MRF & Synthetic MRI of the brain: What Is It Good For?
Christina Andica1, Akifumi Hagiwara1, Shohei Fujita1, and Shigeki Aoki1
1Department of Radiology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Synopsis

Quantitative assessment of brain tissue properties could improve tissue characterization, disease diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment efficacy. MR fingerprinting and synthetic MRI are the two current most prominent quantitative MRI techniques that enable simultaneous quantification of multiple tissue property maps in a single acquisition in a clinically acceptable time. Here, we review the fundamental principles and highlight clinical validation and recent clinical applications of these techniques in the brain.

Purpose

Among medical imaging modalities, MRI stands out for its excellent soft-tissue contrast and anatomical detail. However, clinical evaluation of conventional MRI images has been purely qualitative and highly dependent on system parameters. Current MR descriptions, such as “hypointense” or “hyperintense,” are relative descriptions and do not reflect absolute property values; thus, they cannot be used for comparison with normal reference values or follow-up studies. In contrast, quantitative MRI can provide data on tissue properties (i.e., T1 and T2 relaxation times) that can improve tissue characterization, disease diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment efficacy. Due to the long acquisition times and questions around its accuracy and reliability, quantitative MRI has yet to be widely accepted in the clinic. MR fingerprinting1 and synthetic MRI2 are the two current most prominent quantitative MRI techniques capable of acquiring multiple property maps simultaneously in a single acquisition in a short timeframe with good accuracy and reliability. Here, we describe the fundamental principles of MR fingerprinting and synthetic MRI and highlight the clinical validation and recent clinical applications of these techniques in the brain.

Outline of content

  1. MR fingerprinting and synthetic MRI: How it works?
  2. Clinical validation of MR fingerprinting and synthetic MRI
  3. Recent clinical applications of MR fingerprinting and synthetic MRI in the brain

Acknowledgements

No acknowledgement found.

References

  1. Ma D, Gulani V, Seiberlich N, et al. Magnetic resonance fingerprinting. Nature 2013;495:187-922.
  2. Warntjes JB, Leinhard OD, West J, et al. Rapid magnetic resonance quantification on the brain: Optimization for clinical usage. Magn Reson Med 2008;60:320-9.
Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med. 29 (2021)