Not for publication in the USA
- Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) available for the first time as a product for clinical research
- MRF assists precision medicine by making quantifiable and reproducible tissue analysis available for magnetic resonance
At the ISMRM (International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine) in Montreal, Canada, Siemens Healthineers is the first supplier in the world to offer magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) as a product for tissue analysis in clinical neurological research. The MRF application is the result of an exclusive, multi-year research partnership with Case Western Reserve University and the University Hospitals in Cleveland, which aims to make MR measurements much more quantifiable and reproducible. Thanks to this approach, a reliable judgment will be possible as to whether tissue is healthy or how badly it is damaged. This is a further means by which Siemens Healthineers is paving the way to personalized treatment and precision medicine. The MRF application and the associated database will initially be made available for the 3-Tesla Magnetom Vida magnetic resonance imaging system. Corresponding software packages for other 3T scanners from Siemens Healthineers will follow.
“MRF represents a paradigm shift in MR image acquisition,” says Arthur Kaindl, head of Magnetic Resonance at Siemens Healthineers. “We generate unique ‘fingerprints’ that reflect the properties of the scanned tissue, and so we can describe the target anatomy numerically instead of visually for the first time. This information forms the basis for machine-assisted analysis for tissue classification, and thus also personalized treatment programs. The data also offers excellent opportunities for utilization and further development of artificial intelligence and Deep Learning.”
Jeffrey Sunshine, Chief Medical Information Officer at the Cleveland University Hospitals and interim Co-Chair of Radiology at Case Western Reserve University and the University Hospitals adds: “I firmly believe that MRF will revolutionize the world of MR imaging. MRF lets us perform reliable tissue analyses. For example, we can assist tumor staging in cancer cases, which can save the patient from undergoing a biopsy and thus a surgical intervention. At the same time, the fact that tissue analyses are comparable means we can perform reliable progress checks.”
The MRF method
MRF measures signal evolutions within each recorded voxel. The parameters for image acquisition are pseudo-randomized in the process, and the changes in signal are recorded. An algorithm compares the acquired datasets against a previously established database and locates the entry that most closely matches the signal evolution in question. This information can be compared to the fingerprints used in forensic investigations. Just like fingerprints, evaluation is possible only with access to a database that’s as comprehensive as possible. The forensic database links the fingerprint, and its unique characteristics, with the person’s own features (name, height, eye color, etc.). Likewise, the MRF database contains T1 and T2 values and can later be complemented with other parameters like relative spin density, B0, and diffusion. The clinic can link this information to the data for the underlying tissue type (bone, healthy tissue, diseased tissue).
MR images provide excellent information for diagnostics. But the images can differ greatly depending on the system, patient, and user, and are limited in terms of reproducibility and comparability. Although it has previously been possible to obtain absolute measurements of individual tissue properties, like diffusion, fat and iron deposits, perfusion, and relaxation times, lengthy measurement times were necessary. The previous deficits are comprehensively addressed by the new MRF method.
Further information on ISMRM 2019 under www.ismrm.org
