Process of Image formation

To obtain an image from a patient, it is not just enough to put

him/her into the magnet. We have to do a little bit more than that.
Following are the steps:
Excitation
Relaxation
Acquisition
Computing and Display
Excitation
Determination of larmour
frequency
Sending of RF pulse which
creates resonance
The net magnetization
vector is flipped to
transverse direction
Relaxation

Giving off the energy absorbed by the protons during

excitation

There are two types of relaxation processes

Longitudinal/Spin-lattice or T1 relaxation
Transverse/Spin-spin or T2 relaxation
T1 relaxation
T1 relaxation is re-growth of net
magnetization along the Z axis also
known as spin lattice relaxation
T1 relaxation happens to the
protons that experienced the
excitation pulse
T1 is the time constant which
describes how MZ returns to its
equilibrium value
The rate of T1 relaxation is
different for different tissues (T1
relaxation in fat is faster than in
water as hydrogen atoms are
tightly bound in fat tissue than in
water)
T1 relaxation curve
T1 is the time constant in the T1 relaxation
curve which represents the regrowth of 63%
of longitudinal magnetization. Mz (t) = M0 (1 - et/T1 )
When t = T1 then 1- e-1 = 0.63 and Mz = 0.63 M0

(1-1/e)
T1 relaxation after a 90 0 pulse
T2 relaxation
T2 relaxation describes what happens in X-Y plane right after the excitation pulse
The excitation pulse causes the net magnetization vector to flip in X-Y plane and it
also makes the protons spin in phase
So right after the excitation pulse the magnetization vector (now called the
transverse magnetization) is rotating in the
X-Y plane
The phase coherence will be lost very soon after the excitation pulse due to spin-
spin interaction
This process of getting from total in-phase situation to total out-phase situation is
called T2 relaxation
T2 relaxation rate is also different for different tissues
In-phase & Out-phase
T2 relaxation curve

T2 is the time constant in the T2 relaxation curve

Which represents the reduction of transverse
Magnetization to 37% of its maximum. Mxy (t) = M0 et/T2
When t = T2 then e-1 = 0.37 and Mxy = 0.37 M0

(1/e)
T2 relaxation
T1 and T2 relaxation times
for various tissues
Tissue T1(0.5T) ms T1(1.5T) ms T2 ms

Fat 210 260 80

Liver 350 500 42

Muscle 550 870 45

White matter 500 780 90

Gray matter 650 920 100

CSF 1800 2400 160

Factors affecting T1 & T2
T1
Molecular size and motion
Magnetic field strength
T2
Tissue characteristics (spin-spin interaction)
Magnetic field effects
Field Inhomogeneities
Magnetic susceptibilities
T2*
Factors affecting T1 & T2
Acquisition
During relaxation processes the spins give up their
excess energy in the form of RF waves and to produce
an image we need to pick up these waves before they
disappear into space
The receiver coil must be positioned at right angles to
the external magnetic field to pick up these waves
which induces a current in the receiver coil (MR
signal)
We receive MR signal only during T2 relaxation. T2
relaxation is a decaying process consequently the
signal that is received is strong in the beginning and
quickly becomes weaker. This signal is called Free
Induction Decay (FID) and last only for about 40 ms
Signal acquisition
Computing and Display
Signal encoding in MRI
When we put a patient inside a MRI gantry, all the
protons in the body will start precessing with a
specific frequency determined by Larmour equation.
If we acquire a signal we will receive similar signal
from head to toe
Signal encoding
Signal encoding is very important in MRI to spatially
localize from which point of the body the signal is
coming
If the signal which is in RF range differs in phase,
frequency and amplitude in a particular volume of
tissue (voxels) the signal is spatially localized
The spatial localization of signal from the patients
body is possible with the help of Gradient Coils
Gradient Coils
Gradient coils are a set of wires (about 10mm wide & 4mm thick
conductors carrying currents in the range of >30Amps) in the magnet,
which enable us to create additional magnetic fields, which are, in a
way, superimposed on the main magnetic field B0
There are 3 sets of wires. Each set can create a magnetic field in a
specific direction: Z, X or Y.
When a current is fed into the Z gradient, then a magnetic field is
generated in the Z direction. The same goes for the other gradients.
Gradient Coils
Gradient coils in MRI system
Gradient coil function

1. Slice encoding
2. Phase encoding
3. Frequency encoding
4. Gradient echo (Dephasing/Rephasing)
5. 3D slicing
Slice encoding
Slice selection
Slice selection

A slice is selected but with all the protons having same frequency and phase
Slice selected by frequency encoding
Phase encoding
Phase encoded slice

After the phase encoding gradient is switched off

Frequency encoding
An MR image
Fourier transformation
The signal received contains a complex mixture of
frequencies, phases and amplitudes each from a
different location (voxel)
Fourier transformation analyses and separates these
information from a complex signal that varies with
time.
Converts the signal from the time domain into the
frequency domain.
Gradient Specifications
Gradient strength: It is the difference of gradient magnetic field per unit length
(mT/m) 19,21,22,24mT/m
Rise Time: The time taken by the gradients to reach to its maximum strength
after switching on is called Rise Time (ms)
Slew Rate: When we divide the maximum strength by the rise time we get a
number which is called Slew rate (mT/m/ms) 46, 55mT/m/ms
For a given MRI system, it should have:
Maximum strength
Shortest possible Rise Time
Highest possible Slew rate
Number of encodings
Typically Phase Encoding can only be done one row at
a time.
In order to scan the whole slice the entire process of
slice encoding, phase encoding and frequency
encoding has to be repeated as many times as
specified by the parameter Matrix (Phase encoding
steps) e.g. 256x512
This also explains the necessity of the scan parameter
Repetition Time (TR).
Slice thickness
Slice selection is performed by the application of slice encoding
gradient, but the thickness of slice is determined by:

The bandwidth of the 90 degree RF pulse or the excitation pulse

The steepness of the slope of the gradient
Slice thickness
Slice thickness

a. and b. same gradient different bandwidth, b. and c. different gradient same bandwidth
K-space
k-space is an array of
numbers representing spatial
frequencies in the MR image
The MRI data prior to
becoming an image (raw or
unprocessed data) is what
makes up k-space.
A k-space is similar to the
matrix and can be divided
into four equal quarters by X
and Y axis line
K-space
Although the k-space "galaxy" and MR image appear
quite different, they contain identical information
about the scanned object
Information in k-space
K-space filling
K-space filling technique