Background— We investigated the potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track magnetically labeled mesenchymal stem cells (MR-MSCs) in a swine myocardial infarction (MI) model. Methods and Results— Adult farm pigs (n=5) were subjected to closed-chest experimental MI. MR-MSCs (2.8 to 16×10 ⁷ cells) were injected intramyocardially under x-ray fluoroscopy. MRIs were obtained on a 1.5T MR scanner to demonstrate the location of the MR-MSCs and were correlated with histology. Contrast-enhanced MRI demonstrated successful injection in the infarct and serial MSC tracking was demonstrated in two animals. Conclusion— MRI tracking of MSCs is feasible and represents a preferred method for studying the engraftment of MSCs in MI.

This paper reports a novel remotely actuated manipulator for access to prostate tissue under magnetic resonance imaging guidance (APT-MRI) device, designed for use in a standard high-field MRI scanner. The device provides three-dimensional MRI guided needle placement with millimeter accuracy under physician control. Procedures enabled by this device include MRI guided needle biopsy, fiducial marker placements, and therapy delivery. Its compact size allows for use in both standard cylindrical and open configuration MRI scanners. Preliminary in vivo canine experiments and first clinical trials are reported.

This article presents a new method for measuring longitudinal strain in a short‐axis section of the heart using harmonic phase magnetic resonance imaging (HARP‐MRI). The heart is tagged using 1‐1 SPAMM at end‐diastole with tag surfaces parallel to a short‐axis imaging plane. Two or more images are acquired such that the images have different phase encodings in a direction orthogonal to the image plane. A dense map of the longitudinal strain can be computed from these images using a simple, fast computation. Simulations are conducted to study the effect of noise and the choice of out‐of‐plane phase encoding values. Longitudinal strains acquired from a normal human male are shown. Magn Reson Med 46:324‐334, 20001.

With the rapid growth of interventional MRI, radiofrequency (RF) heating at the tips of guidewires, catheters, and other wire‐shaped devices has become an important safety issue. Previous studies have identified some of the variables that affect the relative magnitude of this heating but none could predict the absolute amount of heating to formulate safety margins. This study presents the first theoretical model of wire tip heating that can accurately predict its absolute value, assuming a straight wire, a homogeneous RF coil, and a wire that does not extend out of the tissue. The local specific absorption rate (SAR) amplification from induced currents on insulated and bare wires was calculated using the method of moments. This SAR gain was combined with a semianalytic solution to the bioheat transfer equation to generate a safety index. The safety index (°C/(W/kg)) is a measure of the in vivo temperature change that can occur with the wire in place, normalized to the SAR of the pulse sequence. This index can be used to set limits on the spatial peak SAR of pulse sequences that are used with the interventional wire. For the case of a straight resonant wire in a tissue with very low perfusion, only about 100 mW/kg/°C spatial peak SAR may be used at 1.5 T. But for ≤10‐cm wires with an insulation thickness ≥30% of the wire radius that are placed in well‐perfused tissues, normal operating conditions of 4 W/kg spatial peak SAR are possible at 1.5 T. Further model development to include the influence of inhomogeneous RF, curved wires, and wires that extend out of the sample are required to generate safety indices that are applicable to common clinical situations. We propose a simple way to ensure safety when using an interventional wire: set a limit on the SAR of allowable pulse sequences that is a factor of a safety index below the tolerable temperature increase. Magn Reson Med 47:187–193, 2002.