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Recruiting NCT07305948

Evaluation of a New MRI Technique to Reduce Breathing-Related Artifacts in Brain Imaging

— Observational Brain Diseases

For patients and families

In plain language

An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.

What is being studied
The protocol lists: Dual Free Induction Decay (FID) Navigator Off-Resonance Corrected (DORK) 3D Susceptibility Weighted (SWI) Echo Planar Imaging (EPI).
Who it may be relevant to
Registry conditions: Brain Diseases. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
What needs checking
Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
Where it takes place
Sweden
Next step
Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →

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Official title

Prospective Evaluation of a Free Induction Decay (FID) Navigator-Based Off-Resonance Correction Method (DORK) for Improving High-Resolution 3D Echo Planar (EPI) Susceptibility-Weighted (SWI) Brain MRI

Overview

This study aims to improve the quality of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans by testing a new imaging method that reduces distortions caused by breathing. During respiration, small movements of the chest and diaphragm can lead to subtle changes in the magnetic field within the head. These changes can introduce artifacts in certain MRI techniques, particularly susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), which is used to visualize veins, small hemorrhages, and iron deposits. The investigated method measures breathing-related magnetic field variations during MRI acquisition using two very short navigator signals, referred to as free induction decay (FID) navigators. These signals are used to perform dynamic off-resonance correction during image reconstruction, reducing image blurring and distortion. The method does not increase scan time and does not affect standard clinical imaging. In this study, patients scheduled for routine clinical brain MRI are asked to provide informed consent for use of their raw MRI data for research purposes. For each participant, two sets of SWI images are generated from the same acquisition: one using standard reconstruction and one using the free induction decay navigator-based dynamic off-resonance correction method (FID-DORK). The objective is to assess whether the corrected images provide improved image quality and diagnostic reliability. The study includes adult patients undergoing routine clinical MRI at Karolinska University Hospital. Image quality is evaluated using both visual assessment by neuroradiologists and quantitative measures of image variation. No additional imaging procedures, contrast agents, or scan time are required. All research data are pseudonymized prior to analysis. The hypothesis is that the dual free induction decay navigator-based correction method (FID-DORK) improves the diagnostic quality of high-resolution three-dimensional echo-planar imaging susceptibility-weighted imaging brain MRI by reducing breathing-related artifacts.

Interventions

  • Diagnostic test Dual Free Induction Decay (FID) Navigator Off-Resonance Corrected (DORK) 3D Susceptibility Weighted (SWI) Echo Planar Imaging (EPI)
    This intervention consists of a modified magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition and reconstruction method used during routine clinical brain imaging. The method adds two very short free-induction-decay (FID) navigator signals to each repetition of a high-resolution 3D echo planar imaging (EPI) susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) sequence. These navigator signals measure breathing-related magnetic field changes, which are then used to perform dynamic off-resonance correction (DORK) during

Primary outcome measures

  • Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging Image Quality With and Without Free Induction Decay Navigator-Based Dynamic Off-Resonance Correction (FID-DORK) [Time frame: Periprocedural (during the clinical brain MRI examination)]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

  • Adult patients (18 years or older)
  • Undergoing a routine clinical brain MRI at Karolinska University Hospital
  • Able to understand the study information and provide written informed consent
  • Sequence parameters and scan protocol compatible with the research acquisition (3D-EPI SWI)

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients unable to give informed consent
  • Standard contraindications to MRI (e.g., non-MRI safe implants, severe claustrophobia)
  • Clinical conditions requiring urgent imaging where research consent is not feasible
  • Significant motion or incomplete scans preventing creation of research images (rare)

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Observational model
Cohort

Study locations

Sweden · 1 center
  • Karolinska University Hospital — Stockholm

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07305948 · K2025-9116

Primary sources (government registries)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗