Program Information

MRI Visualization of a Metallic Fiducial Marker Used for Image Guided Prostate Radiotherapy

S Yee*, D Krauss , D Yan , William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI

Presentations

SU-E-J-144 Sunday 3:00PM - 6:00PM Room: Exhibit Hall

Purpose: Unlike on the daily CBCT used for the image-guided radiation therapy, the visualization of an implantable metallic fiducial marker on the planning MRI images has been a challenge due to the inherent insensitivity of metal in MRI, and very thin (~ 1 mm or less) diameter. Here, an MRI technique to visualize a marker used for prostate cancer radiotherapy is reported.

Methods: During the MRI acquisitions, a multi-shot turbo spin echo (TSE) technique (TR=3500 ms, TE=8.6 ms, ETL=17, recon voxel=0.42x0.42x3.5 mm3) was acquired in Philips 3T Ingenia together with a T2-weighted multi-shot TSE (TR=5381 ms, TE=110 ms, ETL=17, recon voxel=0.47x0.47x3 mm3) and a balanced turbo field echo (bTFE, flip angle 60, TR=2.76 ms, TE=1.3 ms, 0.85x0.85x3 mm3, NSA=4). In acquiring the MRI to visualize the fiducial marker, a particular emphasis was made to improve the spatial resolution and visibility in the generally dark, inhomogeneous prostate area by adjusting the slice profile ordering and TE values of TSE acquisition (in general, the lower value of TE in TSE acquisition generates a brighter signal but at the cost of high spatial resolution since the k-space, responsible for high spatial resolution, is filled with noisier data).

Results: While clearly visible in CT, the marker was not visible in either T2-weighted TSE or bTFE, although the image qualities of both images were superior. In the new TSE acquisition (~ a proton-density weighted image) adjusted by changing the profile ordering and the TE value, the marker was visible as a negative (but clear) contrast in the magnitude MRI, and as a positive contrast in the imaginary image of the phase-sensitive MRI.

Conclusion: A metallic fiducial marker used for image guidance before prostate cancer radiotherapy can be made visible in MRI, which may facilitate more use of MRI in planning and guiding such radiation therapy.

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