We are requesting the Siemens MAGNETOM 7T PTx upgrade for our Siemens 7T MRI scanner. The upgrade will be integrated into our existing Siemens 7T MRI scanner at the SFVAMC. There are no optional components and all components must be used simultaneously in normal operation of the system. The following software / hardware components are provided through this upgrade: ? 8 channel parallel transmit functionality (version step 2.3) ? Additional electronic cabinet with 8 independent real-time sequence controllers ? 32 channel receive, 8 channel transmit PTx coil ? Licenses for Master computer ? Licenses for Slave computer ? Z420 Master computer ? Z420 Slave computer Parallel transmit array (PTx) functionality with 8 transmit channels for the Siemens 7T MRI scanner will be provided with the latest software and hardware released version at the point of delivery. Siemens will provide the hardware, software, installation, and integration. The PTx upgrade is an interface to the included Siemens product 32-channel receive, 8-channel transmit coil, which allows separate RF excitation pulses to be applied to up to 8 transmit coil elements. On each channel, RF amplitudes, phases, frequencies, and pulse shapes can be independently applied. This allows for dramatic improvement in B1-transmit spatial homogeneity compared to the original 1-channel transmit system and enables high quality, large field-of-view brain and body scans. The PTx upgrade also allows for Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) reductions by as much as ~50%, allowing for an additional factor of two acceleration in imaging speed (Homann et al MRM 2011; Wu et al ISMRM 2017). With the next generation Siemens 7T Terra system expected to be released soon with FDA approval for clinical use, upgrading our 7T system to match the 8-channel parallel transmit capability of future Terra systems is necessary for the VA to remain at the forefront of research. The 7T PTx upgrade will facilitate the pioneering of new clinical applications for veteran health across the spectrum, including but not limited to: traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), chronic pain, schizophrenia, addiction, depression, and even cardiovascular disease. We are requesting this 8 channel PTx capability as an upgrade to our 7T system to make it the only 7T MRI system with PTx capability in all of northern California. Critically, not only would this PTx upgrade improve our whole brain neuroimaging capabilities, e.g. lower specific absorption rate (SAR) and improved homogeneity of quality throughout, but it would also expand our system's capability beyond neuroimaging and enable cutting-edge ultra-high field body, cardiac, and musculoskeletal research. Funding this proposal would greatly augment the leading VA research facility for ultra-high field MRI and help keep the VA at the cutting edge of imaging technology development and clinical applications, thereby helping veterans afflicted with disease for which diagnostic tools are not yet adequate or available.
The ability to acquire higher quality, higher resolution, whole brain and body images using 7T MRI with PTx will improve Veteran health by providing researchers and clinicians the tools to better understand disease pathology while also enabling them to provide veterans with earlier, more detailed, more accurate diagnoses and treatment plans. The proposed 7T PTx upgrade will facilitate developments across the spectrum, including but not limited to: traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), chronic pain, schizophrenia, addiction, depression, and even cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the 7T PTx upgrade will greatly augment the research at the SFVAMC as a catalyst for interdepartmental and inter-institutional collaborations. This will help keep the VA at the cutting edge of imaging technology development and clinical applications, thereby helping veterans afflicted with disease for which diagnostic tools are not yet adequate or available.
