Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

Scientific results:

In particular, within the framework of the project, a set of radiofrequency (RF) devices based on promising technologies and unique materials was designed and tested experimentally with the participation of volunteers and patients to improve the quality of clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the wrist, abdominal region and fetus (in MRI of pregnant women), heart structures and the brain.

These results open great prospects for wireless RF coils and pads based on "artificial" materials for use in MRI using effective, but at the same time intense pulse sequences, the use of which under standard conditions is impossible due to exceeding the RF load standards, and significantly increase the diagnostic value of the obtained MR images in terms of eliminating artifacts and increasing the detail of the images.

The proposed concept can be useful in studying patients with implants and children, for whom compromise, and less effective pulse sequence options are usually used due to the need to reduce the RF load further. In addition, the laboratory team members demonstrated at the third stage of the project that such RF devices can be used to improve the diagnostic value of MR screening of the mammary glands.

In addition to developing RF devices, the project team proposed methods and developed protocols for quantitative MRI of the heart and liver to detect and monitor fibrosis. It is worth noting that open access to the proposed MR scanning protocols, in particular, to the quantitative cardiac MRI protocol, together with access to software for processing the data results, will expand the range of studies conducted at the Almazov National Medical Research Center and other medical institutions of the Russian Federation, and, possibly, reduce the use of contrast agents to critically necessary cases, which, on the one hand, will make cardio MRI studies more accessible, and on the other hand, safer.

In turn, the results of studies on the detection and determination of the stage of liver iron overload show that the use of MRI machines with a field strength of 3 T using the proposed scanning protocols will significantly reduce the study time and potentially avoid the introduction of drugs for the diagnostic procedure in newborns and preschool patients. The project also developed a method for mapping T2 relaxation times for musculoskeletal MRI.

The proposed method for reconstructing T2 maps is based on the use of multi-slice dictionaries generated by numerically solving the Bloch equations. Compared to the method using single-slice dictionaries, the new method reduced the variation of T2 values ​​between slices and also reduced the error in determining T2 relative to the reference values. The potential of the developed method is the possibility of its adaptation to other pulse sequences in addition to multi-echo spin-echo. Finally, the team developed methods for post-processing MR data using deep learning methods. In the field of cardiac MRI, a project was presented to accelerate MR scanning by reducing the number of phase encoding steps and further reconstructing images using generative networks. Based on the results of the project, an additional educational program "Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Physical Foundations and Modern Trends" was developed for students, postgraduates of Russian universities, as well as MRI engineers.

Education and personnel occupational retraining:

Following the project implementation, an additional educational program “Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Physical Foundations and Modern Trends” was developed for students, postgraduates of Russian universities, as well as MRI engineers.

Cooperation:

Almazov National Medical Research Centre

Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine (CRMBM), Aix Marseille University