Browsing by Subject "Tomography"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10

Open Access
Algebraic reconstraction for 3D magnetic resonance-electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) using one component of magnetic flux density
(Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine, 2004) Ider, Y. Z.; Onart, S.
Magnetic resonance-electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) algorithms fall into two categories: those utilizing internal current density and those utilizing only one component of measured magnetic flux density. The latter group of algorithms have the advantage that the object does not have to be rotated in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. A new algorithm which uses only one component of measured magnetic flux density is developed. In this method, the imaging problem is formulated as the solution of a non-linear matrix equation which is solved iteratively to reconstruct resistivity. Numerical simulations are performed to test the algorithm both for noise-free and noisy cases. The uniqueness of the solution is monitored by looking at the singular value behavior of the matrix and it is shown that at least two current injection profiles are necessary. The method is also modified to handle region-of-interest reconstructions. In particular it is shown that, if the image of a certain xy-slice is sought for, then it suffices to measure the z-component of magnetic flux density up to a distance above and below that slice. The method is robust and has good convergence behavior for the simulation phantoms used.
Open Access
Algorithms and basis functions in tomographic reconstruction of ionospheric electron density
(IEEE, 2005) Yavuz, E.; Arıkan, F.; Arıkan, Orhan; Erol, C. B.
Computerized ionospheric tomography (CIT) is a method to investigate ionosphere electron density in two or three dimensions. This method provides a flexible tool for studying ionosphere. Earth based receivers record signals transmitted from the GPS satellites and the computed pseudorange and phase values are used to calculate Total Electron Content (TEC). Computed TEC data and the tomographic reconstruction algorithms are used together to obtain tomographic images of electron density. In this study, a set of basis functions and reconstruction algorithms are used to investigate best fitting two dimensional tomographic images of ionosphere electron density in height and latitude for one satellite and one receiver pair. Results are compared to IRI-95 ionosphere model and both receiver and model errors are neglected.
Open Access
Computerized ionospheric tomography with the IRI model
(Elsevier BV, 2007) Arıkan, Orhan; Arikan F.; Erol, C. B.
Computerized ionospheric tomography (CIT) is a method to estimate ionospheric electron density distribution by using the global positioning system (GPS) signals recorded by the GPS receivers. Ionospheric electron density is a function of latitude, longitude, height and time. A general approach in CIT is to represent the ionosphere as a linear combination of basis functions. In this study, the model of the ionosphere is obtained from the IRI in latitude and height only. The goal is to determine the best representing basis function from the set of Squeezed Legendre polynomials, truncated Legendre polynomials, Haar Wavelets and singular value decomposition (SVD). The reconstruction algorithms used in this study can be listed as total least squares (TLS), regularized least squares, algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) and a hybrid algorithm where the reconstruction from the TLS algorithm is used as the initial estimate for the ART. The error performance of the reconstruction algorithms are compared with respect to the electron density generated by the IRI-2001 model. In the investigated scenario, the measurements are obtained from the IRI-2001 as the line integral of the electron density profiles, imitating the total electron content estimated from GPS measurements. It has been observed that the minimum error between the reconstructed and model ionospheres depends on both the reconstruction algorithm and the basis functions where the best results have been obtained for the basis functions from the model itself through SVD.
Open Access
Convection-reaction equation based magnetic resonance electrical properties tomography (cr-MREPT)
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2014) Hafalir, F. S.; Oran, O. F.; Gurler, N.; Ider, Y. Z.
Images of electrical conductivity and permittivity of tissues may be used for diagnostic purposes as well as for estimating local specific absorption rate distributions. Magnetic resonance electrical properties tomography (MREPT) aims at noninvasively obtaining conductivity and permittivity images at radio-frequency frequencies of magnetic resonance imaging systems. MREPT algorithms are based on measuring the B1 field which is perturbed by the electrical properties of the imaged object. In this study, the relation between the electrical properties and the measured B1 field is formulated for the first time as a well-known convection-reaction equation. The suggested novel algorithm, called 'cr-MREPT,' is based on the solution of this equation on a triangular mesh, and in contrast to previously proposed algorithms, it is applicable in practice not only for regions where electrical properties are relatively constant but also for regions where they vary. The convective field of the convection-reaction equation depends on the spatial derivatives of the B1 field, and in the regions where its magnitude is low, a spot-like artifact is observed in the reconstructed electrical properties images. For eliminating this artifact, two different methods are developed, namely 'constrained cr-MREPT' and 'double-excitation cr-MREPT.' Successful reconstructions are obtained using noisy and noise-free simulated data, and experimental data from phantoms.
Open Access
Current constrained voltage scaled reconstruction (CCVSR) algorithm for MR-EIT and its performance with different probing current patterns
(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2003) Birgül, Ö.; Eyüboğlu, B. M.; İder, Y. Z.
Conventional injected-current electrical impedance tomography (EIT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques can be combined to reconstruct high resolution true conductivity images. The magnetic flux density distribution generated by the internal current density distribution is extracted from MR phase images. This information is used to form a fine detailed conductivity image using an Ohm's law based update equation. The reconstructed conductivity image is assumed to differ from the true image by a scale factor. EIT surface potential measurements are then used to scale the reconstructed image in order to find the true conductivity values. This process is iterated until a stopping criterion is met. Several simulations are carried out for opposite and cosine current injection patterns to select the best current injection pattern for a 2D thorax model. The contrast resolution and accuracy of the proposed algorithm are also studied. In all simulation studies, realistic noise models for voltage and magnetic flux density measurements are used. It is shown that, in contrast to the conventional EIT techniques, the proposed method has the capability of reconstructing conductivity images with uniform and high spatial resolution. The spatial resolution is limited by the larger element size of the finite element mesh and twice the magnetic resonance image pixel size.
Open Access
Experimental results for 2D magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MR-EIT) using magnetic flux density in one direction
(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2003) Birgül, Ö.; Eyüboğlu, B. M.; İder, Y. Z.
Magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MR-EIT) is an emerging imaging technique that reconstructs conductivity images using magnetic flux density measurements acquired employing MRI together with conventional EIT measurements. In this study, experimental MR-EIT images from phantoms with conducting and insulator objects are presented. The technique is implemented using the 0.15 T Middle East Technical University MRI system. The dc current method used in magnetic resonance current density imaging is adopted. A reconstruction algorithm based on the sensitivity matrix relation between conductivity and only one component of magnetic flux distribution is used. Therefore, the requirement for object rotation is eliminated. Once the relative conductivity distribution is found, it is scaled using the peripheral voltage measurements to obtain the absolute conductivity distribution. Images of several insulator and conductor objects in saline filled phantoms are reconstructed. The L2 norm of relative error in conductivity values is found to be 13%, 17% and 14% for three different conductivity distributions.
Open Access
Magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) based on the solution of the convection equation using FEM with stabilization
(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2012-07-27) Oran, O. F.; Ider, Y. Z.
Most algorithms for magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) concentrate on reconstructing the internal conductivity distribution of a conductive object from the Laplacian of only one component of the magnetic flux density (∇ 2B z) generated by the internal current distribution. In this study, a new algorithm is proposed to solve this ∇ 2B z-based MREIT problem which is mathematically formulated as the steady-state scalar pure convection equation. Numerical methods developed for the solution of the more general convectiondiffusion equation are utilized. It is known that the solution of the pure convection equation is numerically unstable if sharp variations of the field variable (in this case conductivity) exist or if there are inconsistent boundary conditions. Various stabilization techniques, based on introducing artificial diffusion, are developed to handle such cases and in this study the streamline upwind Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) stabilization method is incorporated into the Galerkin weighted residual finite element method (FEM) to numerically solve the MREIT problem. The proposed algorithm is tested with simulated and also experimental data from phantoms. Successful conductivity reconstructions are obtained by solving the related convection equation using the Galerkin weighted residual FEM when there are no sharp variations in the actual conductivity distribution. However, when there is noise in the magnetic flux density data or when there are sharp variations in conductivity, it is found that SUPG stabilization is beneficial.
Open Access
MaterialVis: material visualization tool using direct volume and surface rendering techniques
(Elsevier Inc., 2014) Okuyan, E.; Güdükbay, Uğur; Bulutay, C.; Heinig, Karl-Heinz
Visualization of the materials is an indispensable part of their structural analysis. We developed a visualization tool for amorphous as well as crystalline structures, called MaterialVis. Unlike the existing tools, MaterialVis represents material structures as a volume and a surface manifold, in addition to plain atomic coordinates. Both amorphous and crystalline structures exhibit topological features as well as various defects. MaterialVis provides a wide range of functionality to visualize such topological structures and crystal defects interactively. Direct volume rendering techniques are used to visualize the volumetric features of materials, such as crystal defects, which are responsible for the distinct fingerprints of a specific sample. In addition, the tool provides surface visualization to extract hidden topological features within the material. Together with the rich set of parameters and options to control the visualization, MaterialVis allows users to visualize various aspects of materials very efficiently as generated by modern analytical techniques such as the Atom Probe Tomography.
Open Access
Regional model-based computerized ionospheric tomography using GPS measurements: IONOLAB-CIT
(Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc., 2015) Tuna, H.; Arıkan, Orhan; Arikan, F.
Three-dimensional imaging of the electron density distribution in the ionosphere is a crucial task for investigating the ionospheric effects. Dual-frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite signals can be used to estimate the slant total electron content (STEC) along the propagation path between a GPS satellite and ground-based receiver station. However, the estimated GPS-STEC is very sparse and highly nonuniformly distributed for obtaining reliable 3-D electron density distributions derived from the measurements alone. Standard tomographic reconstruction techniques are not accurate or reliable enough to represent the full complexity of variable ionosphere. On the other hand, model-based electron density distributions are produced according to the general trends of ionosphere, and these distributions do not agree with measurements, especially for geomagnetically active hours. In this study, a regional 3-D electron density distribution reconstruction method, namely, IONOLAB-CIT, is proposed to assimilate GPS-STEC into physical ionospheric models. The proposed method is based on an iterative optimization framework that tracks the deviations from the ionospheric model in terms of F2 layer critical frequency and maximum ionization height resulting from the comparison of International Reference Ionosphere extended to Plasmasphere (IRI-Plas) model-generated STEC and GPS-STEC. The suggested tomography algorithm is applied successfully for the reconstruction of electron density profiles over Turkey, during quiet and disturbed hours of ionosphere using Turkish National Permanent GPS Network.
Open Access
Tomographic field free line magnetic particle imaging with an open-sided scanner configuration
(IEEE, 2020) Top, C. B.; Güngör, Alper
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have a high potential for use in clinical diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In vivo distribution of SPIONs can be imaged with the Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) method, which uses an inhomogeneous magnetic field with a field free region (FFR). The spatial distribution of the SPIONs are obtained by scanning the FFR inside the field of view (FOV) and sensing SPION related magnetic field disturbance. MPI magnets can be configured to generate a field free point (FFP), or a field free line (FFL) to scan the FOV. FFL scanners provide more sensitivity, and are also more suitable for scanning large regions compared to FFP scanners. Interventional procedures will benefit greatlyfrom FFL based open magnet configurations. Here, we present the first open-sided MPI system that can electronically scan the FOV with an FFL to generate tomographic MPI images. Magnetic field measurements show that FFL can be rotated electronically in the horizontal plane and translated in three dimensions to generate 3D MPI images. Using the developed scanner, we obtained 2D images of dot and cylinder phantoms with varying iron concentrations between 11 μg/ml and 770 μg/ml. We used a measurement based system matrix image reconstruction method that minimizes 11-norm and total variation in the images. Furthermore, we present 2D imaging results of two 4 mm-diameter vessel phantoms with 0% and 75% stenosis. The experiments show high quality imaging results with a resolution down to 2.5 mm for a relatively low gradient field of 0.6 T/m.