The aim of this proposal is to improve the imaging capabilities of the 0.5 T GE Signa SP MRI scanner located at Stanford University by obtaining support for the purchase of a software and hardware upgrade including high speed gradient capabilities. The equipment will be shared by wine users. A total of nine NIH grants and one Whitaker Foundation grant will be significantly enhanced by the instrumentation purchase. The hardware technology that will greatly enhanced our imaging capabilities are scalable gradient drivers (SGDs). These amplifiers are able to drive closed bore system gradients to slew rates up to SR 150 and have become part of the standard Signa platform for new conventional closed bore systems.
Our aim i s to retrofit our open Signa SP interventional MRI system with these drivers. We also need the appropriate software and hardware upgrade to the Signa LX platform in order to use these drivers. Therefore, we seek to upgrade our system to both the high speed gradient capabilities and to LX. The proposed hardware and software upgrade to the Signa SP magnet at Stanford will benefit users of the system across the board. There will be marked improvements in image quality, especially signal-to-noise and temporal resolution. This upgrade will allow us to bring all applications into the real-time regime which is absolutely critical for interventional procedures.
