| dc.description.abstract | This work presents a number of projects for increasing accessibility to magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy through hardware and software approaches. First, the feasibility of dynamic 31P MR spectroscopy for metabolic studies was assessed using a 1.0T extremity scanner (lower than clinical fields, less expensive) retrofitted with broadband capabilities and 31P array and transmit coil technologies. Metabolic parameters were evaluated in a healthy volunteer over the course of a foot flexion protocol. The second hardware approach involved creating a switchable three-element, triple-tuned array to demonstrate the range of nuclei over which the method could be applied. To further broadband accessibility, a multi-channel broadband receiver was evaluated for its utility for increasing the overall channel count capabilities with which single and multi-nuclear studies could be performed. The benefit of its data handling and reduction capabilities were demonstrated over the previous digitization card. Third, a longitudinally translatable 32-channel coil array and associated preamplifier unit were developed for the investigation of the potential for single-shot volume imaging. This approach, previously not investigated due to hardware limitations, was utilized to investigate the ultrafast MRI theory for a 32-ring/row by 32-element array. Finally, as a software approach to accessibility to multinuclear NMR, an open-source multi-channel magnetic resonance spectroscopy graphical user interface was established to utilize literature-based multi-channel combinations for improving data combination while minimizing spectral distortion. This tool can assist the user in selecting a combination technique based on the available data for characterizing the system, such as additional 1H unsuppressed water scans, noise scans, or channel SNR. These projects present a step forward in increasing the accessibility to multi-nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. | |
