Cooled MRI probe doubles sensitivity of in-vivo animal imaging
11 May 2006
Seattle, USA. German company Bruker BioSpin has developed a novel
magnetic resonance imaging probe that improves image quality and can reduce
scan time.
The company's pioneering CryoProbe technology has now been implemented
for in-vivo animal MRI at 9.4 Tesla. Imaging and spectroscopy applications
on mouse brain have demonstrated a 100% improvement in signal-to-noise ratio
(SNR). Compared to the corresponding standard room temperature MRI coils,
the performance of the new MRI CryoProbe leads either to an increase in
imaging resolution and quality, or to a reduction in the total scan time by
a factor of 4. The results are being presented at the ISMRM 14th Scientific
Meeting, Seattle, USA May 7-13, 2006
Bruker BioSpin's CryoProbe technology uses cryogenic RF coils and
pre-amplifiers cooled by a closed-cycle refrigeration system. As a
consequence, the coil performance is improved and the noise contribution of
the associated electronics is strongly reduced. Bruker BioSpin is the
pioneer in the development of cryogenically cooled probes for
high-resolution NMR and has installed more than 500 systems worldwide during
the last seven years. This technology now for the first time is available
also in the field of in-vivo animal MR imaging at 9.4Tesla, or 400 MHz
proton frequency.
The first MRI CryoProbe was delivered to the University / ETH Zurich,
Switzerland in January 2006, and is routinely used for imaging applications
in the neuroscience area. Professor Markus Rudin at the Animal Imaging
Center, ETH Zurich, explains: "This novel MRI CryoProbe technology with its
significant increase in sensitivity will greatly enhance the potential of
MRI in small animals. The improvements in SNR translate, e.g., into improved
quality of fMRI data or can be used to enhance spatial resolution."
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