Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging: Principles and advanced techniques.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is an established non-invasive tool for the assessment of cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of death globally. CMR provides dynamic and static multi-contrast and multi-parametric images, including cine for functional evaluation, contrast-enhanced imaging and parametric mapping for tissue characterization, and MR angiography for the assessment of the aortic, coronary and pulmonary circulation. However, clinical CMR imaging sequences still have some limitations such as the requirement for multiple breath-holds, incomplete spatial coverage, complex planning and acquisition, low scan efficiency and long scan times.

Motion corrected 3D whole-heart SAVA T mapping at 0.55 T.

Purpose: To propose a novel highly efficient isotropic-resolution 3D whole-heart saturation-recovery and variable-flip-angle (SAVA) T mapping sequence at 0.55 T, incorporating image navigator (iNAV)-based non-rigid motion correction and dictionary matching.

Methods: The proposed iNAV-based isotropic-resolution 3D whole-heart SAVA T mapping sequence at 0.

High-resolution 3D whole-heart bright- and black-blood imaging with co-registered T2 mapping at 0.55 T.

Introduction: Conventional CMR exams for assessment of cardiac anatomy and tissue characterization require multiple sequential 2D acquisitions under breath-hold in different orientations, in addition to being limited to 1.5 T and 3 T.

Methods: In this study, we sought to develop a novel 3D motion-compensated free-breathing sequence for comprehensive high-resolution whole-heart assessment of cardiovascular anatomy via simultaneous bright- and black-blood imaging and co-registered myocardial tissue quantification in a one-click scan at 0.

Initial experience of cardiac Tρ mapping at 0.55 T: Continuous wave versus adiabatic spin-lock preparation pulses.

Purpose: To propose and validate a cardiac Tρ mapping sequence at 0.55 T comparing continuous-wave and adiabatic spin-lock (SL) preparation pulses.

Methods: The proposed 2D sequence acquires four single-shot balanced SSFP readout images with differing contrasts in a single breath-hold.

3D joint T/T /T mapping and water-fat imaging for contrast-agent free myocardial tissue characterization at 1.5T.

Purpose: To develop a novel, free-breathing, 3D joint / / mapping sequence with Dixon encoding to provide co-registered 3D , , and maps and water-fat volumes with isotropic spatial resolution in a single min scan for comprehensive contrast-agent-free myocardial tissue characterization and simultaneous evaluation of the whole-heart anatomy.

Methods: An interleaving sequence over 5 heartbeats is proposed to provide , , and encoding, with 3D data acquired with Dixon gradient-echo readout and 2D image navigators to enable respiratory scan efficiency. Images were reconstructed with a non-rigid motion-corrected, low-rank patch-based reconstruction, and maps were generated through dictionary matching.

Simultaneous 3D , , and fat-signal-fraction mapping with respiratory-motion correction for comprehensive liver tissue characterization at 0.55 T.

Purpose: To develop a framework for simultaneous three-dimensional (3D) mapping of , , and fat signal fraction in the liver at 0.55 T.

Methods: The proposed sequence acquires four interleaved 3D volumes with a two-echo Dixon readout.

On the Feasibility of Automated Mechanical Ventilation Control Through EIT.

Objective: This paper aims to demonstrate the feasibility of coupling electrical impedance tomography (EIT) with models of lung function in order to recover parameters and inform mechanical ventilation control.

Methods: A compartmental ordinary differential equation model of lung function is coupled to simulations of EIT, assuming accurate modeling and movement tracking, to generate time series values of bulk conductivity. These values are differentiated and normalized against the total air volume flux to recover regional volumes and flows.