Angle Sensitive MRI for Musculoskeletal Diagnostics

"Tissues including ligaments and tendons usually produce little or no signal in normal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Consequently they usually appear black, while any bright areas are possible artefacts or possible signs of disease. It is largely this anomaly that leads to further investigation using surgical procedures. Researchers at Imperial College have developed an entirely new type of MRI scanner, which offers the potential to obtain new information which may be important clinically and to provide new methods for diagnosing disease or injury in joints, which are non-invasive and safe, while providing information that cannot be easily obtained by other means. This scanner is also much cheaper, very compact and easier to install than those normally found in hospitals.

In the proposed project we aim to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach and to provide the evidence needed to facilitate further medical research. We will upgrade the existing prototype MRI in our laboratory with professional electronics and software so that it is suitable for clinical use. Various detailed improvements in the scanner hardware and image processing software will be carried out. Imaging studies will involve the use of phantoms, representative animal tissue samples available in our laboratories, as well as healthy volunteers. The MRI images will be analysed in collaboration with medical specialists in order to establish how best to use the new MRI capabilities and demonstrate its clinical value."