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How to use QSM technology to distinguish calcification and iron deposition in the brain? The principle behind this is beyond your imagination!
With the rapid advancement of medical imaging technology, quantitative sensitivity imaging (QSM) has gradually become an important technology in the field of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Not only does this technology allow us to see tiny changes in the brain more clearly, it also gives us a new dimension of insight in the search for diagnoses of brain diseases. Especially when it comes to calcification and iron deposits in the brain, QSM technology provides an unprecedented standard of comparison.
“The intuitive nature of QSM makes it possible to differentiate between calcification and iron deposits, allowing clinicians to more accurately diagnose conditions.”
Principle of QSM technology
In QSM, the pixel intensity of the image is linearly related to the apparent magnetic sensitivity of the tissue. This property allows us to chemically identify and quantify specific biomarkers such as iron and calcium. Although traditional sensitivity-weighted imaging has its advantages in some cases, QSM can generate a three-dimensional sensitivity distribution by using phase images, which provides us with more accurate image information.
Through the process of data acquisition and field-to-source inversion, QSM can efficiently extract relevant tissue sensitivity information from the magnetic field. This makes it potentially useful in standardized quantitative assessments of neurodegenerative diseases and problems such as microbleeds.
Technical background and principles
In the context of QSM, the sensitivity of non-ferromagnetic biological materials will cause the influence of the local magnetic field on the main field B0, which will be expressed as a field multiplication operation. At certain specific spatial frequencies, the challenge faced by QSM is how to effectively solve the inversion problem between the magnetic field and the source, which often leads to severe stripe artifacts in the image.
"Even in the face of challenges, the development and application of QSM are still progressing rapidly."
Data acquisition and post-processing
In terms of data acquisition, any three-dimensional gradient echo sequence can theoretically be used. However, in order to obtain sufficient sensitivity effects, high-resolution images are usually preferred. In terms of background field removal, clinical applications need to deal with magnetic field interference from other sources, which makes background field removal an important challenge.
Clinical application potential of QSM
QSM has unlimited clinical application potential. For example, by distinguishing calcification and iron deposition, we can more accurately determine the nature of different lesions. In addition, QSM can provide a new method for the quantification of exogenous contrast agents, which is particularly important in the dynamic observation of tumors and other lesions.
"QSM technology will become the next breakthrough in imaging medicine, bringing unprecedented diagnostic accuracy."
The mechanism of distinguishing calcification and iron
Research shows that the main component of cortical bone is calcification, which exhibits diamagnetic properties compared with water. This allows QSM to distinguish calcification and iron deposits that usually exhibit strong paramagnetic properties through their diamagnetic properties. This discovery not only provides new possibilities for clinical diagnosis, but also helps doctors better understand low-signal problems in images.
Conclusion: Future Possibilities
As QSM technology continues to advance, we are expected to explore its potential applications in a wider range of areas, such as more precise disease monitoring and evaluation of new treatments. This is not only a technological innovation, but also a profound change in medical imaging. Finally, we can’t help but ask, what other surprising new discoveries will QSM cause in the future?
