Helmar Waiczies1,
2, Andr Khne3, 4, Lukas Winter2,
Tobias Frauenrath2, Werner Hoffmann3, Bernd Ittermann3,
Sonia Waiczies1, 2, Thoralf Niendorf2,
5
1Magnetic
Resonance Imaging in Immunology, Experimental and Clinical Research Center
(ECRC), a cooperation of the Charit Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrck
Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany; 2Berlin Ultrahigh
Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin,
Germany; 3Department of Medical Physics and Metrological
Information, Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt, Berlin, Germany; 4Center
for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna,
Vienna, Austria; 5Experimental and Clinical Research Center
(ECRC), Charit University Medicine Campus Berlin-Buch, Berlin, Germany
We have developed a double-tuned 1H/19F birdcage resonator dedicated for hand and wrist imaging at 7 T to locally image non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) such as 2-{[3-(Trifluoromethyl) phenyl]amino}benzoic acid. The preliminary in vivo images acquired by the double-tuned 1H/19F birdcage resonator demonstrate the feasibility for 1H/19F hand- and wrist-imaging at 7 T. While the diagnostic quality of the coil needs to be assessed in patients with inflammatory rheumatoid disease, first 19F images of the NSAID are encouraging, and point towards the prospect of applying 19F-MRI to visualize and quantify the concentration of therapeutically-active compound at the sites of inflammation.