The 16-channel bow tie antenna transceiver array supports accelerated and high spatial resolution cardiac MRI. The array is compatible with multichannel transmission and provides a technological basis for future clinical assessment of parallel transmission techniques at 7.0 Tesla. Magn Reson Med 75:2553-2565, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cardiac morphology and function assessment by magnetic resonance imaging is of increasing interest for a variety of mouse models in pre-clinical cardiac research, such as myocardial infarction models or myocardial injury/remodeling in genetically or pharmacologically induced hypertension. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) constraints, however, limit image quality and blood myocardium delineation, which crucially depend on high spatial resolution. Significant gains in SNR with a cryogenically cooled RF probe have been shown for mouse brain MRI, yet the potential of applying cryogenic RF coils for cardiac MR (CMR) in mice is, as of yet, untapped. This study examines the feasibility and potential benefits of CMR in mice employing a 400 MHz cryogenic RF surface coil, compared with a conventional mouse heart coil array operating at room temperature. The cryogenic RF coil affords SNR gains of 3.0 to 5.0 versus the conventional approach and hence enables an enhanced spatial resolution. This markedly improved image quality – by better deliniation of myocardial borders and enhanced depiction of papillary muscles and trabeculae – and facilitated a more accurate cardiac chamber quantification, due to reduced intraobserver variability. In summary the use of a cryogenically cooled RF probe represents a valuable means of enhancing the capabilities of CMR of mice.

IntroductionThe purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using local four-channel RF coil transmission and benchmark it against large volume body RF coil excitation.MethodsElectromagnetic field simulations are conducted to detail RF power deposition, transmission field uniformity and efficiency for local and body RF coil transmission. For both excitation regimes transmission field maps are acquired in a human torso phantom. For each transmission regime flip angle distributions and blood-myocardium contrast are examined in a volunteer study of 12 subjects. The feasibility of the local transceiver RF coil array for cardiac chamber quantification at 3 Tesla is demonstrated.ResultsOur simulations and experiments demonstrate that cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using four-channel surface RF coil transmission is competitive versus current clinical CMR practice of large volume body RF coil transmission. The efficiency advantage of the 4TX/4RX setup facilitates shorter repetition times governed by local SAR limits versus body RF coil transmission at whole-body SAR limit. No statistically significant difference was found for cardiac chamber quantification derived with body RF coil versus four-channel surface RF coil transmission. Our simulation also show that the body RF coil exceeds local SAR limits by a factor of ~2 when driven at maximum applicable input power to reach the whole-body SAR limit.ConclusionPursuing local surface RF coil arrays for transmission in cardiac MR is a conceptually appealing alternative to body RF coil transmission, especially for patients with implants.

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Background Mitochondrial membrane protein‐associated neurodegeneration is an autosomal‐recessive disorder caused by C19orf12 mutations and characterized by iron deposits in the basal ganglia. Objectives The aim of this study was to quantify iron concentrations in deep gray matter structures using quantitative susceptibility mapping MRI and to characterize metabolic abnormalities in the pyramidal pathway using 1H MR spectroscopy in clinically manifesting membrane protein‐associated neurodegeneration patients and asymptomatic C19orf12 gene mutation heterozygous carriers. Methods We present data of 4 clinically affected membrane protein‐associated neurodegeneration patients (mean age: 21.0 ± 2.9 years) and 9 heterozygous gene mutation carriers (mean age: 50.4 ± 9.8 years), compared to age‐matched healthy controls. MRI assessments were performed on a 7.0 Tesla whole‐body system, consisting of whole‐brain gradient‐echo scans and short echo time, single‐volume MR spectroscopy in the white matter of the precentral/postcentral gyrus. Quantitative susceptibility mapping, a surrogate marker for iron concentration, was performed using a state‐of‐the‐art multiscale dipole inversion approach with focus on the globus pallidus, thalamus, putamen, caudate nucleus, and SN. Results and Conclusion In membrane protein‐associated neurodegeneration patients, magnetic susceptibilities were 2 to 3 times higher in the globus pallidus (P = 0.02) and SN (P = 0.02) compared to controls. In addition, significantly higher magnetic susceptibility was observed in the caudate nucleus (P = 0.02). Non‐manifesting heterozygous mutation carriers exhibited significantly increased magnetic susceptibility (relative to controls) in the putamen (P = 0.003) and caudate nucleus (P = 0.001), which may be an endophenotypic marker of genetic heterozygosity. MR spectroscopy revealed significantly increased levels of glutamate, taurine, and the combined concentration of glutamate and glutamine in membrane protein‐associated neurodegeneration, which may be a correlate of corticospinal pathway dysfunction frequently observed in membrane protein‐associated neurodegeneration patients. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society