BIOENGINEERING
Tamer S. Ibrahim, PhD
1038 BioScience Tower 3 | 3501 Fifth Avenue | Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Associate Professor and Director, RF Research Facility Department of Radiology School of Medicine
P: 412-383-6946 C: 412-865-7719 tibrahim@pitt.edu
Ultrahigh Field Neuro and Extremity MRI at the Highest Resolutions Ultrahigh (≥ 7) Tesla (T) field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been growing at considerable rate over the last decade. More than 60 7T and higher human scanners are currently or expected to be operational. Images obtained using 7T MRI systems have shown tremendous research potential including the ability to visualize microvasculatures at super high resolutions. Using Pitt’s state of the art 7T human MRI system which equipped with parallel transmit system, Dr Ibrahim’s RF Research Facility has recently developed an RF coil system that consists of 20-Ch transmit array with 32-Ch receive insert 7T Neuro Studies (see above) The coil system addresses electromagnetic inhomogeneity and heating issues associated with 7T MRI. The coil system is subject-insensitive and does not require tuning or matching for different patients.
The coil system is capable of producing 0.2mmx0.2mmx1.5mm as well as isotropic (0.45mm)3 in-vivo human images in a reasonable scan time with excellent contrast and SNR. Due to its design, the coil system operates one specific 3D shimmed homogenous mode without the need to adjust for different patients. In addition, we also performs wide variety of very high resolution 7T extremity imaging
using custom-made RF Coil systems designed and constructed in our lab. The 3D field homogeneity of RF coil system in human brain/cerebellum represents one of the most homogenous performances for 7T imaging and is currently being utilized in studies and patients population such as Alzheimer’s, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Dementia, Sickle Cell, Schizophrenia and arm-transplanted patients.
Electromagnetic Interactions with Biological tissues Using in-house developed proprietary electromagnetic simulation software, the RF Research Facility studies the interaction of electromagnetic fields and biological tissues in many applications including brain machine interface and MRI. Anatomically Detailed Electromagnetic Human Head Model & 3D-printed and compartmented equivalent prototype
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DEPARTMENT OF BIOENGINEERING