Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVISInstitute News
The MR scanner as a Mini device simplifies the introduction to MRI imaging, making expert-level technology more accessible.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most important imaging techniques in medicine. It enables gentle 3D images to be taken of the inside of the body without any harmful X-rays. However, getting started with the technology is not easy. In particular, programming the MR sequences—the sequences of commands according to which an MR scanner acquires its images—has been a challenge to date.
The gammaSTAR software platform developed by Fraunhofer MEVIS can considerably simplify and standardise the procedures. The institute presented the new possibilities to students from various disciplines at a workshop on 20 and 21 January. The successful event is to be repeated regularly in future and will also be offered as part of the curriculum at the Faculty 1 of the University of Bremen.
Programming an MR sequence is complex and requires specialised knowledge. “Until now, every manufacturer has had its own software for this, closely interlinked with the respective device hardware,” says Matthias Günther, Deputy Director of the Fraunhofer MEVIS Institute and Professor of MR Physics at the University of Bremen. “Every time something changes in the control of the hardware, the entire programming has to be redone.” This is one of the reasons why only a few medical professionals have been able to develop new MR sequences to adapt them to a specific problem. Students have also rarely had the opportunity to try their hand at developing MR sequences.
The gammaSTAR software platform simplifies the previously complex and cumbersome procedures. This means that an MR sequence can be programmed at the click of a mouse using ready-made modules without the need for in-depth specialist knowledge. And instead of having to write a new sequence for each MR device, you only have to programme one sequence, which gammaSTAR automatically translates for all device types.
The workshop concept is interactive and participants can familiarise themselves with the technology at various stations. Hands-on experiments with magnetic coils and tuning forks offer a vivid insight into the physical background of MRI. Students can also programme an MR sequence with a simplified version of gammaSTAR on the computer and have the results displayed on the monitor via computer simulation.
The MR sequences can then be visualised on a model developed at MEVIS. They look like real MR scanners, but on a scale of 1:10. “We made it using a 3D printer and fitted it with LEDs and a sound module,” explains MEVIS researcher Daniel Hoinkiss. “When a sequence is played back, the typical sounds of an MR scanner can be heard, while the LEDs flicker in different colours to show how the device is processing the sequence.”
The next step will be experiments on a small but functioning scanner. The so-called tabletop device is only about the size of a saucepan and can analyse small objects, so-called phantoms, which are attached to the end of a straw-sized test tube. This allows gammaSTAR MR sequences to be tested simply, inexpensively and yet realistically. At the end of the workshop, the participants will move on to whole-body scanners, which Fraunhofer MEVIS operates jointly with the University of Bremen. Here it can be demonstrated that the same MR sequences that work in the computer simulation and on the table-top device also run on a large scanner.
The two-day workshop was a success, and more will follow. MEVIS is already planning an extended workshop for research partners and experts to establish the use of gammaSTAR in research. The software is so user-friendly that the number of users can be significantly increased. “This promises faster and more efficient development of customised MR sequences,” says Matthias Günther. “We are already working with a company and I am optimistic that gammaSTAR will establish itself in the industry in the future.”