• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2022

Purpose: In this study, we provide a way to assess even a slight effect of exercise on trunk-muscle activity. Materials and Methods: Seven healthy male participants (mean age, 24.7 ± 3.2 years; height, 171.2 ± 9.8 cm; and weight, 63.8 ± 11.9 kg) performed 15 sets of an exercise with 20 repetitions of 90° hip and right-knee flexion while lying supine. The exercise intensity was measured using the 10-point Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale after the first and 15th sets of exercises. Although cross-sectional areas and functional T2 mapping using ultrafast imaging (fast-acquired muscle functional magnetic resonance imaging, fast-mfMRI) have been proposed for imaging to evaluate exercise-induced muscle activity in real time, no previous studies have reported on the evaluation of trunk-muscle activity using functional T2 mapping. As a method for assessing trunk-muscle activity, we compared functional T2 mapping using ultrafast imaging (fast-mfMRI) with cross-sectional areas. Results: Although the muscle cross-sectional areas were increased by the exercise, there was no significant difference at rest. On the other hand, for all sets, the changes in T2 were significant compared with those at rest (P < 0.01). These results demonstrate that T2, calculated from fast-mfMRI images can be used to detect even a small amount of muscle activity induced by acute exercise, which was impossible to do with cross-sectional areas. Conclusion: Fast-mfMRI, which can also display functional information with detailed forms, enabled non-invasive real-time imaging for identifying and evaluating the degree of deep trunk-muscle activity induced by exercise.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers D
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.48-53
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• 2000

In this paper, we develop a TMS320C31 (60MHz) digital signal processor (DSP) board to synthesize gradient waveforms for Spiral Scan Imaging (SSI), which is one of the ultra fast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods widely used. In SSI, accurate gradient waveforms are very essential to high quality magnetic resonance images. For this purpose, sampling rate for synthesizing the gradient waveforms is set twice as high as the data sampling rate. With the developed DSP boards accurate gradient waveforms are obtained. Ultra fast spiral scan imaging with the developed with the developed DSP board is currently under development.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.81-92
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• 2021

The role of neuroimaging in patients with acute ischemic stroke has been gradually increasing. The ultimate goal of stroke imaging is to make a streamlined imaging workflow for safe and efficient treatment based on optimized patient selection. In the era of multimodal comprehensive imaging in strokes, imaging based on computed tomography (CT) has been preferred for use in acute ischemic stroke, because, despite the unique strengths of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), MRI has a longer scan duration than does CT-based imaging. However, recent improvements, such as multicoil technology and novel MRI acceleration techniques, including parallel imaging, simultaneous multi-section imaging, and compressed sensing, highlight the potential of comprehensive MR-based imaging for strokes. In this review, we discuss the role of stroke imaging in acute ischemic stroke management, as well as the strengths and limitations of MR-based imaging. Given these concepts, we review the current MR acceleration techniques that could be applied to stroke imaging and provide an overview of the previous research on each essential sequence: diffusion-weighted imaging, gradient-echo, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, contrast-enhanced MR angiography, and MR perfusion imaging.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2007

The obstacles for cardiac imaging are motion artifacts due to cardiac motion, respiration, and blood flow, and low signal due to small tissue volume of heart. To overcome these obstacles, fast imaging technique with ECG gating is utilized. Cardiac exam using MRI comprises of morphology, ventricular function, myocardial perfusion, metabolism, and coronary artery morphology. During cardiac morphology evaluation, double and triple inversion recovery techniques are used to depict myocardial fluidity and soft tissue structure such as fat tissue, respectively. By checking the first-pass enhancement of myocardium using contrast-enhanced fast gradient echo technique, myocardial blood flow can be evaluated. In addition, delayed imaging in 10 - 15 minutes can inform myocardial destruction such as chronic myocardial infarction. Ventricular function including regional and global wall motion can be checked by fast gradient echo cine imaging in quantitative way. MRI is acknowledged to be practical for integrated cardiac evaluation technique except coronary angiography. Especially delay imaging is the greatest merit of MRI in myocardial viability evaluation.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.525-534
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• 1996

We have developed a fast steady state free precession interferometry (SSFPI) technique which is useful for the fMRl (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging). As is known, SSFP sequence with a suitable adjustment of Vadient (readeut) allows us to measure precession angle 6 which in tw relates to the field inhomogeneity. Combining the two pulses (known as FID and Echo) in FADE (Fast Acquisition Double Echo) sequence, for example, one can obtain the interference term which is directly related to the precession angle It has been known that a fast high resolution magnetic field mapping is possible by use of the modified FADE sequence or SSFPI, and we have attempted to use the SSFPI technique for the susceptibility-induced fMRl. When the method is applied to the susceptibility effect based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRl), it was found that the direct susceptibility effect measurement was possible without perturbations such as the backgrounds and inflow effect. In this paper, simulation results and experimental results obtained with 2.0 Tesla MRI system are presented.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2021

The aim of this study was to provide a new assessment of rotator cuff muscle activity. Eight male subjects (24.7 ± 3.2 years old,171.2 ± 9.8 cm tall, and weighing 63.8 ± 11.9 kg) performed the study exercises. The subjects performed 10 sets of the exercise while fixing the elbow at 90 degrees flexure and lying supine on a bed. One exercise set consisted of the subject performing external shoulder rotation 50 times using training equipment. Two imaging protocols were employed: (a) true fast imaging with steady precession (TrueFISP) at an acquisition time of 12 seconds and (b) multi-shot spin-echo echo-planar imaging (MSSE-EPI) at an acquisition time of 30 seconds for one echo. The main method of assessing rotator cuff muscle activity was functional T2 mapping using ultrafast imaging (fast-acquired muscle functional MRI [fast-mfMRI]). Fast-mfMRI enabled real-time imaging for the identification and evaluation of the degree of muscle activity induced by the exercise. Regions of interest were set at several places in the musculus subscapularis (sub), musculus supraspinatus (sup), musculus teres minor (ter), and deltoid muscle (del). We used the MR signal of the images and transverse relaxation time (T2) for comparison. Most of the TrueFISP signal was not changed by exercise and there was no significant difference from the resting values. Only the T2 in the musculus teres minor was increased after one set and the change were seen on the T2 images. Additionally, except for those after one and two sets, the changes in T2 were significant compared to those at rest (P < 0.01). We also demonstrated identify and visualize the extent to which muscles involved in muscle activity by exercise. In addition, we showed that muscle activity in a region such as a shoulder, which is susceptible to B0 inhomogeneity, could be easily detected using this technique.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.252-265
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• 2021

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) serves as a clinical gold-standard non-invasive imaging technique for the assessment of global and regional cardiac function. Conventional cardiac MRI is limited by the long acquisition time, the need for ECG gating and/or long breathhold, and insufficient spatiotemporal resolution. Real-time cardiac cine MRI refers to high spatiotemporal cardiac imaging using data acquired continuously without synchronization or binning, and therefore of potential interest in overcoming the limitations of conventional cardiac MRI. Novel acquisition and reconstruction techniques must be employed to facilitate real-time cardiac MRI. The goal of this study is to discuss methods that have been developed for real-time cardiac MRI. In particular, we classified existing techniques into two categories based on the use of non-iterative and iterative reconstruction. In addition, we present several research trends in this direction, including deep learning-based image reconstruction and other advanced real-time cardiac MRI strategies that reconstruct images acquired from real-time free-breathing techniques.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 1999

MRI imaging provides many benefits such as noninvasive, 3-dimensional imaging capabilities. But it has relatively serious drawback that is the long data collection time, compared with other imaging modality. Many studies have been performed for fast MR imaging. But EPI and SEPI (4-6) are required to expensive hardware. In this paper, we introduce to Burst imaging technique. It can reduce imaging time by use of a mulitple RF excitation technique. Further it is easily implemented to the normal MRI system. But a pixel profile in the conventional burst sequence is so poor that excited area by burst sequence is a small portion of a pixel. This causes poor signal to noise ratio in burst image. therefore frequency sweeping of RF pulse for burst imaging sequence is proposed to improve pixel profile. A burst pulse train is shaped by liner or nonlinear frequency sweeping function so that all the spins within a pixel are excited, thereby improving the signal to noise ratio. It also shows that the pixel profiles are dependent on how frequency sweep is made. Computer simulations with Bloch equation and experimental results obtained using a 1.0 T NMR imaging system are presented.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1995 no.11
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• pp.173-176
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• 1995

We have developed a fast steady state free precession interferometry (SSFPI) technique which is useful for the fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging). As is known, SSFP sequence with a suitable adjustment of gradient (readout) allows us to measure precession angle $\theta$ which is in turn related to the field inhomogeneity [1-3]. When the method is applied to the susceptibility effect based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), it was found that the direct susceptibility effect measurement was possible without perturbations such as the backgrounds and inflow effect. In this paper, simulation results and experimental results obtained with 2.0 Tesla MRI system are also presented.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.108-116
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• 2006

Purpose : High-resolution spiral-scan imaging is performed at 3 Tesla MRI system. Since the gradient waveforms for the spiral-scan imaging have lower slopes than those for the Echo Planar Imaging (EPI), they can be implemented with the gradient systems having lower slew rates. The spiral-scan imaging also involves less eddy currents due to the smooth gradient waveforms. The spiral-scan imaging method does not suffer from high specific absorption rate (SAR), which is one of the main obstacles in high field imaging for rf echo-based fast imaging methods such as fast spin echo techniques. Thus, the spiral-scan imaging has a great potential for the high-speed imaging in high magnetic fields. In this paper, we presented various high-resolution images obtained by the spiral-scan methods at 3T MRI system for various applications. Materials and Methods : High-resolution spiral-scan imaging technique is implemented at 3T whole body MRI system. An efficient and fast higher-order shimming technique is developed to reduce the inhomogeneity, and the single-shot and interleaved spiral-scan imaging methods are developed. Spin-echo and gradient-echo based spiral-scan imaging methods are implemented, and image contrast and signal-tonoise ratio are controlled by the echo time, repetition time, and the rf flip angles. Results : Spiral-scan images having various resolutions are obtained at 3T MRI system. Since the absolute magnitude of the inhomogeneity is increasing in higher magnetic fields, higher order shimming to reduce the inhomogeneity becomes more important. A fast shimming technique in which axial, sagittal, and coronal sectional inhomogeneity maps are obtained in one scan is developed, and the shimming method based on the analysis of spherical harmonics of the inhomogeneity map is applied. For phantom and invivo head imaging, image matrix size of about $100{\times}100$ is obtained by a single-shot spiral-scan imaging, and a matrix size of $256{\times}256$ is obtained by the interleaved spiral-scan imaging with the number of interleaves of from 6 to 12. Conclusion : High field imaging becomes increasingly important due to the improved signal-to-noise ratio, larger spectral separation, and the higher BOLD-based contrast. The increasing SAR is, however, a limiting factor in high field imaging. Since the spiral-scan imaging has a very low SAR, and lower hardware requirements for the implementation of the technique compared to EPI, it is suitable for a rapid imaging in high fields. In this paper, the spiral-scan imaging with various resolutions from $100{\times}100$ to $256{\times}256$ by controlling the number of interleaves are developed for the high-speed imaging in high magnetic fields.