| 1. |
- Lätt, Jimmy, et al.
(author)
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Accuracy of q-space related parameters in MRI: Simulations and phantom measurements
- 2007
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In: IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging. - 1558-254X. ; 26:11, s. 1437-1447
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The accuracy of q-space measurements was evaluated at a 3.0-T clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, as compared with a 4.7-T nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. Measurements were performed using a stimulated-echo pulse-sequence on n-decane as well as on polyethylene glycol (PEG) mixed with different concentrations of water, in order to obtain bi-exponential signal decay curves. The diffusion coefficients as well as the modelled diffusional kurtosis K-fit, were obtained from the signal decay curve, while the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) and the diffusional kurtosis K were obtained from the displacement distribution. Simulations of restricted diffusion, under conditions similar to those obtainable with a clinical MRI scanner, were carried out assuming various degrees of violation of the short gradient pulse (SGP) condition and of the long diffusion time limit., The results indicated that an MRI system can not be used for quantification of structural sizes less than about 10 mu m by means of FWHM since the parameter underestimates the confinements due to violation of the SGP condition. However, FWHM can still be used as an important contrast parameter. The obtained kurtosis values were lower than expected from theory and the results showed that care must be taken when interpreting a kurtosis estimate deviating from zero.
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| 2. |
- Lätt, Jimmy, et al.
(author)
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Diffusion-weighted MRI measurements on stroke patients reveal water-exchange mechanisms in sub-acute ischaemic lesions.
- 2009
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In: NMR in Biomedicine. - : Wiley. - 0952-3480 .- 1099-1492. ; 22:6, s. 619-628
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate the diffusion time dependence of signal-versus-b curves obtained from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) of sub-acute ischaemic lesions in stroke patients. In this case series study, 16 patients with sub-acute ischaemic stroke were examined with DW-MRI using two different diffusion times (60 and 260 ms). Nine of these patients showed sufficiently large lesions without artefacts to merit further analysis. The signal-versus-b curves from the lesions were plotted and analysed using a two-compartment model including compartmental exchange. To validate the model and to aid the interpretation of the estimated model parameters, Monte Carlo simulations were performed. In eight cases, the plotted signal-versus-b curves, obtained from the lesions, showed a signal-curve split-up when data for the two diffusion times were compared, revealing effects of compartmental water exchange. For one of the patients, parametric maps were generated based on the extracted model parameters. These novel observations suggest that water exchange between different water pools is measurable and thus potentially useful for clinical assessment. The information can improve the understanding of the relationship between the DW-MRI signal intensity and the microstructural properties of the lesions. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 3. |
- Lätt, Jimmy, et al.
(author)
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Effects of restricted diffusion in a biological phantom: a q-space diffusion MRI study of asparagus stems at a 3T clinical scanner
- 2007
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In: Magma. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1352-8661. ; 20:4, s. 213-222
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction The aim of this work was to study the effects of restricted diffusion in a biological phantom consisting of green asparagus stems using q-space MRI at a clinical scanner. Method Measurements of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the displacement distribution were performed with varied diffusion time (T d). The accuracy of the measurements was investigated with respect to the degree of violation of the short gradient pulse (SGP) condition, partial volume effects and a FWHM-based tensor model. Results The measurements showed a reasonably constant FWHM perpendicular to the capillaries in the vascular bundles and an increased FWHM parallel with the bundles when the T d was increased. A 15% decrease in FWHM perpendicular to the bundles was observed when the diffusion encoding duration was prolonged from 24 to 74 ms, owing to the violation of the SGP condition. For a population of different confinement sizes, simulations indicated that the FWHM reflects the smaller sizes rather then the mean size of the confinements. Conclusion A new method allowing tensor analysis of FWHM was derived and yielded accurate results. In conclusion, we found it possible to measure the effects of restricted diffusion with q-space MRI using a clinical MRI scanner.
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| 4. |
- Lätt, Jimmy, et al.
(author)
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In vivo visualization of displacement-distribution-derived parameters in q-space imaging.
- 2008
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In: Magnetic Resonance Imaging. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-5894 .- 0730-725X. ; 26:1, s. 77-87
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective This study aimed to explore the potential of in vivo q-space imaging in the differentiation between different cerebral water components. Materials and Methods Diffusion-weighted imaging was performed in six directions with 32 equally spaced q values and a maximum b value of 6600 s/mm2. The shape of the signal-attenuation curve and the displacement propagator were examined and compared with a normal distribution using the kurtosis parameter. Maps displaying kurtosis, fast and slow components of the apparent diffusion coefficients, fractional anisotropy and directional diffusion were calculated. The displacement propagator was further described by the full width at half and at tenth maximum and by the probability density of zero displacement P(0). Three healthy volunteers and three patients with previously diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) were examined. Results Simulations indicated that the kurtosis of a signal-attenuation curve can determine if more than one water component is present and that care must be taken to select an appropriate threshold. It was possible to distinguish MS plaques in both signal and diffusional kurtosis maps, and in one patient, plaques of different degree of demyelinization showed different behavior. Discussion Our results indicate that in vivo q-space analysis is a potential tool for the assessment of different cerebral water components, and it might extend the diagnostic interpretation of data from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Nilsson, Markus, et al.
(author)
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Evaluating the accuracy and precision of a two-compartment Kärger model using Monte Carlo simulations.
- 2010
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In: Journal of Magnetic Resonance. - : Elsevier BV. - 1096-0856 .- 1090-7807. ; 206:1, s. 59-67
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Specific parameters of the neuronal tissue microstructure, such as axonal diameters, membrane permeability and intracellular water fractions are assessable using diffusion MRI. These parameters are commonly estimated using analytical models, which may introduce bias in the estimated parameters due to the approximations made when deriving the models. As an alternative to using analytical models, a database of signal curves generated by fast Monte Carlo simulations can be employed. Simulated diffusion MRI measurements were generated and evaluated using the two-compartment Kärger model as well as the simulation model based on a database containing signal curves from approximately 60000 simulations performed with different combinations of microstructural parameters. A protocol based on a pulsed gradient spin echo sequence with diffusion times of 30 and 60ms and with gradient amplitudes obtainable with a clinical MRI scanner was employed for the investigations. When using the analytical model, a major negative bias (up to approximately 25%) in the estimated intracellular volume fraction was observed for short exchange times, while almost no bias was seen for the simulation model. In general, the simulation model improved the accuracy of the estimated parameters as compared to the analytical model, except for the exchange time parameter.
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| 7. |
- Nilsson, Markus, et al.
(author)
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On the effects of a varied diffusion time in vivo: is the diffusion in white matter restricted?
- 2009
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In: Magnetic Resonance Imaging. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-5894 .- 0730-725X. ; 27:2008 Jul 25, s. 176-187
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this work was to study the diffusion-related signal attenuation curves (signal-vs.-b curves) measured perpendicular and parallel to the neuronal fibers of the corticospinal tract in vivo and to determine whether effects of restricted diffusion could be observed when varying the diffusion time (T(D)). A biexponential model and a two-compartment model including exchange according to the Kärger formalism were employed to analyze the signal-vs.-b curves. To validate the two-compartment model, restricted diffusion with exchange was simulated for uniformly sized cylinders, using different diameters and exchange times. The model was shown to retrieve the simulated parameters well, also when the short gradient pulse approximation was not met. The in vivo measurements performed perpendicular to the tracts, using b values up to 28000 s/mm(2) and T(D) values between 64 and 256 ms, did not show the effects of restricted diffusion as expected from previous ex vivo studies. The applied two-compartment model yielded an average axonal diameter of about 4 mum and an intracellular exchange time of about 300 ms, but did not fit statistically well to the data. In conclusion, this study indicates that if the diffusion is modeled as two compartments, of which one is restricted, exchange must be included in the model.
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| 8. |
- Wirestam, Ronnie, et al.
(author)
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Denoising of complex MRI data by wavelet-domain filtering: Application to high-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging.
- 2006
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In: Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. - : Wiley. - 1522-2594 .- 0740-3194. ; 56:5, s. 1114-1120
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Rician distribution of noise in magnitude magnetic resonance (MR) images is particularly problematic in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regions. The Rician noise distribution causes a nonzero minimum signal in the image, which is often referred to as the rectified noise floor. True low signal is likely to be concealed in the noise, and quantification is severely hampered in low-SNR regions. To address this problem we performed noise reduction (or denoising) by Wiener-like filtering in the wavelet domain. The filtering was applied to complex MRI data before construction of the magnitude image. The noise-reduction algorithm was applied to simulated and experimental diffusion-weighted (DW) images. Denoising considerably reduced the signal standard deviation (SD, by up to 87% in simulated images) and decreased the background noise floor (by approximately a factor of 6 in simulated and experimental images).
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