@article{HockTerekhovStefanescuetal.2021,
  author    = {Hock, Michael and Terekhov, Maxim and Stefanescu, Maria Roxana and Lohr, David and Herz, Stefan and Reiter, Theresa and Ankenbrand, Markus and Kosmala, Aleksander and Gassenmaier, Tobias and Juchem, Christoph and Schreiber, Laura Maria},
  title     = {B\(_{0}\) shimming of the human heart at 7T},
  series = {Magnetic Resonance in Medicine},
  volume    = {85},
  journal   = {Magnetic Resonance in Medicine},
  number    = {1},
  doi       = {10.1002/mrm.28423},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-218096},
  pages     = {182 -- 196},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Purpose Inhomogeneities of the static magnetic B\(_{0}\) field are a major limiting factor in cardiac MRI at ultrahigh field (≥ 7T), as they result in signal loss and image distortions. Different magnetic susceptibilities of the myocardium and surrounding tissue in combination with cardiac motion lead to strong spatio-temporal B\(_{0}\)-field inhomogeneities, and their homogenization (B0 shimming) is a prerequisite. Limitations of state-of-the-art shimming are described, regional B\(_{0}\) variations are measured, and a methodology for spherical harmonics shimming of the B\(_{0}\) field within the human myocardium is proposed. Methods The spatial B\(_{0}\)-field distribution in the heart was analyzed as well as temporal B\(_{0}\)-field variations in the myocardium over the cardiac cycle. Different shim region-of-interest selections were compared, and hardware limitations of spherical harmonics B\(_{0}\) shimming were evaluated by calibration-based B0-field modeling. The role of third-order spherical harmonics terms was analyzed as well as potential benefits from cardiac phase-specific shimming. Results The strongest B\(_{0}\)-field inhomogeneities were observed in localized spots within the left-ventricular and right-ventricular myocardium and varied between systolic and diastolic cardiac phases. An anatomy-driven shim region-of-interest selection allowed for improved B\(_{0}\)-field homogeneity compared with a standard shim region-of-interest cuboid. Third-order spherical harmonics terms were demonstrated to be beneficial for shimming of these myocardial B\(_{0}\)-field inhomogeneities. Initial results from the in vivo implementation of a potential shim strategy were obtained. Simulated cardiac phase-specific shimming was performed, and a shim term-by-term analysis revealed periodic variations of required currents. Conclusion Challenges in state-of-the-art B\(_{0}\) shimming of the human heart at 7 T were described. Cardiac phase-specific shimming strategies were found to be superior to vendor-supplied shimming.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HerzStefanescuLohretal.2022,
  author    = {Herz, Stefan and Stefanescu, Maria R. and Lohr, David and Vogel, Patrick and Kosmala, Aleksander and Terekhov, Maxim and Weng, Andreas M. and Grunz, Jan-Peter and Bley, Thorsten A. and Schreiber, Laura M.},
  title     = {Effects of image homogeneity on stenosis visualization at 7 T in a coronary artery phantom study: With and without B1-shimming and parallel transmission},
  series = {PloS One},
  volume    = {17},
  journal   = {PloS One},
  number    = {6},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0270689},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300129},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Background To investigate the effects of B\(_1\)-shimming and radiofrequency (RF) parallel transmission (pTX) on the visualization and quantification of the degree of stenosis in a coronary artery phantom using 7 Tesla (7 T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods Stenosis phantoms with different grades of stenosis (0\%, 20\%, 40\%, 60\%, 80\%, and 100\%; 5 mm inner vessel diameter) were produced using 3D printing (clear resin). Phantoms were imaged with four different concentrations of diluted Gd-DOTA representing established arterial concentrations after intravenous injection in humans. Samples were centrally positioned in a thorax phantom of 30 cm diameter filled with a custom-made liquid featuring dielectric properties of muscle tissue. MRI was performed on a 7 T whole-body system. 2D-gradient-echo sequences were acquired with an 8-channel transmit 16-channel receive (8 Tx / 16 Rx) cardiac array prototype coil with and without pTX mode. Measurements were compared to those obtained with identical scan parameters using a commercially available 1 Tx / 16 Rx single transmit coil (sTX). To assess reproducibility, measurements (n = 15) were repeated at different horizontal angles with respect to the B0-field. Results B\(_1\)-shimming and pTX markedly improved flip angle homogeneity across the thorax phantom yielding a distinctly increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) averaged over a whole slice relative to non-manipulated RF fields. Images without B\(_1\)-shimming showed shading artifacts due to local B\(_1\)\(^+\)-field inhomogeneities, which hampered stenosis quantification in severe cases. In contrast, B\(_1\)-shimming and pTX provided superior image homogeneity. Compared with a conventional sTX coil higher grade stenoses (60\% and 80\%) were graded significantly (p<0.01) more precise. Mild to moderate grade stenoses did not show significant differences. Overall, SNR was distinctly higher with B\(_1\)-shimming and pTX than with the conventional sTX coil (inside the stenosis phantoms 14\%, outside the phantoms 32\%). Both full and half concentration (10.2 mM and 5.1 mM) of a conventional Gd-DOTA dose for humans were equally suitable for stenosis evaluation in this phantom study. Conclusions B\(_1\)-shimming and pTX at 7 T can distinctly improve image homogeneity and therefore provide considerably more accurate MR image analysis, which is beneficial for imaging of small vessel structures.},
  language  = {en}
}