Techniques for signal acquisition, reconstruction and analysis in sodium magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Over the last decades, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has undergone a high-paced development rendering it an extremely versatile imaging technique with revolutionary impact on medical practice and research. Typically, MRI acquisitions are sensitised to hydrogen-1 nuclei which facilitates high resolution images with unprecedented soft tissue contrast but lacks specificity as it only offers an indirect link to pathologies. The study of other MR-observable nuclei (so called x-Nuclei MRI) offers the potential to extend standard MRI to the detection of pathologies without apparent structural abnormalities and enhance therapy monitoring capabilities. Sodium as the second most abundant MR-observa..