On Monday, November 28, 2016 the honored experts in the field of MRI technology and methods from the University Medical Center Utrecht, Dr. Nico van den Berg and Dr. Alexander Raaijmakers will read lectures at ITMO University (Birjevaya line V.O. 14-16, room 301/5). The lectures will be devoted to new MRI research methods, MRI safety and novel radiofrequency systems of MR scanners.
Lecture timetable 12:00-13:00
Lecture 1. RF safety monitoring of parallel transmit MRI
With the arrival of parallel transmit MRI, the risk of localized RF tissue heating increases significantly. Current concepts to characterize RF tissue heating are not suited to monitor this more complex safety aspect. The lecture will discuss new directions in RF safety monitoring for MRI and will explore in particularly the role of EM simulation to characterize this safety aspect.
13:00-13:15 Coffee break
13:15-13:45
Lecture 2. Electrical Property tomography
At ultra high field MRI, the augmented electromagnetic interactions of tissue with radiofrequency fields, leads to unwanted standing waves compromising image quality and increased RF tissue heating. Rather than seeing this a nuisance, this also opens up opportunity to try to map the dielectric composition of the human body by mapping the RF field curvature with MRI. This lecture discusses the principles of this socalled Electrical Property Tomography and discusses recent progress on this topic.
13:45-15:00 Lunch
15:00-16:00
Lecture 3. RF coil array design
At ultrahigh field MRI, the Larmor frequency has increased to 300 MHz for 7 Tesla system. Systems with even higher field strengths have been installed in a small but increasing number of institutes. Such high frequencies require a different in comparison to classical system. The absence of a birdcage body coil makes alternative transmit solutions essential. Currently, most solutions have aimed at multi-transmit solutions. This requires the design of (local) transmit array elements that need to be balanced between efficiency and heat deposition.
16.00-16.15 Coffee break
16:15-16:45
Lecture 4. RF implant safety
More and more people are carrying medical implants. These may include passive implants such as cardiac stents, surgical screws or artificial hips. Active implants may include pacemakers and neurostimulators. Patients with such implants are likely excluded from MRI examinations, which may result in severely limited diagnostic capabilities in the case of future diseases or health issues. Therefore, implant manufacturers are creating more and more MRI compatible products. The RF safety certification of these products is a costly procedure. We have developed methods to assess RF safety of implants using MRI measurements rather than elaborate bench measurements. The advantages are that these methods could be extended to more realistic test scenarios up to even in-vivo safety assessment. This would allow the large patient population that is currently carrying uncertified implants to have access to MRI diagnostics.
Lecture 1. RF safety monitoring of parallel transmit MRI
With the arrival of parallel transmit MRI, the risk of localized RF tissue heating increases significantly. Current concepts to characterize RF tissue heating are not suited to monitor this more complex safety aspect. The lecture will discuss new directions in RF safety monitoring for MRI and will explore in particularly the role of EM simulation to characterize this safety aspect.
13:00-13:15 Coffee break
13:15-13:45
Lecture 2. Electrical Property tomography
At ultra high field MRI, the augmented electromagnetic interactions of tissue with radiofrequency fields, leads to unwanted standing waves compromising image quality and increased RF tissue heating. Rather than seeing this a nuisance, this also opens up opportunity to try to map the dielectric composition of the human body by mapping the RF field curvature with MRI. This lecture discusses the principles of this socalled Electrical Property Tomography and discusses recent progress on this topic.
13:45-15:00 Lunch
15:00-16:00
Lecture 3. RF coil array design
At ultrahigh field MRI, the Larmor frequency has increased to 300 MHz for 7 Tesla system. Systems with even higher field strengths have been installed in a small but increasing number of institutes. Such high frequencies require a different in comparison to classical system. The absence of a birdcage body coil makes alternative transmit solutions essential. Currently, most solutions have aimed at multi-transmit solutions. This requires the design of (local) transmit array elements that need to be balanced between efficiency and heat deposition.
16.00-16.15 Coffee break
16:15-16:45
Lecture 4. RF implant safety
More and more people are carrying medical implants. These may include passive implants such as cardiac stents, surgical screws or artificial hips. Active implants may include pacemakers and neurostimulators. Patients with such implants are likely excluded from MRI examinations, which may result in severely limited diagnostic capabilities in the case of future diseases or health issues. Therefore, implant manufacturers are creating more and more MRI compatible products. The RF safety certification of these products is a costly procedure. We have developed methods to assess RF safety of implants using MRI measurements rather than elaborate bench measurements. The advantages are that these methods could be extended to more realistic test scenarios up to even in-vivo safety assessment. This would allow the large patient population that is currently carrying uncertified implants to have access to MRI diagnostics.
Share it
