Images
The images on this page reflect current progress in the Magnetic Resonance Technology and Use Design Laboratory's spiral MRI project. Results for spiral MRI are predicted to improve in most applications as the lab advances the technology.
Scan times are expressed as "mm:ss" to show minutes (mm) and seconds (ss).
2D T1 spin echo of the brain after injection of gadolinium agent
The first set of images shows a patient scanned with a (A) conventional scan, in 2:45, and (B) a spiral scan, matched for resolution, which took 0:36. These scans also illustrate the reduction of flow artifact and fat-water separation present in spiral scans.
The second set of images shows (C) conventional and (D) spiral magnetic resonance images of a different patient, collected with identical scan time. The spiral image shows better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and better conspicuity of a small lesion (red arrows).
3D magnetization prepared-rapid gradient echo (MP-RAGE) images
Images from 3D MP-RAGE scans using (A, B) conventional and (C, D) spiral methods. The conventional scan took 5:29, and the spiral scan took 3:50. The spiral scan has 15% better SNR and includes automatic fat-water separation.
Time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (ToF MRA) images
Images from ToF MRA scans using (A, C) conventional and (B, D) spiral methods. The conventional scans took 4:48 and the spiral scan took 1:36. The spiral scan, which includes fat separation, also uses a quadratic encoding (QE) slice selection and has better resolution in the superior-inferior direction.
The (A, B) coronal projections show reduced motion artifact from aortic motion (yellow arrows), while the sagittal projections of the right carotid arteries show better filling of the carotid bulb (red arrows) in the (D) spiral scan over the (C) conventional scan. This better depiction of the intralumenal space is likely due to the reduced gradient moments of spiral and QE encoding.