Gerrit Hendrik van De Maat1, U. A. Blume2,
C. J. den Harder2, Clemens Bos3, Chris J. Bakker1
1Image Sciences Institute,
University Medical Center, Utrecht, Netherlands; 2MR CTO, Philips
Healthcare, Best, Netherlands; 3MR Clinical Science, Philips
Healthcare, Best, Netherlands
We investigated the use of Multi Acquisition Variable Resonance Image Combination (MAVRIC), developed for imaging near metallic implants, for detection of microscopic field disturbers by means of off-resonance excited. By using MAVRIC, the whole range of off-resonance frequencies induced by the disturbers can be covered, which increases the sensitivity of off-resonance excitation and offers the opportunity for quantitative measurements. In addition, the anatomical reference information is preserved. The method was demonstrated for the special case of Holmium-166 loaded microspheres but can also be applied to iron-labeled cells or other objects that have a susceptibility that differs from their surroundings.