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Methods and Hardware for Advanced Shimming with Controllable Magnetic Particles
Shimming with controllable magnetic particles is a novel approach to correct for static field non-uniformities in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this project hardware, control software and methods shall be developed with the goal to implement a first working prototype for human neuro imaging.
Keywords: Electronics design, control software development, feed-back controller, field modelling, calibration methodology
Magnetic resonance imaging is a key imaging modality in clinical medicine as well as medical and neuro-scientific research. To allow for fast and efficient imaging with high frame rates a strong (up to 7 Tesla) but also very uniform (sub-ppm) magnetic field is required. The susceptibility of the live tissue however introduces comparably strong distortions of the field produced by the large superconducting magnet. These field distortions need to be corrected adaptively to each subject which is denoted shimming. In current systems the required magnetic correction fields are provided by resistive coils driven by external current sources. The high space and power requirements however limit the number of channels that can be fitted in the MRI scanner and hence the degrees of freedom with which the magnetic field can be correct in the subject.
To overcome this limitation a novel approach has been developed in our institute employing magnetic materials with controllable magnetization to provide the field correction. These field generating units are small and require low power for their operation. Thereby they can be fitted in a large count array in close proximity to the subject. This prospectively allows obtaining an unprecedented field uniformity in otherwise difficult to image regions, remedying one of the key limitations of current fast MRI sequences and readouts as well as quantitative approaches.
After initial demonstration of its feasibility a first prototype for human neuroimaging will be developed. This concerns development of the required hardware based on the existing prototype and software as well as the involved MRI methodology. Aspects of this development can be tailored to student projects for students of physics and electrical engineering. The project can alternatively be pursued by a team of up to 3 students with the goal of a working prototype.
Magnetic resonance imaging is a key imaging modality in clinical medicine as well as medical and neuro-scientific research. To allow for fast and efficient imaging with high frame rates a strong (up to 7 Tesla) but also very uniform (sub-ppm) magnetic field is required. The susceptibility of the live tissue however introduces comparably strong distortions of the field produced by the large superconducting magnet. These field distortions need to be corrected adaptively to each subject which is denoted shimming. In current systems the required magnetic correction fields are provided by resistive coils driven by external current sources. The high space and power requirements however limit the number of channels that can be fitted in the MRI scanner and hence the degrees of freedom with which the magnetic field can be correct in the subject. To overcome this limitation a novel approach has been developed in our institute employing magnetic materials with controllable magnetization to provide the field correction. These field generating units are small and require low power for their operation. Thereby they can be fitted in a large count array in close proximity to the subject. This prospectively allows obtaining an unprecedented field uniformity in otherwise difficult to image regions, remedying one of the key limitations of current fast MRI sequences and readouts as well as quantitative approaches. After initial demonstration of its feasibility a first prototype for human neuroimaging will be developed. This concerns development of the required hardware based on the existing prototype and software as well as the involved MRI methodology. Aspects of this development can be tailored to student projects for students of physics and electrical engineering. The project can alternatively be pursued by a team of up to 3 students with the goal of a working prototype.
Design, implement and test a high channel count shimming array for human in-vivo neuro-imaging.
- Implement required hardware based on existing prototype
- Implement controller software
- Develop calibration and application software for application at the MRI scanner
- Test and demonstrate the new system
Design, implement and test a high channel count shimming array for human in-vivo neuro-imaging. - Implement required hardware based on existing prototype - Implement controller software - Develop calibration and application software for application at the MRI scanner - Test and demonstrate the new system
Supervisor:
Dr. David O. Brunner, brunner@biomed.ee.ethz.ch, ETZ F87, Tel. +41 44 632 61 79
Dr. Simon Gross, gross@biomed.ee.ethz.ch, ETZ F87, Tel. + +41 44 632 45 84
Professor:
Klaas Prüssmann, pruessmann@biomed.ee.ethz.ch, ETZ F89, Tel. +41 44 632 66 96
Supervisor: Dr. David O. Brunner, brunner@biomed.ee.ethz.ch, ETZ F87, Tel. +41 44 632 61 79 Dr. Simon Gross, gross@biomed.ee.ethz.ch, ETZ F87, Tel. + +41 44 632 45 84