Dynamic glucose-enhanced (DGE) MRI in the human brain at 7 T with reduced motion-induced artifacts based on quantitative R1ρ mapping

Philip S Boyd; Johannes Breitling; Ferdinand Zimmermann; Andreas Korzowski; Moritz Zaiss; Patrick Schuenke; Nina Weinfurtner; Heinz-Peter Schlemmer; Mark E Ladd; Peter Bachert; Daniel Paech; Steffen Goerke

doi:10.1002/mrm.28112

Dynamic glucose-enhanced (DGE) MRI in the human brain at 7 T with reduced motion-induced artifacts based on quantitative R_1ρ mapping

Magn Reson Med. 2020 Jul;84(1):182-191. doi: 10.1002/mrm.28112. Epub 2019 Dec 1.

Authors

Philip S Boyd^{1

2}, Johannes Breitling^{1

2

3}, Ferdinand Zimmermann^{1

2}, Andreas Korzowski¹, Moritz Zaiss⁴, Patrick Schuenke¹, Nina Weinfurtner⁵, Heinz-Peter Schlemmer^{5

6}, Mark E Ladd^{1

2

6}, Peter Bachert^{1

2}, Daniel Paech⁵, Steffen Goerke¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
² Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg, Germany.
⁴ Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Department of High-field Magnetic Resonance, Tübingen, Germany.
⁵ Department of Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
⁶ Faculty of Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.

PMID: 31788870
DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28112

Abstract

Purpose: Dynamic glucose-enhanced (DGE)-MRI based on chemical exchange-sensitive MRI, that is, glucoCEST and gluco-chemical exchange-sensitive spin-lock (glucoCESL), is intrinsically prone to motion-induced artifacts because the final DGE contrast relies on the difference of images, which were acquired with a time gap of several mins. In this study, identification of different types of motion-induced artifacts led to the development of a 3D acquisition protocol for DGE examinations in the human brain at 7 T with improved robustness in the presence of subject motion.

Methods: DGE-MRI was realized by the chemical exchange-sensitive spin-lock approach based either on relaxation rate in the rotating frame (R_1ρ )-weighted or quantitative R_1ρ imaging. A 3D image readout was implemented at 7 T, enabling retrospective volumetric coregistration of the image series and quantification of subject motion. An examination of a healthy volunteer without administration of glucose allowed for the identification of isolated motion-induced artifacts.

Results: Even after coregistration, significant motion-induced artifacts remained in the DGE contrast based on R_1ρ -weighted images. This is due to the spatially varying sensitivity of the coil and was found to be compensated by a quantitative R_1ρ approach. The coregistered quantitative approach allowed the observation of a clear increase of the DGE contrast in a patient with glioblastoma, which did not correlate with subject motion.

Conclusion: The presented 3D acquisition protocol enables DGE-MRI examinations in the human brain with improved robustness against motion-induced artifacts. Correction of motion-induced artifacts is of high importance for DGE-MRI in clinical studies where an unambiguous assignment of contrast changes due to an actual change in local glucose concentration is a prerequisite.

Keywords: DGE; MRI; cancer; glucoCESL; glucoCEST; glucose.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Artifacts*
Brain / diagnostic imaging
Glucose*
Humans
Image Enhancement
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Motion
Retrospective Studies

Substances

Glucose