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Magnetization transfer imaging using non-balanced SSFP at ultra-low field

Balaji, Sharada ; Wiley, Neale ; Dvorak, Adam ; Padormo, Francesco ; Teixiera, Rui P.A.G. ; Poorman, Megan E. ; MacKay, Alex ; Wood, Tobias ; Cassidy, Adam R. and Traboulsee, Anthony , et al. (2025) In Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 94(2). p.602-614
Abstract

Purpose: Ultra-low field MRI scanners have the potential to improve health care delivery, both through improved access in areas where there are few MRI scanners and allowing more frequent monitoring of disease progression and treatment response. This may be particularly true in white matter disorders, including leukodystrophies and multiple sclerosis, in which frequent myelin-sensitive imaging, such as magnetization transfer (MT) imaging, might improve clinical care and patient outcomes. Methods: We implemented an on-resonance approach to MT imaging on a commercial point-of-care 64 mT scanner using a non-balanced steady-state free precession sequence. Phantom and in vivo experiments were used to evaluate and optimize the sequence... (More)

Purpose: Ultra-low field MRI scanners have the potential to improve health care delivery, both through improved access in areas where there are few MRI scanners and allowing more frequent monitoring of disease progression and treatment response. This may be particularly true in white matter disorders, including leukodystrophies and multiple sclerosis, in which frequent myelin-sensitive imaging, such as magnetization transfer (MT) imaging, might improve clinical care and patient outcomes. Methods: We implemented an on-resonance approach to MT imaging on a commercial point-of-care 64 mT scanner using a non-balanced steady-state free precession sequence. Phantom and in vivo experiments were used to evaluate and optimize the sequence sensitivity and reproducibility, and to demonstrate in vivo performance and inter-site reproducibility. Results: From phantom experiments, T1 and T2 effects were determined to have a negligible effect on the differential MT weighting. MT ratio (MTR) values in white matter were 23.1 ± 1.0% from 10 healthy volunteers, with an average reproducibility coefficient of variation of 1.04%. Normal-appearing white matter MTR values in a multiple sclerosis participant (21.5 ± 6.2%) were lower, but with a similar spread of values, compared to an age-matched healthy volunteer (23.3 ± 6.2%). Conclusion: An on-resonance MT imaging approach was developed at 64 mT that can be performed in as little as 4 min. A semi-quantitative myelin-sensitive imaging biomarker at this field strength is available for assessing both myelination and demyelination.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
magnetization transfer ratio, multiple sclerosis, myelin imaging, portable point-of-care MRI, ultralow-field MRI
in
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
volume
94
issue
2
pages
13 pages
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
external identifiers
  • scopus:105000234538
  • pmid:40096549
ISSN
0740-3194
DOI
10.1002/mrm.30494
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
113c0c20-fc55-4b4a-9d8e-7c5d16a68c99
date added to LUP
2026-01-12 10:04:13
date last changed
2026-01-13 03:36:14
@article{113c0c20-fc55-4b4a-9d8e-7c5d16a68c99,
  abstract     = {{<p>Purpose: Ultra-low field MRI scanners have the potential to improve health care delivery, both through improved access in areas where there are few MRI scanners and allowing more frequent monitoring of disease progression and treatment response. This may be particularly true in white matter disorders, including leukodystrophies and multiple sclerosis, in which frequent myelin-sensitive imaging, such as magnetization transfer (MT) imaging, might improve clinical care and patient outcomes. Methods: We implemented an on-resonance approach to MT imaging on a commercial point-of-care 64 mT scanner using a non-balanced steady-state free precession sequence. Phantom and in vivo experiments were used to evaluate and optimize the sequence sensitivity and reproducibility, and to demonstrate in vivo performance and inter-site reproducibility. Results: From phantom experiments, T<sub>1</sub> and T<sub>2</sub> effects were determined to have a negligible effect on the differential MT weighting. MT ratio (MTR) values in white matter were 23.1 ± 1.0% from 10 healthy volunteers, with an average reproducibility coefficient of variation of 1.04%. Normal-appearing white matter MTR values in a multiple sclerosis participant (21.5 ± 6.2%) were lower, but with a similar spread of values, compared to an age-matched healthy volunteer (23.3 ± 6.2%). Conclusion: An on-resonance MT imaging approach was developed at 64 mT that can be performed in as little as 4 min. A semi-quantitative myelin-sensitive imaging biomarker at this field strength is available for assessing both myelination and demyelination.</p>}},
  author       = {{Balaji, Sharada and Wiley, Neale and Dvorak, Adam and Padormo, Francesco and Teixiera, Rui P.A.G. and Poorman, Megan E. and MacKay, Alex and Wood, Tobias and Cassidy, Adam R. and Traboulsee, Anthony and Li, David K.B. and Vavasour, Irene and Williams, Steven C.R. and Deoni, Sean C.L. and Ljungberg, Emil and Kolind, Shannon H.}},
  issn         = {{0740-3194}},
  keywords     = {{magnetization transfer ratio; multiple sclerosis; myelin imaging; portable point-of-care MRI; ultralow-field MRI}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{602--614}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{Magnetic Resonance in Medicine}},
  title        = {{Magnetization transfer imaging using non-balanced SSFP at ultra-low field}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mrm.30494}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/mrm.30494}},
  volume       = {{94}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}