Advanced design and experimental validation of MRI contrast agents for fluid pressure mapping using microbubbles

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Morris, R.H. ORCID: 0000-0001-5511-3457, 2009. Advanced design and experimental validation of MRI contrast agents for fluid pressure mapping using microbubbles. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

This work is related to monitoring fluid pressure using Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI and includes numerical simulations and experimental MRI. The nature of this study is such that techniques other than MRI have been extensively used to assess the contrast agent for its physical behaviour. These techniques include rheometry, light scattering, optical and scanning electron microscopy. Six MRI experiments in total were performed: The first two experiments use standard spin echo imaging techniques to test various lipid preparations which are then used as a contrast agent to pressure in a porous medium. The remaining experiments are performed using a fast imaging technique and investigate various improvements to the contrast agent which resulted in the development of an agent exhibiting an unprecedented level of sensitivity. A variety of lipid preparations are utilised throughout the experiments. Initial testing reveals that the DSPC lipid offers the greatest stability, although a fluorinated lipid is used in a later study for an improved synergy between the shell and gas microbubble components. Having assessed the microbubble stability, preparations are prepared as in the work previously published in the area. This preparation is tested in two porous media to investigate the sensitivity of the contrast agent to changes in pressure. A sensitivity of 20% signal change per bar is found in porous media although a drift of 11%h-1 is also observed. An improved preparation was then developed by using an alternative polysaccharide gel, gellan gum.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Morris, R.H.
Date:	2009
Rights:	This work is the intellectual property of the author, and may also be owned by the research sponsor(s) and/ or Nottingham Trent University. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed in the first instance to the author.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 09:36
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2017 13:07
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/330