Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of restricted diffusion in a biological phantom: a q-space diffusion MRI study of asparagus stems at a 3T clinical scanner

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction

The aim of this work was to study the effects of restricted diffusion in a biological phantom consisting of green asparagus stems using q-space MRI at a clinical scanner.

Method

Measurements of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the displacement distribution were performed with varied diffusion time (T d). The accuracy of the measurements was investigated with respect to the degree of violation of the short gradient pulse (SGP) condition, partial volume effects and a FWHM-based tensor model.

Results

The measurements showed a reasonably constant FWHM perpendicular to the capillaries in the vascular bundles and an increased FWHM parallel with the bundles when the T d was increased. A 15% decrease in FWHM perpendicular to the bundles was observed when the diffusion encoding duration was prolonged from 24 to 74 ms, owing to the violation of the SGP condition. For a population of different confinement sizes, simulations indicated that the FWHM reflects the smaller sizes rather then the mean size of the confinements.

Conclusion

A new method allowing tensor analysis of FWHM was derived and yielded accurate results. In conclusion, we found it possible to measure the effects of restricted diffusion with q-space MRI using a clinical MRI scanner.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Moseley ME, Cohen Y, Mintorovitch J, Chileuitt L, Shimizu H, Kucharczyk J, Wendland MF and Weinstein PR (1990). Early detection of regional cerebral ischemia in cats: comparison of diffusion and T2-weighted MRI and spectroscopy. Magn Reson Med 14: 330–346

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Stejskal EO and Tanner JE (1965). Spin diffusion measurements: spin echoes in the presence of a time-dependent field gradient. J Chem Phys 42(1): 288–592

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Niendorf T, Dijkhuizen RM, Norris DG, van Lookeren Campagne M and Nicolay K (1996). Biexponential diffusion attenuation in various states of brain tissue: implications for diffusion-weighted imaging. Magn Reson Med 36: 847–857

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Clark AC and Le Bihan D (2000). Water diffusion compartmentation and anisotropy at high b values in the human brain. Magn Reson Med 44: 852–859

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Clark AC, Hedehus M and Moseley ME (2002). In vivo mapping of the fast and slow diffusion tensors in human brain. Magn Reson Med 47: 623–628

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Maier SE, Vajapeyam S, Mamata H, Westin CF, Jolesz FA and Mulkern RV (2004). Biexponential diffusion tensor analysis of human brain diffusion data. Magn Reson Med 51(2): 321–330

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Mulkern RV, Gudbjartsson H, Westin CF, Zengingonul HP, Gartner W, Guttmann CR, Robertson RL, Kyriakos W, Schwartz R, Holtzman D, Jolesz FA and Maier SE (1999). Multi-component apparent diffusion coefficients in human brain. NMR Biomed 12(1): 51–62

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Inglis BA, Bossart EL, Buckley DL, Wirth ED and Mareci TH (2001). Visualization of neural tissue water compartments using biexponential diffusion tensor MRI. Magn Reson Med 45(4): 580–587

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Schwarcz A, Bogner P, Meric P, Correze JL, Berente Z, Pál J, Gallyas F, Doczi T, Gillet B and Beloeil JC (2004). The existence of biexponential signal decay in magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging appears to be independent of compartmentalization. Magn Reson Med 51(2): 278–285

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Kiselev VG and Il’yasov KA (2007). Is the “biexponential diffusion” biexponential?. Magn Reson Med 57(3): 464–469

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Cory DG and Garroway AN (1990). Measurement of translational displacement probabilities by NMR: an indicator of compartmentation. Magn Reson Med 14(3): 435–444

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Callaghan PT, MacGowan D, Packer KJ and Zelaya FO (1990). High-resolution q-space imaging in porous structures high-resolution q-space imaging in porous structures high-resolution q-space imaging in porous structures. J Magn Reson 90(1): 177–182

    Google Scholar 

  13. Callaghan PT, Coy A, MacGowan D, Packer KJ and Zelaya FO (1991). Diffraction-like effects in NMR diffusion studies of fluids in porous solids. Nature 351: 467–469

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Assaf Y, Mayk A and Cohen Y (2000). Displacement imaging of spinal cord using q-space diffusion-weighted MRI. Magn Reson Med 44: 713–744

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Assaf Y, Mayzel-Oreg O, Gigi A, Ben-Bashat D, Mordohovitch M, Verchovsky R, Reider-Groswasser II, Hendler T, Graif M, Cohen Y, Korczyn AD (2002) High b value q-space analyzed diffusion MRI in vascular dementia: a preliminary study. J Neurol Sci 203–04:235–239

    Google Scholar 

  16. Assaf Y, Ben-Bashat D, Chapman J, Peled S, Biton IE, Kafri M, Segev Y, Hendler T, Korczyn AD, Graif M and Cohen Y (2002). High b-value q-space analyzed diffusion-weighted MRI: application to multiple sclerosis. Magn Reson Med 47(1): 115–126

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Håkansson B, Pons R and Söderman O (1998). Diffraction-like effects in a highly concentrated W/O emulsion: a PFG NMR study. Magn Reson Imaging 16(5–6): 643–646

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Topgaard D and Söderman O (2003). Experimental determination of pore shape and size using q-space NMR microscopy in the long diffusion-time limit. Magn Reson Imaging 21(1): 69–76

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Torres AM, Taurins AT, Regan DG, Chapman BE and Kuchel PW (1999). Assignment of coherence features in NMR q-space plots to particular diffusion modes in erythrocyte suspensions. J Magn Reson 138: 135–143

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kuchel PW, Coy A and Stilbs P (1997). NMR “diffusion–diffraction” of water revealing alignment of erythrocytes in a magnetic field and their dimensions and membrane transport characteristics. Magn Reson Med 37: 637–643

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Benga G, Kuchel PW, Chapman BE, Cox GC, Ghiran I and Gallagher CH (2000). Comparative cell shape and diffusional water permeability of red blood cells from indian elephant (Elephas maximus) and man (Homo sapiens). Comp Clin Pathol 10: 1–8

    Google Scholar 

  22. Weng JC, Chen JH, Kuo LW, Wedeen VJ and Tseng WY (2007). Maturation-dependent microstructure length scale in the corpus callosum of fixed rat brains by magnetic resonance diffusion-diffraction. Magn Reson Imaging 25(1): 78–86

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Chin CL, Wehrli FW, Fan Y, Hwang SN, Schwartz ED, Nissanov J and Hackney DB (2004). Assessment of axonal fiber tract architecture in excised rat spinal cord by localized NMR q-space imaging: simulations and experimental studies. Magn Reson Med 52(4): 733–740

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. King MD, Houseman J, Roussel SA, Bruggen N, Gadian DG and Williams SR (1994). q-Space imaging of the brain. Magn Reson Med 32(6): 707–713

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. King MD, Houseman J, Gadian DG and Conelly A (1997). Localized q-space imaging of the mouse brain. Magn Reson Med 38: 930–937

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Lätt J, Brockstedt S, Wirestam R, Larsson E, Ståhlberg F (2003) Visualisation of displacement–distribution parameters in q-space imaging. In: Proceedings of the 11th annual meeting of ISMRM, Toronto (Abstract 590)

  27. Jensen JH, Helpern JA, Ramani A, Lu H and Kaczynski K (2005). Diffusional kurtosis imaging: the quantification of non-Gaussian water diffusion by means of magnetic resonance imaging. Magn Reson Med 53(6): 1432–1440

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Lu H, Jensen JH, Ramani A and Helpern JA (2006). Three-dimensional characterization of non-gaussian water diffusion in humans using diffusion kurtosis imaging. NMR Biomed 19(2): 236–247

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Malmborg C, Topgaard D and Söderman O (2004). NMR diffusometry and the short gradient pulse limit approximation. J Magn Reson 169(1): 85–91

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Callaghan PT (1997). A simple matrix formalism for spin echo analysis of restricted diffusion under generalized gradient waveforms. J Magn Reson 129(1): 74–84

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Stepisnik J (1998). Spin echo attenuation of restricted diffusion as a discord of spin phase structure. J Magn Reson 131(2): 339–346

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Codd SL and Callaghan PT (1999). Spin echo analysis of restricted diffusion under generalized gradient waveforms: planar, cylindrical and spherical pores with wall relaxivity. J Magn Reson 137(2): 358–372

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Topgaard D, Malmborg C and Söderman O (2002). Restricted self-diffusion of water in a highly concentrated w/o emulsion studied using modulated gradient spin-echo NMR. J Magn Reson 156(2): 195–201

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Avram L, Assaf Y and Cohen Y (2004). The effect of rotational angle and experimental parameters on the diffraction patterns and micro-structural information obtained from q-space diffusion NMR: implication for diffusion in white matter fibers. J Magn Reson 169(1): 30–38

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Nossin-Manor R, Duvdevani R and Cohen Y (2005). Effect of experimental parameters on high b-value q-space MR images of excised rat spinal cord. Magn Reson Med 54: 96–104

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Boujraf S, Luypaert R, Eisendrath H and Osteaux M (2001). Echo planar magnetic resonance imaging of anisotropic diffusion in asparagus stems. Magn Reson Mater Phy 13(2): 82–90

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Rydhög A, Lätt J, Nilsson M, Nordh E, Carlemalm E, Wirestam R, Ståhlberg F (2007) Using q-space diffusion MRI for structural studies of biological phantom at 3T clincial scanner. In: Proceedings of the 11th annual meeting of ISMRM, Berlin (Abstract 1534)

  38. Mitra PP and Halperin BI (1995). Effects of finite gradient-pulse widths in pulsed-field-gradient diffusion measurements. J Magn Reson A 113: 94–101

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Caprihan A, Wang LZ and Fukushima E (1996). A multiple-narrow-pulse approximation for restricted diffusion in a time-varying field gradient. J Magn Reson A 118(1): 94–102

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Brigham EO (1988). Fast fourier transform and its applications. Prentice Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  41. Lin CP, Wedeen VJ, Chen JH, Yao C and Tseng WY (2003). Validation of diffusion spectrum magnetic resonance imaging with manganese-enhanced rat optic tracts and ex vivo phantoms. Neuroimage 19(3): 482–95

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Brihuega-Moreno O, Heese FP, Tejos C and Hall LD (2004). Effects of, and corrections for, cross-term interactions in q-space MRI. Magn Reson Med 51(5): 1048–54

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Basser PJ, Mattiello J and Le Bihan D (1994). MR diffusion tensor spectroscopy and imaging. Biophys J 66: 259–267

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Kingsley PB (2006). Introduction to diffusion tensor imaging mathematics, Part I: Tensors, rotations and eigenvectors. Concepts Magn Reson A 28A(2): 101–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Basser PJ (2002). Relationships between diffusion tensor and q-space MRI. Magn Reson Med 47(2): 392–397

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Steidle G and Schick F (2006). Echoplanar diffusion tensor imaging of the lower leg musculature using eddy current nulled stimulated echo preparation. Magn Reson Med 55(3): 541–548

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Wirestam R, Bibic A, Lätt J, Brockstedt S and Ståhlberg F (2006). Denoising of complex MRI data by wavelet-domain filtering: application to high-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging. Magn Reson Med 56(5): 1114–1120

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Assaf Y, Chapman J, Ben-Bashat D, Hendler T, Segev Y, Korczyn AD, Graif M and Cohen Y (2005). White matter changes in multiple sclerosis: correlation of q-space diffusion MRI and 1H MRS. Magn Reson Imaging 23(6): 703–710

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Wedeen VJ, Hagmann P, Tseng WY, Reese TG and Weisskoff RM (2005). Mapping complex tissue architecture with diffusion spectrum magnetic resonance imaging. Magn Reson Med 54(6): 1377–1386

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Lätt J, Nilsson M, Wirestam R, Johansson E, Larsson EM, Ståhlberg F, Brockstedt S (2007) In vivo visualization of displacement distribution derived parameters in q-space imaging. Magn Reson Imaging (doi:10.1016/j.mri.2007.04.001)

  51. Lätt J, Nilsson M, Malmborg C, Rosquist H, Wirestam R, Ståhlberg F, Topgaard D, Brockstedt S (2007) Accuracy of q-space related parameters in MRI: simulations and phantom measurements. IEEE Trans Med Imag. doi:10.1109/TMI.2007.907278

  52. Lori NF, Conturo TE and Le Bihan D (2003). Definition of displacement probability and diffusion time in q-space magnetic resonance measurements that use finite-duration diffusion-encoding gradients. J Magn Reson 165(2): 185–195

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Callaghan PT (1995). Pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR for planar, cylindrical and spherical pores under conditions of wall relaxation. J Magn Reson A 113: 53–59

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  54. Peled S, Cory DG, Raymond SA, Kirschner DA and Jolesz FA (1999). Water diffusion, T(2), and compartmentation in frog sciatic nerve. Magn Reson Med 42(5): 911–918

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Jimmy Lätt, Markus Nilsson, Anna Rydhög, Ronnie Wirestam, Freddy Ståhlberg & Sara Brockstedt

  2. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Freddy Ståhlberg & Sara Brockstedt

Authors
  1. Jimmy Lätt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Markus Nilsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Anna Rydhög
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ronnie Wirestam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Freddy Ståhlberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Sara Brockstedt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jimmy Lätt.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lätt, J., Nilsson, M., Rydhög, A. et al. Effects of restricted diffusion in a biological phantom: a q-space diffusion MRI study of asparagus stems at a 3T clinical scanner. Magn Reson Mater Phy 20, 213–222 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-007-0085-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-007-0085-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation