Adaptation of Open Source PULSEQ Pulse Sequence Writing Toolbox for Varian Compatibility
Abstract
The current status of education, within the field of magnetic resonance
imaging, is largely dependent on the system being employed. In particular, the
pulse sequence programming software is often system specific. Due to this
specificity, there is often a shift in focus when it comes to teaching pulse sequence
programming: instead of the focus being on the pulse sequence writing itself, it is
often focused on the system specific software and languages. While this may not
prove to be a particular issue within industry, when it comes to introducing pulse
sequence programming to students and potential members of the field, it is less
desirable to provide system specific skills rather than those that can be applied
across all platform. This thesis seeks to introduce a new interpreter module for the
open source pulse sequence programming toolbox, Pulseq.
At Texas A&M Universities Magnetic Resonance Research Laboratory,
there are two 4.7T Varian scanners presently employed for both research and
education applications. Varian systems are now considered legacy systems as they
are no longer actively developed or supported. Given this status, it becomes
difficult to justify students continuing to learn pulse sequence programming in the
Varian language. By introducing an interpreter module that allows for students to
write pulse sequence files using Pulseq, and in turn generate Varian compatible
scripts, students can develop skills that are both platform independent, as well as
marketable within the MR industry.
Citation
Bauer, Courtney Clary (2018). Adaptation of Open Source PULSEQ Pulse Sequence Writing Toolbox for Varian Compatibility. Master's thesis, Texas A & M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /174608.