Improved three-dimensional multi-echo gradient echo based myelin water fraction mapping with phase related artifact correction

ABSTRACT Myelin water fraction (MWF) mapping with a multi‐echo gradient echo (mGRE) sequence using complex‐value based model fitting approach was recently described, in which the phase of the data plays an important role in the accuracy of the fitting results. Thus, influences coming from the undesirable phase components need to be reduced. Targeted for improved MWF mapping, methods to combat these phase related issues which include offset correction, main magnetic field (B0) inhomogeneity related correction, and flow compensation have been developed. For offset correction, a coil combine method with bipolar readout gradients has been devised. For B0 related artifact, a voxel spread function correction approach along with a navigator echo acquisition was utilized. Finally, flow compensation gradients were used to reduce the effects of flow from regions including the veins. The correction methods led to reduced residual fitting error and improved quality of the resultant MWF maps. Quantitative analysis shows increased reliability when the corrections were used. Data from normal volunteers showed improved MWF mapping with the integrated method developed in this work. HighlightsWe have explored a 3D MWF mapping method which accounts for phase related artifacts.Complex‐valued modeling and complex three‐compartment fitting show improved reliability when phase related disturbances are compensated.The results will improve the quality of mGRE based MWF mapping in human brain.

[1]  Peter M. Farrell,et al.  Modelling and Estimation of Multicomponent Distributions , 2013 .

[2]  Dong-Hyun Kim,et al.  Mechanisms of T2* anisotropy and gradient echo myelin water imaging , 2017, NMR in biomedicine.

[3]  Reto Meuli,et al.  MP2RAGE Multiple Sclerosis Magnetic Resonance Imaging at 3 T , 2012, Investigative radiology.

[4]  Jeff H. Duyn,et al.  Micro-compartment specific T2 ⁎ relaxation in the brain , 2013, NeuroImage.

[5]  Y Wang,et al.  Magnetic Susceptibility from Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Can Differentiate New Enhancing from Nonenhancing Multiple Sclerosis Lesions without Gadolinium Injection , 2016, American Journal of Neuroradiology.

[6]  J. Sedlacik,et al.  Heterogeneity of Multiple Sclerosis Lesions in Multislice Myelin Water Imaging , 2016, PloS one.

[7]  Dong-Hyun Kim,et al.  In vivo multi-slice mapping of myelin water content using T 2 * decay , 2010, NeuroImage.

[8]  Siegfried Trattnig,et al.  Combining phase images from multi‐channel RF coils using 3D phase offset maps derived from a dual‐echo scan , 2011, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[9]  D. O. Walsh,et al.  Adaptive reconstruction of phased array MR imagery , 2000, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[10]  I. Vavasour,et al.  A pathology-MRI study of the short-T2 component in formalin-fixed multiple sclerosis brain , 2000, Neurology.

[11]  R. Bowtell,et al.  Fiber orientation-dependent white matter contrast in gradient echo MRI , 2012, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[12]  Jonathan O'Muircheartaigh,et al.  Investigating white matter development in infancy and early childhood using myelin water faction and relaxation time mapping , 2012, NeuroImage.

[13]  José P. Marques,et al.  An illustrated comparison of processing methods for MR phase imaging and QSM: combining array coil signals and phase unwrapping , 2016, NMR in biomedicine.

[14]  Cornelia Laule,et al.  Insight into in vivo magnetization exchange in human white matter regions , 2011, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[15]  Derek K. Jones,et al.  Gleaning multicomponent T1 and T2 information from steady‐state imaging data , 2008, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[16]  Dong-Hyun Kim,et al.  Improved estimation of myelin water fraction using complex model fitting , 2015, NeuroImage.

[17]  Dong-Hyun Kim,et al.  Physiological noise compensation in gradient-echo myelin water imaging , 2015, NeuroImage.

[18]  A. Mackay,et al.  In vivo measurement of T2 distributions and water contents in normal human brain , 1997, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[19]  Zhe Wu,et al.  High resolution myelin water imaging incorporating local tissue susceptibility analysis. , 2017, Magnetic resonance imaging.

[20]  Saifeng Liu,et al.  A fully flow‐compensated multiecho susceptibility‐weighted imaging sequence: The effects of acceleration and background field on flow compensation , 2016, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[21]  Dong-Hyun Kim,et al.  Simultaneous imaging of in vivo conductivity and susceptibility , 2014, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[22]  S. Nelson,et al.  Measurement of in vivo multi-component T2 relaxation times for brain tissue using multi-slice T2 prep at 1.5 and 3 T. , 2006, Magnetic resonance imaging.

[23]  H. Möller,et al.  Myelin water mapping by spatially regularized longitudinal relaxographic imaging at high magnetic fields , 2014, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[24]  Julien Cohen-Adad,et al.  In vivo histology of the myelin g-ratio with magnetic resonance imaging , 2015, NeuroImage.

[25]  Christian Denk,et al.  Susceptibility weighted imaging with multiple echoes , 2010, Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI.

[26]  Richard G. Spencer,et al.  Rapid simultaneous high-resolution mapping of myelin water fraction and relaxation times in human brain using BMC-mcDESPOT , 2017, NeuroImage.

[27]  C. Laule,et al.  Water content and myelin water fraction in multiple sclerosis , 2004, Journal of Neurology.

[28]  Pascal Spincemaille,et al.  Flow compensated quantitative susceptibility mapping for venous oxygenation imaging , 2014, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[29]  Dong-Hyun Kim,et al.  Volumetric R2* mapping using z‐shim multi‐echo gradient echo imaging , 2015, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[30]  G. B. Pike,et al.  MRI‐based myelin water imaging: A technical review , 2015, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[31]  Y Wang,et al.  The Use of Noncontrast Quantitative MRI to Detect Gadolinium-Enhancing Multiple Sclerosis Brain Lesions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis , 2017, American Journal of Neuroradiology.

[32]  G. B. Pike,et al.  Field inhomogeneity correction for gradient echo myelin water fraction imaging , 2017, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[33]  Dmitriy A Yablonskiy,et al.  Voxel spread function method for correction of magnetic field inhomogeneity effects in quantitative gradient‐echo‐based MRI , 2013, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[34]  Pascal Spincemaille,et al.  Feasibility and reproducibility of whole brain myelin water mapping in 4 minutes using fast acquisition with spiral trajectory and adiabatic T2prep (FAST‐T2) at 3T , 2016, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[35]  K. Scheffler,et al.  Feasibility of in vivo myelin water imaging using 3D multigradient‐echo pulse sequences , 2012, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[36]  Robert Turner,et al.  Temperature dependence of water diffusion pools in brain white matter , 2016, NeuroImage.

[37]  J. Duyn,et al.  Nonexponential T2* decay in white matter , 2012, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[38]  Lawrence L Wald,et al.  Simultaneous z‐shim method for reducing susceptibility artifacts with multiple transmitters , 2009, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[39]  A. MacKay,et al.  Magnetic Resonance of Myelin Water: An in vivo Marker for Myelin , 2016, Brain plasticity.

[40]  Peter T Fox,et al.  Three‐pool model of white matter , 2003, Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI.

[41]  Jorge Jovicich,et al.  B0 mapping with multi‐channel RF coils at high field , 2011, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[42]  Bimal Lakhani,et al.  Motor Skill Acquisition Promotes Human Brain Myelin Plasticity , 2016, Neural plasticity.

[43]  G H Glover,et al.  3D z‐shim method for reduction of susceptibility effects in BOLD fMRI , 1999, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[44]  Dmitriy A Yablonskiy,et al.  On the role of physiological fluctuations in quantitative gradient echo MRI: implications for GEPCI, QSM, and SWI , 2015, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[45]  Daniel B. Vigneron,et al.  Development of a robust method for generating 7.0 T multichannel phase images of the brain with application to normal volunteers and patients with neurological diseases , 2008, NeuroImage.

[46]  Metabolism Imaging,et al.  K-space Data Preprocessing for Artifact Reduction in Mr Imaging 1 , 2005 .

[47]  G. Bruce Pike,et al.  Impact of magnetic susceptibility anisotropy at 3 T and 7 T on T2*-based myelin water fraction imaging , 2018, NeuroImage.

[48]  Alex L. MacKay,et al.  Rapid whole cerebrum myelin water imaging using a 3D GRASE sequence , 2012, NeuroImage.

[49]  Robert Turner,et al.  Myelin and iron concentration in the human brain: A quantitative study of MRI contrast , 2014, NeuroImage.

[50]  Yiping P. Du,et al.  Fast multislice mapping of the myelin water fraction using multicompartment analysis of T  2* decay at 3T: A preliminary postmortem study , 2007, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[51]  Richard G. Spencer,et al.  Improved determination of the myelin water fraction in human brain using magnetic resonance imaging through Bayesian analysis of mcDESPOT , 2016, NeuroImage.

[52]  John A. Detre,et al.  Direct visualization of short transverse relaxation time component (ViSTa) , 2013, NeuroImage.

[53]  Wolfgang Bogner,et al.  Combining phase images from array coils using a short echo time reference scan (COMPOSER) , 2015, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[54]  Wenmiao Lu,et al.  Phase and amplitude correction for multi‐echo water–fat separation with bipolar acquisitions , 2010, Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI.

[55]  A. MacKay,et al.  In vivo visualization of myelin water in brain by magnetic resonance , 1994, Magnetic resonance in medicine.