DQF-MRI Strain Maps of Blood Vessel Walls
The Invention Two images that display a 2D map of a bovine coronary artery, unstressed (Left) and 55% elongated (Right).Strain maps of blood vessels walls, tissue composition and strain distribution are now possible through the use of DQF-MRI (Double Quantum Filtered-MRI). This innovative method is extremely powerful easily achieving images of distinct tissue layers, especially the tunica adventitia. The most significant feature is the additional spectroscopic dimension of the DQF-MRI which provides quantitative information about the degree of strain.
The Technological Innovation Standard MRI scanning techniques, such as magnetic resonance angiography, provide information about the content of the blood vessels. But the major site of cardiovascular diseases is in the arterial walls. Double-quantum filtering of the water within the blood vessels walls detects only the water molecules associated with ordered structures. This is an elegant method of suppressing the detection of bulk water (i.e. the blood itself).
A suitable calibration of the spectroscopic dimension makes it possible to obtain a strain map. Thus, the DQF-MRI scan provides more accurate information about the state of the arteries and diseases associated with them.
Commercial Applications The proposed DQF-MRI can display the morphology of the vessel, in particular of the tunica media where many of the interesting pathologies take place. Thus it may be used for the earlier detection of morphological changes, such as atherosclerosis and aneurysm.
Beyond blood vessels, DQF-MRI can be used to study the orientational order in strained elastomers.
Implementation The DQF module is a software plug-in for existing MRI hardware, and therefore does not require installation of any additional hardware or training of a technician.
References Y. Sharf, Y. SEO, U. Eeliav S. Akselrod & Gil Navon “Mapping strain exerted on blood vessel walls using deuterium double-quantum-filtered MRI” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. vol. 95, pp. 4108–4112 (1998)
Links http://www.tau.ac.il/chemistry/navon/ Patent Issued: US
Inventor(s): Gil Navon
Type of Offer: Licensing
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