24.3.

2010

MRI Instrumentation

Raimo Sepponen
Elektroniikan laitos
Aalto yliopiston teknillinen korkeakoulu

MRI System
Equipment room
RF source
Gradient
Shim
Faraday shield Power supply

Control SE: RF: 100 ‐120 dB
room

Console
Computer
Storage
Monitors

Magnet room

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RF Interference

MRI Clinics of North America: Vol.7, No. 4: Nov. 1999

RFI Interference

BW 100 kHz BW 50 kHz

chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu

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Instability artefact

chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu

MRI system
Damping
RF  Modulator
and F
Matching Amplifier
p e
Circuits

Damping Shim current

Coil and F sources
Matching
Circuits Control
processor
Gradient
Amplifier F current
sources

Quadrature
detector

Optical link Operator
Image
A/D console
Converter
processor Storage

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 24.3.2010

MRI system
Damping
RF  Modulator
and F
Matching Amplifier
p e
Circuits

Damping Shim current

Coil and F sources
Matching
Circuits Control
processor
Gradient
Amplifier F current
sources

Quadrature
detector

Optical link Operator
Image
A/D console
Converter
processor Storage

Coil and signal amplifier
• Reciprocity principle (Hoult) B1(x,y)
• Minimize electric field coupling – increases noise and SAR
• Resonance:S/N ~SQRT
SQRT (Q)
(Q)
• Matching: At resonance impedance of coil circuitry either very low or very high => 
matching circuitry mandatory
• Coil resonance should be wide enough for signal bandwidth
• Preamplifiers Noise Figure as low as possible
• When coupling the amplifier – avoid common mode noise coupling (e.g. Hoult)
• Multiple channels important – see the capability of sampling and converter units
to accomodate enough channels now and in future
• At high frequencies the coil may not be considered as a near field detector of low
impedance NMR signal
NMR signal – the displacement
the displacement current term of Maxwell
of Maxwell equations
becomes important
• RF coils are not very homogenous – a problem especially when quantitative
imaging is performed

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Multiple channel head coil

Val. M. Runge et al: The physics of clinical MR taught through images, Thieme 2009

Subimages and final image obtainned with 
multichanne coil

Val. M. Runge et al: The physics of clinical MR taught through images, Thieme 2009

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T1 weighted images – same sequence parameters

Standard circular polarized coil Eight channel coil
Val. M. Runge et al: The physics of clinical MR taught through images, Thieme 2009

RF Inhomogeneity

chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu

6
 24.3.2010

MRI system
Damping
RF  Modulator
and F
Matching Amplifier
p e
Circuits

Damping Shim current

Coil and F sources
Matching
Circuits Control
processor
Gradient
Amplifier F current
sources

Quadrature
detector

Optical link Operator
Image
A/D console
Converter
processor Storage

Quadrature error

chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu

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 24.3.2010

Imaging process

See the dynamics of 
the signal amplitude

Receiver overshoot

MRI Clinics of North America: Vol.7, No. 4: Nov. 1999

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Clipping ‐ ADC overflow

Digitizer Quantization ‐ Low Dynamic Range

chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu

9
 24.3.2010

MRI system
Damping
RF  Modulator
and F
Matching Amplifier
p e
Circuits

Damping Shim current

Coil and F sources
Matching
Circuits Control
processor
Gradient
Amplifier F current
sources

Quadrature
detector

Optical link Operator
Image
A/D console
Converter
processor Storage

Minimum TE and gradients

Val. M. Runge et al: The physics of clinical MR taught through images, Thieme 2009

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True FISP images: Weak and strong gradients

Strong gradients: Minimum TE 2,15 ms,  TR 4,3 ms Weak gradients: Minimum TE 2,59ms,  TR 5,18 ms
Val. M. Runge et al: The physics of clinical MR taught through images, Thieme 2009

Faster and stronger gradients – more slices per imaging time

Val. M. Runge et al: The physics of clinical

21 slices 23 slices MR taught through images, Thieme 2009

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Shimming

Spin Echo Gradient Echo

chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu

Gradients
• Strong and fast gradients improve
performance
• Setling time is important not just rise time
• Due to eddy currents compensation is 
necessary – also nonlinear sampling
• Gradients generate vibrations – may affect
diffusion imaging
• Local shimming capability is important for 
spectroscopic studies

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