Biomedical subjects

L Söndergaard

Publications and source records attributed to L Söndergaard.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1995

MR flow quantification with cardiovascular applications: a short overview.

We present a short overview of the potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for quantification of flow in the cardiovascular system. The most widespread method for creation of MRI flow information utilized flow-sensitizing magnetic field gradients. Objects that move in the varying magnetic field introduced by such gradients change their precession frequency and therefore obtain a velocity-dependent offset phase angle. The exact phase behaviour for different types of gradients and motion patterns can be calculated and a very simple linear relationship is predicted by theory as well as confirmed in experiments between constant velocity and phase angle. Phase-sensitive flow MRI (velocity mapping) is frequently performed as a two-dimensional gradient-echo technique with flow sensitivity (flow encoding) in the through-plane direction, but other encoding directions are possible. Parameters that can be determined from a velocity map are linear velocity in each voxel, vessel area and flow rate. In the case of a stenotic vessel, the trans-stenotic pressure gradient can also be estimated. The velocity mapping method has been extensively used for cardiac flow studies in adult patient groups, e.g. for indirect measurements of coronary artery flow and for the study of aortic valve diseases. In children, the method has recently been used to determine shunt volumes in congenital heart disease. We conclude that flow investigation with MRI may in the future present a good alternative for the clinical evaluation of cardiovascular disorders.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Pulse sequence design for MR velocity mapping of complex flow: notes on the necessity of low echo times.

Lowering of the echo time (TE) has been proposed as a way to reduce effects of phase dispersion in MR velocity mapping, because a low TE reduces sensitivity to higher-order motion terms while first-order velocity sensitivity is maintained. Methods of lowering TE involves the use of extreme gradient ramp times and gradient strengths as well as reduction of the duration of transmit/receive windows, the latter method causing decrements in image resolution. When reducing higher-order sensitivity, however, it is not the overall TE that is the critical parameter, but rather the time pattern of the gradients used in the experiment. Hence, changes in TE without subsequent variations in gradient pattern would, according to theory, not affect quantitative measurements of complex flow and vice versa. In this study, we experimentally demonstrate this relation and utilize the experience to create a sequence robust towards complex flow without sacrifices in image resolution. Our experimental observations show that variations in TE alone while maintaining the time course of the velocity-encoding gradient does not significantly affect measurements of through-plane average complex flow in the studied velocity range. A parameter that cannot be measured as accurately if TE is increased is the peak flow. A phase mapping sequence with prolonged TE from 3 ms to 5 ms but with short duration of the velocity-encoding (section-selective) gradient and improved in-plane resolution was demonstrated in vivo.

Aorta↗

PubMed1993

Functional MR imaging at 1.5 T. Initial results using photic and motoric stimulation.

A preliminary investigation of the effects of stimulation of the visual and the motor cortex was made on a conventional 1.5 T MR imaging scanner. Both types of activation gave a detectable change in the signal between rest and stimulation using a gradient echo sequence with an echo time of 60 ms. The observed effects were assumed to be caused by variation in the amount of paramagnetic deoxyhemoglobin between stimulation and rest due to local increase of capillary blood flow in the human brain during stimulation.

Brain↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A segmented K-space velocity mapping protocol for quantification of renal artery blood flow during breath-holding.

Two important prerequisites for MR velocity mapping of pulsatile motion are synchronization of the sequence execution to the time course of the flow pattern and robustness toward loss of signal in complex flow fields. Synchronization is normally accomplished by using either prospective ECG triggering or so-called retrospective gating. However, if the studied vessel moves periodically in space as a result of respiratory motion, as in the case of renal arteries, a second synchronization with respect to the vessel motion in space may be necessary. One method to overcome this problem is to use the segmented k-space technique, in which the entire data acquisition can be made within a breath-hold by the sampling of several phase-encoding lines within a small time window during each heart cycle. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of a segmented k-space velocity mapping protocol for renal artery flow determination. The protocol uses 16 phase-encoding lines per heart beat during 16 heart cycles and gives a temporal velocity resolution of 160 msec. Comparison with a conventional ECG-triggered velocity mapping protocol was made in phantoms as well as in volunteers. In our study, both methods showed sufficient robustness toward complex flow in a phantom model. In comparison with the ECG technique, the segmentation technique reduced vessel blurring and pulsatility artifacts caused by respiratory motion, and average flow values obtained in vivo in the left renal artery agreed between the two methods studied.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗