• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.140-140
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• 2001

We present two cases of surgically proven focal nodular hyperplasia whou underwent tri contrast-enhance MR imaging using gadolinium chelates, mangafodipir trisodium, and ferumoxides After the unehanced MR images were obtained, dynamic gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted imagi were performed, then mangafodipir enhanced and ferumoxides-enhanced images were obtained. In one case, the mass was isointense on both T1- and T2-weighted images on the unehanced M images, iso and slightly hyperintense on ferumoxides-enhanced FSE and GRE images, strong hyperintense on the mangafodipir enhanced and gadolinium enhanced arterial phase images. In th other case, the mass was isointense on T2-weighted and hypointense on T1-weighted image isointense on ferumoxides-enhanced images, and hyperintense on mangafodipir enhanced an gadolinium enhanced arterial phase images. Triple contrast enhanced MR images were useful correctly diagnose these two cases preoperatively.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.10-20
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• 2010

Purpose : Recently, the Recon Challenge at the 2009 ISMRM workshop on Data Sampling and Image Reconstruction at Sedona, Arizona was held to evaluate feasibility of highly accelerated acquisition of time resolved contrast enhanced MR angiography. This paper provides the step-by-step description of the winning results of k-t FOCUSS in this competition. Materials and Methods : In previous works, we proved that k-t FOCUSS algorithm successfully solves the compressed sensing problem even for less sparse cardiac cine applications. Therefore, using k-t FOCUSS, very accurate time resolved contrast enhanced MR angiography can be reconstructed. Accelerated radial trajectory data were synthetized from X-ray cerebral angiography images and provided by the organizing committee, and radiologists double blindly evaluated each reconstruction result with respect to the ground-truth data. Results : The reconstructed results at various acceleration factors demonstrate that each components of compressed sensing, such as sparsifying transform and incoherent sampling patterns, etc can have profound effects on the final reconstruction results. Conclusion : From reconstructed results, we see that the compressed sensing dynamic MR imaging algorithm, k-t FOCUSS enables high resolution time resolved contrast enhanced MR angiography.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2001

Objective: To identify and evaluate the lateral border zone by comparing the size and distribution of the abnormal signal area demonstrated by MR imaging with the infarct area revealed by pathological examination in a reperfused myocardial infarction cat model. Materials and Methods: In eight cats, the left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 90 minutes, and this was followed by 90 minutes of reperfusion. ECG-triggered breath-hold turbo spin-echo T2-weighted MR images were initially obtained along the short axis of the heart before the administration of contrast media. After the injection of Gadomer-17 and Gadophrin-2, contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR images were obtained for three hours. The size of the abnormal signal area seen on each image was compared with that of the infarct area after TTC staining. To assess ultrastructural changes in the myocardium at the infarct area, lateral border zone and normal myocardium, electron microscopic examination was performed. Results: The high signal area seen on T2-weighted images and the enhanced area seen on Gadomer-17-enhanced T1WI were larger than the enhanced area on Gadophrin-2-enhanced T1WI and the infarct area revealed by TTC staining; the difference was expressed as a percentage of the size of the total left ventricle mass (T2= 39.2 %; Gadomer-17 =37.25 % vs Gadophrin-2 = 29.6 %; TTC staining = 28.2 %; p < 0.05). The ultrastructural changes seen at the lateral border zone were compatible with reversible myocardial damage. Conclusion: In a reperfused myocardial infarction cat model, the presence and size of the lateral border zone can be determined by means of Gadomer-17- and Gadophrin-2-enhanced MR imaging.

• Korean Journal of Digital Imaging in Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2013

Perfusion MR imaging is how to use exogenous and endogenous contrast agent. Exogenous perfusion MRI methods which are dynamic susceptibility contrast using $T2^*$ effect and dynamic contrast-enhanced using T1 weighted image after injection contrast media. An endogenous perfusion MRI method which is arterial spin labeling using arterial blood flow in body. In order to exam perfusion MRI in human, technical access are very important according to disease conditions. For instance, dynamic susceptibility contrast is used in patients with acute stroke because of short exam time, while dynamic susceptibility contrast or dynamic contrast enhancement provides the various perfusion information for patients with tumor, vascular stenosis. Arterial spin labeling is useful for children, women who are expected to be pregnant. In this regard, perfusion MR imaging is required to understanding, and the author would like to share information with clinical users

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.1409-1416
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• 2012

An image segmentation result depends on pre-processing steps such as contrast enhancement, edge detection, and smooth filtering etc. Especially medical images are low contrast and contain some noises. Therefore, the contrast enhancement and noise removal techniques are required in the pre-processing. In this study, we present an extension by a novel histogram equalization in which both local and global contrast is enhanced using neighborhood metrics. When checking neighborhood information, filters can simultaneously improve image quality. Most important is that original image information can be used for both global brightness preserving and local contrast enhancement, and image quality improvement filtering. Our experiments confirmed that the proposed method is more effective than other similar techniques reported previously.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2019

Dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging plays an important role in non-invasive detection and characterization of primary and metastatic lesions in the liver. Recently, efforts have been made to improve spatial and temporal resolution of DCE liver MRI for arterial phase imaging. Review of recent publications related to arterial phase imaging of the liver indicates that there exist primarily two approaches: breath-hold and free-breathing. For breath-hold imaging, acquiring multiple arterial phase images in a breath-hold is the preferred approach over conventional single-phase imaging. For free-breathing imaging, a combination of three-dimensional (3D) stack-of-stars golden-angle sampling and compressed sensing parallel imaging reconstruction is one of emerging techniques. Self-gating can be used to decrease respiratory motion artifact. This article introduces recent MRI technologies relevant to hepatic arterial phase imaging, including differential subsampling with Cartesian ordering (DISCO), golden-angle radial sparse parallel (GRASP), and X-D GRASP. This article also describes techniques related to dynamic 3D image reconstruction of the liver from golden-angle stack-of-stars data.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.52 no.12
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• pp.134-141
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• 2015

The purpose on this research is quantitatively comparing and analyzing signal intensity of 1.0mol and 0.5mol contrast agent. For this study, two MR phantoms were produced. One of them is used with 1.0mol Gadobutrol. The other is used with 0.5mol Gadoteridol. These two phantoms respectively have been scanned by SE T1 sequence which is used to get a general contrast-enhanced image in 1.5T MRI and 3D FLASH sequence which is used as enhanced angio MRI. Signal intensity was measured by scanned images as per contrast agent dilution ratio. The results were as follow: RSP(Reaction Starting Point) of the two sequences(2D SE, 3D FLASH) was respectively 6.0%, 60.0% in 0.5mol contrast and 2.0%, 20.0% in 1.0mol contrast, which means in 0.5mol contrast, RSP was formed faster than the one in 1.0mol contrast. MPSI was respectively 1358.8[a.u], 1573[a.u] in 0.5mol contrast and 1374[a.u], 1642.4[a.u] in 1.0mol contrast, which means 0.5mol contrast's MPP (0.4%, 10.0%) was formed faster than 1.0mol contrast's MPP (0.16%, 1.8%). Lastly, RA as per contrast agent dilution ratio was 27.4%, 11.8% wider in 0.5mol contrast(20747.4[a.u], 23204.6[a.u]) than in 1.0mol contrast(12691.9[a.u], 20747.4[a.u]). According to the study, we are able to assure that signal reaction time of 1.0mol contrast is slower than the one of 0.5mol contrast in contrast-enhanced MRI at two different sequences(2D SE, 3D FLASH). Furthermore, owing to the fact that there are not any signal intensity differences between 1.0mol and 0.5mol contrast, it is not true that high concentration gadolinium MR contrast agent does not always mean high signal intensity in MRI.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.281-285
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• 2016

The purpose of study was to evaluate SNR and CNR with different contrast agent contents (1.0 mmol/mL gadobutrol and 0.5 mmol/mL gadoterate meglumine) for spin echo (SE) and 3-dimension contrast-enhanced fast field echo (3D CE-FFE) pulse sequences. In this study, we compared the SNR and the CNR between 0.5 mmol/mL gadoterate meglumine and 1.0 mmol/mL gadobutrol according to the concentration of contrast agent in brain MRI. When we compared between SE and 3D CE-FFE pulse sequences, the higher SNR and CNR using 3D CE-FFE pulse sequence can be acquire regardless of contrast agent contents. Also, a statistically significant difference was found for SNR and CNR between all protocols. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the SNR and CNR have not risen proportionately with contrast agent contents. We hope that these results presented in this paper will contribute to decide contrast agent contents for brain MRI.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.203-209
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• 2010

Objective : The purpose of study was to evaluate the feasibility of brain magnetic resonance (MR) images of the rat obtained using a 1.5T MR machine in several blood-brain barrier (BBB) experiments. Methods : Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. MR images were obtained using a clinical 1.5T MR machine. A microcatheter was introduced via the femoral artery to the carotid artery. Normal saline (group 1, n = 4), clotted autologous blood (group 2, n = 4), triolein emulsion (group 3, n = 4), and oleic acid emulsion (group 4, n = 4) were infused into the carotid artery through a microcatheter. Conventional and diffusion-weighted images, the apparent coefficient map, perfusion-weighted images, and contrast-enhanced MR images were obtained. Brain tissue was obtained and triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was performed in group 2. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled dextran images and endothelial barrier antigen (EBA) studies were performed in group 4. Results : The MR images in group 1 were of good quality. The MR images in group 2 revealed typical findings of acute cerebral infarction. Perfusion defects were noted on the perfusion-weighted images. The MR images in group 3 showed vasogenic edema and contrast enhancement, representing vascular damage. The rats in group 4 had vasogenic edema on the MR images and leakage of dextran on the FITC-labeled dextran image, representing increased vascular permeability. The immune reaction was decreased on the EBA study. Conclusion : Clinical 1.5T MR images using a rat depicted many informative results in the present study. These results can be used in further researches of the BBB using combined clinical MR machines and immunohistochemical examinations.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.367-373
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• 2004

Evaluated the hyperacute embolic effects of triolein and oleic acid in cat brains by using MR image and electron microscopy. In fat embolism, free fatty acid is more toxic than neutral fat in terms of tissue damage. T2-Weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging were performed in cat brains after the injection of triolein (group 1, n=8) or oleic acid (group 2, n=10) into the internal carotid artery. MR image were quantitatively assessed by comparing the lesions with their counterparts on T2-weighted images, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. Electron microscopic findings in group 1 were compared with those in group 2. Qualitatively, MR images revealed two types of lesions. Type 1 lesions were hyperintense on diffusion-weighted images and hypointense of ADC maps. Type 2 lesions were isointense or mildly hyperintense on diffusion-weighted images and isointense on ADC maps. Quantitatively, the signal intensity rations of type 1 lesions in group 2 specimens were significantly higher on T2-weighted images (P=.013)/(P=.027) and lower on ADC maps compared with those of group 1. Electron microscopy of type 1 lesions in both groups revealed more prominent widening of the perivascular space and swelling of the neural cells in groups 1. MR and electron microscopic data on cerebral fat embolism induced by either triolein or oleic acid revealed characteristics suggestive of both vasogenic and cytotoxic edema in the hyperacute stage. Tissue damage appeared more severe in the oleic acid group than in the triolein group.