Magnetic Resonance Imaging - the Basics

Duration

15h Th, 3d FW

Number of credits

Lecturer

Laurent Lamalle

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

 

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a technique widely used in clinical diagnostics. MRI enables to characterise soft tissues, Central Nervous System especially, through an extraordinarily varied set of contrast mechanisms.

Not using ionising radiations, it is especially suited for non-invasive repeated examinations, opening the way to research applications even on healthy volunteers. Functional MRI of the brain, healthy or pathological, is such an example, that has allowed major progress in cognition and neurosciences.

This course exposes the fundamentals of MRI, from the fundamental underlying physical phenomenon to its exploitation to allow image reconstruction, the origin of main contrasts which allow to distinguish tissues or to characterise some of their physiologic properties, up to some advanced applications.



I. Origin of the NMR signal

• nuclear magnetism
• magnetic resonance phenomenon
• relaxation phenomena

• spin-echo, gradient-echo and inversion-recovery sequences
• contrasts: T1, T2, T2*, proton density

• Fourier transform
• frequency encoding, slice selection, phase encoding
• k-space and magnetic field gradient pulses
• sampling strategies and trajectories
• image reconstruction
• sensitivity encoding, parallel imaging

• technical description, instrumentation
• safety issues, contraindications

• structural imaging and advanced contrasts
• functional imaging and BOLD effect
• phase contrast and susceptibility-weighted imaging
• flow phenomenon: MR angiography
• diffusion and perfusion imaging
• in vivo spectroscopy

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

To give a general overview of the MRI technique, its advantages, limitations and current developments.

To illustrate the role of a physicist or engineer in an MRI research and clinical environment.

Theory: physical and mathematical principles of the NMR signal and basic principles of space encoding and image reconstruction.

In practice: overview of clinical and research applications, advantages and limitations of the technique, future developments. Scanning session on the MRI scanners (3T Prisma and/or 7T Terra) at the Cyclotron Research Centre: data acquisition and visualization, real-time functional imaging, description of the MRI facilities and related equipment, safety issues.

This course contributes to the learning outcomes of the MSc in biomedical engineering (I.2, II.1, II.2, II.3, III.2, IV.1, VI.1, VI.2, VI.4, VII.3, VII.5) program and of the master en sciences physiques program.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

General knowledge in the following fields is useful:

• Classical physics.
• Quantum physics.
• Signal processing.
• Biology, physiology, blood circulation.
• Mathematics (vectors, matrices, differential and integral calculus, complex numbers).

• PHYS0930-1, "Physique atomique"
• PHYS3023-1, "Physics of magnetic materials"
• PHYS0931-1, "Traitement des données"
• PHYS0996-1, "Reconstruction tomographique 3D"
• PHYS0952-3, "Imagerie par radiations ionisantes" : although MRI does not use ionising radiations, some image reconstruction algorithms are shared, as well as generally image viewing and manipulation tools.
• PHYS0974-1, "Physique des matériaux et biophysique": magnetism, supraconductivity...
• INFO0939-1, "High performance scientific computing": recent image reconstruction techniques developed in a research context use algorithms far more complex than the FFT one, and often use "HPC" implementations.
• BIOL0007-1, "Biologie tissulaire"
• PHYL0644-1, "Anatomie et physiologie humaines"
• GBIO0008-2, "Medical imaging"
• GBIO0013-1, "Phénomènes de transport en biologie": diffusion, oxygen transport...
• PHYS2024-1, "Transfert et corégistration d'images médicales"
• GBIO0005-1, "Introduction aux neurosciences cognitives": neuroimaging techniques.
• STAT0722-1, "Introduction à la statistique médicale": image processing in functional and structural neuro-imaging.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course presentation is supported by slides and notes at the blackboard.

It is of course expected that students attend, intervene and ask questions to clarify as soon as possible the matter presented.

A course session will be organised at the console of a MRI scanner at the Centre de Recherche du Cyclotron, with image acquisition and visualisation.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Reference articles, books and slides are in English.

A reference book, is available as PDF file from the ULiège network:
Matt A. Bernstein et al., Handbook of MRI Pulse Sequences, 2004 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780120928613/handbook-of-mri-pulse-sequences).

Quite a number of ressources and illustrations can be found by searching the Internet, as for instance:

• https://mr-tip.com
• https://www.imaios.com/en/e-Courses/e-MRI
• https://radiologykey.com/artifacts-in-mri

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

oral exam

Written work / report


Additional information:

• Written report exposing a matter of your choice strongly related to the notions exposed during teaching, after approval of your choice by the course lecturer. (In case you do not find a topic by yourself, it will be imposed.)
• Oral exam where you have to expose your written report, followed by questions related to its contents, its presentation, and topics learnt during teaching.
  
  The oral exam can be taken in English.

Work placement(s)

No "work placement" scheduled as such for this course. Work experience or master thesis opportunities available though, for those who want to have a closer, more practical look or a deeper understanding of MR physics in clinics and research.

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Course given in English. On demand, some complementary explanations in French possible.

Contacts

Laurent LAMALLE (Dr Sc.)
Centre de Recherches du Cyclotron
Allée du 6 Août, 8 (B30)
4000 Liège

Tel.: +32 4 366 23 66
Fax: +32 4 366 29 46
Email: Laurent.Lamalle@ULiege.be

Association of one or more MOOCs

Items online