF  Relaxation occurs in:

1. Recovery of Longitudinal
Excitation – application of RF magnetization
― causes resonance to occur
2. Decay of Transverse
magnetization
Free Induction Decay
― Longitudinal magnetization Relaxation Time – measure of rate
converted to Transverse Resonance – energy absorption by an
magnetization object

 This rotation gives rise to Free Recovery – increase, Longitudinal

Induction Decay ( FID )
Decay – Decrease, Transverse
― Loss of signal due to relaxation
 T1 T2 T1 relaxation
 Dependent on strength of
Longitudinal Transverse external MF (Bo) & internal motion
of molecules.
Spin-lattice Spin-spin
 The nuclei return to ground state
Parallel II Perpendicular ⊥
by releasing their energy to
Recovery (+) Decay (-)
surroundings.

Align 63% Lose 63%  The time it takes from excited

spins to recover and be available
Dissipate Exchange for next excitation.

180o 90o T1 Short

 Intermediate molecules (fats)
Hundreds ms Tens ms
 Recover MOST

SS LL SL LS  More magnetization is available

Short = Strong Short = Low to be flipped into transverse
Long = Low Long = Strong
plane by the next RF pulse.

SHORT = STRONG SHORT = LOW

T1 long
= Bright = Dark  Small molecules (water)
= Fat = Fat (large &  Large molecules (proteins)
= Recover Most solids)  Recover NOT
= Lose Most

LONG = LOW LONG = STRONG

= Dark = Bright
= Water & Protein = Water & Liquids
= Recover Not = Retain Most

TR (Short) TE (Long)

Anatomy Pathology
Pathology (CM)
T2 relaxation - owing to inhomogeneities in the
main magnetic field and T2.
 Do not dissipate energy

 Process of energy transfer b/w  Determines how quickly an MR

spins signal fades after excitation.

Short T2 – Lose most

Long T2 – Retain most

T2*

Free Induction decay (FID) – loss of MR

signal due to T2* effects

 T2* effects can be avoided by

using Spin echo sequences.

 Effects of additional field

inhomogeneities contributing to
dephasing.

 Decay of transverse
magnetization caused by both
spin dephasing,
RF System
 Spine
 The electromagnetic
components of RF system may be  Shoulders
provided by outside suppliers &
assembled by the MRI  TMJ’S
manufacturer.
 Stomach
 These components attached to
RF coils
- Made of varying designs. 2. Paired Saddle Coil -- BETTER
homogeneity
― Volume coils
2 Types of Coils ― X & Y gradient coils

1. Shim Coils – make magnetic field  Knee

homogenous.

2. Receiver Coils – detect the returning 3. Helmhortz Pair Coil

radio signals.
― 2 circular coils parallel
― Gradient coils
RF Coils
 Pelvis
― The antenna of MRI system
― Broadcast  Spine
― Receives return signal RF coils can
be receive only
4. Bird Cage Coil
Body Coil
― BEST Homogeneity of all
― Used as Transmitter ― Bird cage
― Transmit & receive ― Transceiver coil
― Transceiver
 Head

RF BODY COILS  Extremities (Knees) – Occasionally

1. Surface Coils – loop of wire

― Circular / rectangular
― Limited / one radius
― Small parts
Power Supply of MRI
If SNR will INCREASE….
 2.4 kW

 5% Voltage Ripple INCREASE

BoNeFoPiSli T2 TR

Refrigeration Unit FACTORS RELATIONSHIP

AFFECTING SNR
* Insert Picture
Bo Increase

FARADAY CAGE NEX Increase

― Radiofrequency shielding FOV Increase

― Aluminum / Galvanized steel Pixel Size Increase

― Shield against Radiofrequency Slice Thickness Increase

(RF) interference

 To function properly, an MRI

scanner needs to sit in a DECREASE
specialzed room / chamber MaRbIE
shielded against Radio Frequency
(RF) interference. FACTORS RELATIONSHIP
AFFECTING SNR
 Without such protection.
- Very weak RF signals that Matrix Size Decrease
emanate from the patient when
scanned would be overwhelmed. RF Bandwidth Decrease

T1 Decrease
Signal to Noise Ratio
TE Decrease
― Detected signal of true signal &
random superimposed signals
(background noise)

𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑆𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑙
𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐵𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑁𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑒
If all parameters are CONSTANT….  rBW has DIRECT RELATIONSHIP to
SNR
RF Coil
 SMALLER the sensitive volume of
coil SNR = 1/Square root (rBW)

 LOWER the noise

Transmit Bandwidth
 BETTER SNR
― required for slice selection in
pulse sequence

A Local Coil / Surface Coil have

HIGHER SNR than a body coil.  Slice Thickness is PROPORTIONAL
to BW

RF Bandwidth  Slice Thickness is INVERSELY

PROPORTIONAL to Applied
― Frequencies associated either w/ Gradient Strength
RF-excitation (Transmitter
Bandwidth, tBW) or Signal  Lowering pulse BW can REDUCE
reception (Receiver Bandwidth, the Slice Thickness
rBW) or the highest or lowest
signal.

RF-excitation -- Transmitter Bandwidth, Slice Thickness in MRI is determined:

tBW
 The Bandwidth of RF
Signal reception -- Receiver Bandwidth, ― Longer BW, Lower ST
rBW ― LB, LS

* Insert Picture  Steepness of slope of Gradient

Coil (STRENGTH)

Receiver / Acquisition Bandwidth (rBW)  MRI uses techniques called Pulse

Sequences
― accepted by the receiver to
sample MR signal.
Pulse Sequences – techniques
ADC / Apparent Diffusion Coefficient
― Different tissue contrast
mechanisms ― Entangle diffusion & relaxation
― Set of specific instructions effects

― How the images should appear. ― Diffusion process is complex in

biological tissues & reflects
several different mechanisms.

DWI / Diffusion Weighted Imaging ― Diffusion values

― Diffusion of molecules ― No T2 effects

- Random motion
― More useful
― If an incident occurs <72 hours
prior to scan, ― Less pretty
- Swelling to edema occurs.
― Inverted DWI images
― Used for CVA & CNS

― Combination of Actual diffusion Spin Echo

values & T2 signal
― Widely used
― Isotropic water movement ― STARTS 90o pulse & ENDS 1800
Examples: Grey matter in cerebral pulse
cortex & major brain nuclei / in a body.
- Where the diffusion rate appears
to be the same when measured
along any axis. Gradient Echo Sequences (GRE)

― Sensitive to T1 & T2 relaxation Gradient Echo

― Refocus spins
Note:
* CVA – CerebroVascular Accident ― Susceptible to blood flows
― Stroke
― Flip angles LESSER than 90o
- in addition to TR & TE
― Alternative technique to Spin
Echo Sequences

― Utilize gradient fields

- To generate Transverse
Magnetization

― Flip angles of less than 900

― AKA Reverse Polarity of Gradient

Fast Pulse Sequence

 Fast Gradient Echo (FGRE)

― Fast gradient imaging technique

― Turbulent blood flow

 Fast Spin Echo

― Quicker
- Covers wide range tissue

― Increase specific absorbed rate

― STARTS 900 & followed w/ series of

1800 pulse.