Ganji, Sandeep K

ABSTRACT Purpose Standard spatial‐spectral excitation pulses apply a fly‐back gradient between sub‐pulses, limiting, for example, how thin the slices can be (> 4 mm). Without fly‐back gradients, slices can be as thin as 1.7 mm but require a phase calibration for the sub‐pulses with inverted gradients due to system imperfections. Here we propose and test a fast (< 1 s), localized pre‐scan enabling thin‐slice frequency‐selective excitation. Methods The calibration pre‐scan determines the correction phase between even and odd sub‐pulses by measuring the phase difference of two FIDs excited with either the last or second‐to‐last RF sub‐pulse of the spatial‐spectral pulse. Non‐localized and localized versions of the calibration pre‐scan are tested and validated for water‐only excitation in phantoms and the human heart. As an example, breath‐held coronary MR angiography is performed with a spiral multi‐slice sequence employing the proposed pulses with a slice thickness of 1.7 mm. Results The proposed calibration pre‐scan takes 11.1 ms per slice, whether it is localized or not. Localized calibration phases are validated with an image‐based calibration map. Slice profiles are visualized for pulses with different time‐bandwidth products. Fat is suppressed to below 20% and 25% of the surrounding water signal in both phantoms and the human heart, respectively. High‐quality coronary angiograms are demonstrated in all test subjects. Conclusion Spatial‐spectral pulses without fly‐back gradients can be calibrated quickly (up to 90 slices in 1 s), enabling thinner slices, higher excitation angles, or pulses with sharper slice profiles using waveforms with higher time‐bandwidth products.

BACKGROUND Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)–secreting pituitary adenomas (TSHomas) are rare lesions that result in secondary hyperthyroidism. MR elastography (MRE) is an emerging imaging modality capable of assessing the mechanical properties of tissues, offering valuable insights into tumor consistency for improved preoperative planning and resection. OBSERVATIONS A 16-year-old female diagnosed with a giant TSHoma underwent endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal excision. The mechanical properties of TSHoma were assessed using preoperative MRE and in vitro nanoindentation on excised specimen. Collagen content was also evaluated. Based on its appearance on MRE, a neuroradiologist predicted the tumor would be soft, and it was found to be soft during the surgery. Interestingly, the in vitro shear storage and loss moduli closely match the in vivo findings. Additionally, the tumor tissue has up to 20% collagen content in intratumoral areas. LESSONS MRE is a reliable and clinically valuable tool for preoperative evaluation of tumor consistency in rare TSHomas. The strong concordance between MRE findings, intraoperative texture, and in vitro mechanical measurements underscores the potential of MRE to guide surgical planning, reduce operative complexity, and improve clinical outcomes, especially in uncommon and challenging cases. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE25402

Abstract Glioblastoma progression is spatially heterogeneous, but conventional imaging provides limited information about where subsequent tumor progression is likely to occur. We developed a directional magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) framework to test whether local post-treatment tumor–brain interface mechanics are associated with later spatial tumor progression. In a secondary analysis of a prospectively acquired glioblastoma cohort, wedge-level viscoelastic instability features were extracted from the first post-treatment MRE scan and related to novel tumor burden on the second post-treatment scan after excluding tumor already present on pretreatment or first post-treatment imaging. Nine patients had longitudinal imaging suitable for spatial comparison; six lesions showed net interval growth and were included in the primary wedge-level directional analysis, while three non-growing lesions were retained for descriptive comparison. In growing lesions, several directional mechanical features were descriptively associated with later novel tumor burden. In cluster-aware models accounting for within-patient dependence among wedges, mean Δtanδ showed the most consistent association with later wedge-level novel tumor fraction across mixed-effects and generalized estimating equation analyses. Associations were directionally stable across wedge-width sensitivity analyses. These findings provide proof of principle that post-treatment glioblastoma interface mechanics contain spatially resolved information related to where later tumor emergence occurs, supporting further validation of directional MRE as a framework for longitudinal mapping of progression geometry.

Abstract This work presents a first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence (AI-)integrated MR pulse sequence that detects out-of-voxel (OOV) artifacts in real-time (within-TR) and responds prospectively by updating the crusher gradient scheme. Per Excitation Real-time Execution & Guided Responses with Integrated Neural-network Evaluation (PEREGRINE), allows for deployment of deep learning models and pulse sequence updates. In this study, PEREGRINE operated a time-domain (TD) and frequency-domain (FD) convolutional autoencoder that detect OOV artifacts. Scans without (AI-off) and with (AI-on) updates were collected from the medial prefrontal cortex of healthy volunteers using a MEGA-edited MRS experiment. The degree of OOV contamination (OOV Score) was quantified per transient based upon the prevalence of OOV signals in the TD and FD data. OOV Scores above a user-defined threshold triggered an update of the crusher gradient scheme, iterating through 48 permutations (6 axis transpositions × 8 polarity flips). Within each 2-second TR, PEREGRINE successfully provided single-transient OOV Scores and updated gradients accordingly. No difference was observed between the OOV Scores from the full (“Full” condition) AI-on and AI-off sessions due to the AI-on scan cycling over better and worse gradient permutations relative to the AI-off scan. However, the AI-on scan had significantly lower OOV Scores than the AI-off scan when selecting the transients where PEREGRINE persisted (“Dwell” condition) on a given gradient permutation. Ultimately, Fit Quality Number (FQN) from linear combination modeling improved significantly for the AI-on compared to the AI-off scan. PEREGRINE enabled an adaptive and AI-integrated sequence allowing for real-time evaluation and response to OOV artifacts, identifying gradient modifications that produced less OOV contamination. Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract Summary PEREGRINE, Per Excitation Real-time Execution & Guided Responses with Integrated Neural-network Evaluation, allows for pulse sequence updates using on-scanner deployed neural networks. To demonstrate the utility, PEREGRINE was used to operate two neural networks (time/frequency domain), trained to detect out-of-voxel artifacts, during a MEGA-edited MRS experiment in the prefrontal cortex. When artifacts were detected, PEREGRINE updated the crusher gradients within the same TR. Real-time, adaptive, and AI-driven MR will provide a long-awaited solution for combatting artifacts and poor data quality. Graphical Abstract Figure

ABSTRACT Purpose To simultaneously measure skeletal muscle energetics and blood flow (BF) before, during, and after dynamic plantar flexion exercise (PFE). Methods Non‐localized pulse‐acquire phosphorus‐31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 31 P MRS) and phase contrast flow magnetic resonance imaging ( 1 H MRI) using golden‐angle rotated spiral readouts were acquired in an interleaved fashion. Data were collected at rest, during PFE to volitional fatigue, and post‐exercise recovery in 10 healthy adults. Interleaved popliteal artery BF was validated against conventional cine phase‐contrast measures at rest and post‐exercise recovery, while calf muscle energetics were validated by comparing to conventional 31 P MRS‐only measures at rest. To minimize motion artifacts during dynamic PFE, flow data were resolved in 3 dimensions (cardiac phase, pedal position, and exercise stage). Results Resting phosphocreatine (PCr) and inorganic phosphate concentrations were similar between both techniques (both p > 0.05). During PFE, PCr declined to 46% ± 10% of rest. PCr recovery time was 43 ± 15 s. Resting BF was 132 ± 43 mL/min and increased up to four‐fold during PFE depending on exercise stage and pedal position. Notably, there was excellent agreement between the interleaved and conventional BF measures ( r 2 = 0.95, slope = 0.977, p < 0.0001) with minimal bias (12.62 mL/min) over a wide range of physiologically relevant BF values (from ∼60 to 600 mL/min). Conclusion The feasibility of simultaneous assessment of skeletal muscle energetics and BF during dynamic exercise by interleaved 31 P MRS/ 1 H flow MRI was demonstrated along with good agreement between interleaved and conventional techniques during rest and recovery. One can now simultaneously quantify critical BF‐metabolism relationships and use this to probe disease‐related adaptations.

Dynamic fluid and solute transportation across the arachnoid barrier in the meninges of healthy participants was measured by tracking intravenous gadolinium-based contrast agent entering cerebrospinal fluid from dural blood vessels using dynamic dual-spin-echo perfusion MRI.

ABSTRACTSurgical biopsy of brainstem tumors carries a risk of neurological injury. We performed magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of 2‐hydroxyglutarate (2HG) and glycine in patients with brainstem tumors to assess the feasibility of detecting and quantifying 2HG in the brainstem to obviate the need for a diagnostic biopsy and to establish the clinical significance of glycine MRS in brainstem tumors in vivo. Twenty adult patients with radiographically identified presumed brainstem gliomas were prospectively enrolled in the study. Proton MRS was obtained at 3T with a protocol tailored for detection of 2HG and glycine (TE 97‐ms PRESS). Spectra were fit using LCModel software and in‐house basis signals of metabolites and lipids. The metabolite concentrations were quantified with reference to water and examined with respect to clinical outcomes, including postgadolinium MRI and overall survival time. MRS data from 19 patients were included in subsequent analysis, excluding suboptimal data from one patient. Tumors with elevated 2HG (> 1.9 mM, N = 8) and undetectable 2HG (< 0.3 mM, N = 11) were clearly distinguishable. Tumors with elevated glycine (> 1.5 mM, N = 4) showed rapid progression. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses with metabolite measures demonstrated that tumors with 2HG higher than 1.0 mM were significantly associated with a favorable prognosis (p = 0.01). In contrast, tumors with glycine higher than 2.5 mM showed a strong association with poor survival (p = 0.0005). The data confirm detection of 2HG in brainstem tumors at a concentration that is consistent with an IDH mutation and expected good prognosis, whereas elevated glycine in brainstem tumors portends rapid tumor progression and a worse prognosis.

ABSTRACT Background and Purpose In idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) patients, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow is typically evaluated with a cardiac‐gated two‐dimensional (2D) phase‐contrast (PC) MRI through the cerebral aqueduct. This approach is limited by the evaluation of a single location and does not account for respiration effects on flow. In this study, we quantified the cardiac and respiratory contributions to CSF movement at multiple intracranial locations using a real‐time 2D PC‐MRI and evaluated the diagnostic value of CSF dynamics biomarkers in classifying iNPH patients. Methods This study included 37 participants: 16 iNPH, 10 Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 11 cognitively unimpaired (CU) controls. Anatomical and real‐time (non‐gated) PC images were acquired in a 3T Philips scanner. CSF flow was assessed at the foramen magnum, fourth ventricle, Sylvian fissure, lateral ventricle, and cerebral aqueduct. We calculated three CSF dynamics biomarkers: mean velocity amplitude, cardiac signal power, and respiratory signal power. Biomarkers from each location were evaluated for classifying iNPH versus AD and CU using support vector machine (SVM). A p ‐value of 0.05 or less was considered statistically significant. Results The velocity amplitude and cardiac signal power were significantly reduced in iNPH compared to CU ( p < 0.005) and AD ( p < 0.05) at the lateral ventricle. The SVM model using biomarkers from the lateral ventricle performed significantly better at classifying iNPH than the other locations in terms of accuracy ( p < 0.005) and diagnostic odds ratio ( p < 0.05). Conclusion Evaluation of CSF movement beyond the cerebral aqueduct may aid in identifying patients with and understanding the pathophysiology of iNPH.

Abstract Purpose To investigate the feasibility of rapid CEST MRI acquisition for evaluating oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in human skeletal muscle at 3T, utilizing ultrafast Z‐spectroscopy (UFZ) combined with MRI and the Polynomial and Lorentzian line‐shape Fitting (PLOF) technique. Methods UFZ MRI on muscle was evaluated with turbo spin echo (TSE) and 3D EPI readouts. Five healthy subjects performed in‐magnet plantar flexion exercise (PFE) and subsequent changes of amide, PCr, and partial PCr mixed Cr (Cr + ) CEST dynamic signals post‐exercise were enabled by PLOF fitting. PCr/Cr CEST signal was further refined through pH correction by using the ratios between PCr/Cr and amide signals, named PCAR/CAR, respectively. Results UFZ MRI with TSE readout significantly reduces acquisition time, achieving a temporal resolution of <50 s for collecting high‐resolution Z‐spectra. Following PFE, the recovery/decay times (τ) for both PCr and Cr in the gastrocnemius muscle of the calf were notably longer when determined using PCr/Cr CEST compared to those after pH correction with amideCEST, namely = 87.1 ± 15.8 s and = 98.1 ± 20.4 s versus = 32.9 ± 19.7 s and = 43.0 ± 13.0 s, respectively. obtained via 31 P MRS ( = 50.3 ± 6.2 s) closely resemble those obtained from pH‐corrected PCr/Cr CEST signals. Conclusion The outcomes suggest potential of UFZ MRI as a robust tool for non‐invasive assessment of mitochondrial function in skeletal muscles. pH correction is critical for the reliable OXPHOS measurement by CEST.

AbstractBackgroundThe cardiac and respiratory cycles have been suggested as major drivers of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) flow. The glymphatic system, one of the mechanisms for the clearance of amyloid‐beta and tau proteins, relies heavily on the movement(flow) of the CSF, and thus, investigating the forces that modulate the CSF flow is essential for understanding the glymphatic flux. Because breathing is trainable through exercise and self‐directed methods, various breathing methods may enhance the CSF flow.MethodReal‐time phase‐contrast MRI(pc‐MRI) was used to measure the CSF flow at the foramen magnum on a 3T. Fast resting‐state fMRI(rsfMRI;TR400ms) was conducted on a compact 3T. Under an IRB‐approved protocol, participants were instructed to breathe slowly and deeply, and subsequently switch to their spontaneous breathing. For rsfMRI data preprocessing, we performed motion correction, skull stripping, spatial smoothing(4mm), temporal filtering(0.01 to 0.1Hz), and linear and quadratic temporal trends removal. fMRI time courses were then normalized to Z‐score at each voxel before being averaged. On the pcMRI, the phase was summed in a CSF region‐of‐interest and plotted vs time. Additionally, we confirmed for possible confounding effects such as head motion or motion‐induced susceptibility changes.ResultrsfMRI findings showed that deep breathing promoted large oscillations in the CSF flow in the ventricles, while spontaneous breathing did not(Figure 1). Additionally, deep breathing resulted in large oscillations in lobar cortical regions. Similar results were observed in the pcMRI, with larger CSF velocity through the foramen magnum during the deep breathing compared to the spontaneous breathing(Figure 2A‐B). The cumulative summation result showed that the volume of CSF flow was increased during deep breathing(Figure 2C).ConclusionThis study provides new evidence that slow and deep breathing promotes CSF flow and global brain BOLD signal, which may be useful in promoting circulation in the brain. The study’s findings also open new avenues for research in the field of neurovascular coupling and mechanisms associated with glymphatic clearance. As hampered CSF flow and/or worsen glymphatic clearance have been shown to associate with pathological aging and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, future research is needed explore the potential of breathing training methods as a non‐pharmacological intervention to support brain health.