A proton birdcage coil integrated with interchangeable single loops for multi-nuclear MRI/MRS

Zhang, Yi; Quan, Zhiyan; Lou, Feiyang; Fang, Yujiao; Thompson, Garth J.; Chen, Gao; Zhang, Xiaotong

doi:10.1631/jzus.B2300587

A proton birdcage coil integrated with interchangeable single loops for multi-nuclear MRI/MRS

一种用于多核磁共振成像及波谱的鸟笼线圈与可更换单环线圈的一体化设计

Research Article
Published: 16 February 2024

Volume 25, pages 168–180, (2024)
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Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Yi Zhang (张怡)^1,2,3^na1,
Zhiyan Quan (全枝艳)^3,4^na1,
Feiyang Lou (楼飞洋)^3,4,5,
Yujiao Fang (方玉娇)⁶,
Garth J. Thompson⁶,
Gao Chen (陈高) ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1085-0028^1,2 &
…
Xiaotong Zhang (张孝通) ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9197-1421^1,2,3,4,5,7

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Abstract

Energy metabolism is fundamental for life. It encompasses the utilization of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins for internal processes, while aberrant energy metabolism is implicated in many diseases. In the present study, using three-dimensional (3D) printing from polycarbonate via fused deposition modeling, we propose a multi-nuclear radiofrequency (RF) coil design with integrated ¹H birdcage and interchangeable X-nuclei (²H, ¹³C, ²³Na, and ³¹P) single-loop coils for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The single-loop coil for each nucleus attaches to an arc bracket that slides unrestrictedly along the birdcage coil inner surface, enabling convenient switching among various nuclei and animal handling. Compared to a commercial ¹H birdcage coil, the proposed ¹H birdcage coil exhibited superior signal-excitation homogeneity and imaging signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). For X-nuclei study, prominent peaks in spectroscopy for phantom solutions showed excellent SNR, and the static and dynamic peaks of in vivo spectroscopy validated the efficacy of the coil design in structural imaging and energy metabolism detection simultaneously.

摘要

能量代谢对生命活动至关重要,主要包括对碳水化合物、脂肪和蛋白质的利用过程,异常的能量代谢与诸多疾病密切相关。本研究提出了一种用于多核磁共振成像(MRI)与波谱(MRS)的射频线圈设计:通过3D打印线圈外壳和支架,将一个鸟笼¹H线圈和可更换的单环X核(²H、¹³C、²³Na和³¹P)线圈一体化集成,其中单环线圈通过一个弧形支架安装于鸟笼线圈内壁,使其可沿内壁轴向无阻碍地移动,方便实现成像实验中多核线圈的更换以及线圈相对于不同成像体的摆放。与商用鸟笼¹H核线圈相比,本设计具有更好的¹H信号激发均匀性和成像信噪比;小鼠的活体实验验证了线圈设计在成像与波谱研究方面的可行性与有效性,可同时满足结构成像和能量代谢检测的要求。综上所述,该多核线圈通过新型机械与电路设计可以简化多核磁共振成像能量代谢检测的实施过程。

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Data availability statement

The data presented in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the STI 2030 -Major Projects (No. 2021ZD0200401), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFA0701400), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52277232, 52293424, 81701774, and 61771423), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Nos. 226-2022-00136 and 226-2023-00125), the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (No. LR23E070001), the Key R&D Program of Jiangsu Province (No. BE2022049), and the Key-Area R&D Program of Guangdong Province (No. 2018B030333001), China.

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The two authors contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

Department of Neurosurgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China
Yi Zhang (张怡), Gao Chen (陈高) & Xiaotong Zhang (张孝通)
Key Laboratory of Precise Treatment and Clinical Translational Research of Neurological Diseases, Hangzhou, 310009, China
Yi Zhang (张怡), Gao Chen (陈高) & Xiaotong Zhang (张孝通)
MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
Yi Zhang (张怡), Zhiyan Quan (全枝艳), Feiyang Lou (楼飞洋) & Xiaotong Zhang (张孝通)
Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
Zhiyan Quan (全枝艳), Feiyang Lou (楼飞洋) & Xiaotong Zhang (张孝通)
School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, China
Feiyang Lou (楼飞洋) & Xiaotong Zhang (张孝通)
iHuman Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
Yujiao Fang (方玉娇) & Garth J. Thompson
College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
Xiaotong Zhang (张孝通)

Authors

Yi Zhang (张怡)
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Zhiyan Quan (全枝艳)
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Feiyang Lou (楼飞洋)
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Yujiao Fang (方玉娇)
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Garth J. Thompson
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Gao Chen (陈高)
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Xiaotong Zhang (张孝通)
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Contributions

Yi ZHANG, Zhiyan QUAN, and Xiaotong ZHANG designed the study. Garth J. THOMPSON provided experimental instrument and instructions on MRI operation. Yi ZHANG, Zhiyan QUAN, Feiyang LOU, Yujiao FANG, and Xiaotong ZHANG performed the experiments and collected data. Yi ZHANG and Zhiyan QUAN analyzed the data. Yi ZHANG and Zhiyan QUAN wrote the draft. Xiaotong ZHANG and Gao CHEN supervised the study and obtained the funding. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript, and therefore, have full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity and security of the data.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Gao Chen (陈高) or Xiaotong Zhang (张孝通).

Ethics declarations

Yi ZHANG, Zhiyan QUAN, Feiyang LOU, Yujiao FANG, Garth J. THOMPSON, Gao CHEN, and Xiaotong ZHANG declare that there is no conflict of interest.

All institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed. Animal experimentation was approved by the Ethics Committee of Laboratory Animal Center of Zhejiang University (approval number: ZJU20200064).

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