ISMRM23 - Primer to Low-Field MRI

ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition • 03-08 June 2023 • Toronto, ON, Canada

Primer to Low-Field MRI

Weekend Course

ORGANIZERS: Shaoying Huang, Özlem Ipek, Najat Salameh, Rita Schmidt, Rolf Schulte

Sunday, 04 June 2023

717A/B

07:45 - 11:30

Moderators: Joseba Alonso & Reina Ayde

Skill Level: Intermediate

Session Number: WE-24

CME Credit

Session Number: WE-24

Overview
This course will provide an introduction to low-field MRI (<= 0.55T) with a strong focus on very low field (< 0.2T), as well as a description of today’s state of the research in these regimes. The course will discuss the different strategies (software and hardware) to maximize SNR for in vivo imaging and the various applications currently being explored.

Target Audience
Physicists, M.D.s, technicians interested in learning about low-field MRI and the opportunities it can offer.

Educational Objectives
As a result of attending this course, participants should be able to:
- Identify the opportunities and challenges to run MR experiments at very and ultra-low magnetic field strengths;
- Identify & explain sources of noise and how to mitigate them;
- Recognize current state-of-the-art clinical imaging in this regime.

07:45		Point-of-Care, Dedicated MR Imaging View Presentation Video Clarissa Cooley
08:10		New Opportunities for Endogenous Contrasts View Presentation Video Lionel Broche Keywords: Physics & Engineering: Low-field MRI, Contrast mechanisms: Molecular imaging, Physics & Engineering: Physics Low magnetic fields are technically challenging to explore but offer exciting new opportunities for clinical applications as they have a high potential for safe, non-invasive and contrast agent-free examinations. However, the strength of the magnetic field is critical when relying purely on endogenous contrast, since different field regimes have different types of information to offer. Low-field designs must therefore optimise this parameter carefully. This course will present different types of endogenous contrast mechanisms that have been probed by Field-Cycling Imaging (FCI), including T₁ regimes and ¹⁴N quadrupolar peaks cross-relaxation, and draw a picture of their variations with field strength.
08:35		Fast & Quantitative Imaging: Dream or Reality? No Video Available Adrienne Campbell-Washburn
09:00		Beyond Conventional Applications View Presentation Video Itamar Ronen
09:25		Break & Meet the Teachers
09:50		SNR Is Not Only About S View Presentation Video Ed Wu Keywords: Physics & Engineering: Low-field MRI, Image acquisition: Machine learning, Image acquisition: Sequences The ongoing development of ultra-low-field (ULF) (<0.1T) and low-field (LF) (0.1-0.5T) MRI technologies will enable patient-centric and site-agnostic MRI scanners to fulfill the unmet clinical needs across various healthcare corners. This presentation aims to outline several approaches to mitigate the MR signal reduction problem intrinsic to ULF (and LF) MRI.
10:15		Clinical Applications: Heart, Lung, and Body Imaging View Presentation Video Wiphada Patricia Bandettini
10:40		Clinical Applications: Neuro Imaging View Presentation Video Michael Schulder
11:05		Panel Discussion