Clemens Diwoky1, Andreas Reinisch2, Dieter Gross3, Volker Lehmann3, Dirk Strunk2, Rudolf Stollberger1
1Inst. of Medical Engineering, TU Graz, Graz, Austria; 2Stem Cell Research Unit, Dept. of Hematology, Univ. Clinic of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; 3Dept. of Microimaging, Bruker BioSpin GmbH, Rheinstetten, Germany
Within this study we introduce an in-vitro model for the evaluation of cell detection strategies and SPIO cell load based on cell networks build by endothelial progenitor cells. This in-vitro correlate of the vasculogenesis process allows us to review MRI systems with different field strengths and gradient performances for their capabilities on single cell detection. High resolution (55m) 3D GRE images at 3, 7 and 11.7 Tesla systems are investigated and the impact of different field strength and gradient performance on the image quality is examined.