MR Dementia Brain WO Neuro Protocol

Last updated: 4/15/22
Charge as: Brain WO
Scanner preference: 3T only
Coil: Head

VIP Notes for MRI Tech

Exam data must include:  Age/DOB, Exam Date, Gender, and ID

  • Landmark at nasion/glabella (±50mm), you must re-landmark in the brain if another body part is scanned first.
  • Keep the 3D box as straight as possible.
  • No patients with shunts or major artifact-causing items.
  • Braces are usually okay, if there is not a great deal of motion, keep head tightly padded.
  • Kyphosis prop up hips not head coil.
  • Keep patient at Isocenter For patients with small heads and long necks or large heads:
    • Keep FOV box positioned higher than normal but not beyond ±50mm from glabella
    • May need to reduce/enlarge the FOV for the individual (not beyond 24 - 25.6)
    • FOV must include all of scalp, nose and chin.

Required Scan Parameters - NeuroQuant System-specific Parameter Details 
Following parameters remain consistent:

1. Plane – sagittal
2. Mode – 3D
3. T1 weighted - Always
4. Matrix – 192 x 192
5. NEX / NSA – 1
6. Slice thickness – 1.2 mm
7. Spacing – 1.2 mm
8. Number of slices – 160 - 170
9. FOV 24 – 25.6

NOTE: Some NeuroQuant parameters vary depending on scanner manufacturer & field strength

Sending Neuroquant Images Workflow:  

  • Do not reformat or do any post-processing to the NeuroQuant Series.
    Why this is important: This will cause errors in the DICOM tags that can cause NeuroQuant to reject the Images.

  • As soon as you acquire the NQ series, you should send it to the appropriate node.
    Why this is important: This allows processing time while the study is completed. NQ processing takes about 15-30 minutes, so if you send as soon as the sequence is acquired, you should be able to look in PACS and see the reports and make sure they processed correctly.

Nodes:  

  • Multiple Sclerosis: Send to NQ_MS.
    Generates 1 report: Multistructure Atrophy

  • Epilepsy: Send to NQ_EPILEPSY. 
    Generates 3 reports: Age-Related Atrophy, Multistructure Atrophy, and Triage Brain Atrophy

  • Dementia: Send to NQ_DEMENTIA. 
    Generates 3 reports: Hippocampal Asymmetry, Multistructure Atrophy, and Triage Brain Atrophy

Sending Neuroquant Images

Step 1. No Post Processing or Reformatting
Do not reformat or do any post-processing to the NeuroQuant Series. This will cause errors in the DICOM tags that can cause NeuroQuant to reject the Images.

Step 2. Send Images Immediately to the Appropriate Node
As soon as you acquire the NQ series, send it to the appropriate node. This allows processing time while the study is completed. NQ processing takes about 15-30 minutes

  • Multiple Sclerosis: Send to NQ_MS.
  • Epilepsy: Send to NQ_EPILEPSY
  • Dementia: Send to NQ_DEMENTIA

Step 3. Check to make sure the correct report(s) are generated in PACS. If there are errors, email Joe and Wayne.

  • NQ_MS. Generates 1 report: Multistructure Atrophy
  • NQ_EPILEPSY. Generates 3 reports: Age-Related Atrophy, Multistructure Atrophy, and Triage Brain Atrophy 
  • NQ_DEMENTIA. Generates 3 reports: Hippocampal Asymmetry, Multistructure Atrophy, and Triage Brain Atrophy
Plane Weighting Mode Slice (mm) Gap (mm) FAT SAT FOV (cm) MPR Notes
SAG T1 3D TFE 1.2 (160-170 slices) 0 no 24-25.6 no Send to NQ_Dementia. See specific NeuroQuant 3D T1 scan parameters above.
SAG T2 FLAIR 3D IR-TSE 1 0 YES 23 AXIAL, COR Angle to interhemispheric fissure. Cover ears and nose. Spacing and gap are variable.
AXIAL T2 3D TSE 1 0 no 23 no Angle to corpus. Cover at least 1cm above vertex through skull base. Cover entire nose.
AXIAL DWI EPI 3 0.3 YES 23 no Angle to corpus. Cover Skull Base to Vertex. Send only B1000 & ADC.
AXIAL SWI 3D GRE 2 -1 no 23 no Angle to corpus. Cover skull base to vertex. Ok to add slices.