PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New MRI technique illuminates the wrist in motion

2014-01-02
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Karen Finney
karen.finney@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
916-734-9064
University of California - Davis Health System
New MRI technique illuminates the wrist in motion (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — If a picture is worth 1,000 words then a movie is worth far more, especially when it comes to diagnosing wrist problems.

UC Davis radiologists, medical physicists and orthopaedic surgeons have found a way to create "movies" of the wrist in motion using a series of brief magnetic resonance imaging scans. Called "Active MRI," the technique could be useful in diagnosing subtle changes in physiology that indicate the onset of conditions such as wrist instability.

The outcome of the team's first test of the new technique is published online today in the journal PLoS ONE.

"These fast images are like a live-action movie," said Robert Boutin, professor of radiology at UC Davis and lead author of the study. "The movie can be slowed, stopped or even reversed as needed. Now patients can reproduce the motion that's bothering them while they're inside the scanner, and physicians can assess how the wrist is actually working. After all, some patients only have pain or other symptoms with movement."

Wrist instability, explained senior author Abhijit Chaudhari, occurs when carpal bones become misaligned and affect joint function, often as a result of trauma that injures the ligaments between wrist bones. It causes abnormal mobility and chronic pain that can lead to osteoarthritis, a major socio-economic burden to patients and health-care systems. Good outcomes in managing the condition are more likely with early diagnosis, when less-invasive treatments are possible.

Methods such as dynamic computed tomography and fluoroscopy can image the moving wrist, but these approaches involve radiation and do not show soft tissue such as ligaments — a major part of the wrist's intricate architecture — as well as MRI scans.

"MRI scans provide detailed anatomical information of wrist structures without using ionizing radiation, but they cannot help diagnose problems with bone or tendon position that are best seen when the wrist is moving," said Chaudhari, assistant professor of radiology at UC Davis. "Active-MRI provides a detailed and 'real time' view of the kinesiology of the wrist in action using a widely available and safe technology."

The researchers overcame a number of hurdles in adapting MRI capabilities to providing moving images. A complete MRI exam usually takes 30 to 45 minutes, with each image set requiring at least three minutes — not nearly fast enough to make a video. The team developed a new MRI protocol that takes one image every 0.5 seconds, delivering a series of images in a half minute.

Another barrier was the presence of imaging errors called banding artifacts. Movement of the bones in the wrist area can interfere with the scanner's magnetic field, creating signal drop-offs. The resulting dark bands can obscure the moving wrist. The team overcame this problem with dielectric pads, which stabilize the magnetic field and shift artifacts away from the area of interest and to the side, allowing doctors to clearly see the wrist bones.

For the current study, Active-MRI was tested on 15 wrists of 10 subjects with no symptoms of wrist problems. The participants' wrists were imaged as they performed motions such as clenching the fist, rotating the wrist and waving the hand side-to-side. Each exam lasted ten minutes.

"It's quite phenomenal that we can look inside the body while it's in action using MRI," said Boutin. "Routine MRI provides exquisite details, but only if the body is completely motionless in one particular position. But bodies are made to move. We think Active MRI will be a valuable tool in augmenting traditional, static MRI tests."

"Our next step is to validate the technology by using it on patients with symptoms of wrist instability," added Chaudhari. "We also want to use Active-MRI to study sex distinctions in musculoskeletal conditions, including why women tend to be more susceptible to hand osteoarthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome."

### Additional authors were Michael Buonocore, Igor Immerman, Zachary Ashwell, Gerald Sonico and Robert Szabo, all from UC Davis. Their study, titled "Real-time Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) During Active Wrist Motion – Initial Observations," is available at http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0084004.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Program and National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering), UC Davis Imaging Research Center and UC Davis Department of Radiology.

UC Davis Health System is improving lives and transforming health care by providing excellent patient care, conducting groundbreaking research, fostering innovative, interprofessional education and creating dynamic, productive community partnerships. The academic health system includes one of the country's best medical schools, a 619-bed acute-care teaching hospital, a 1,000-member physician's practice group and the new Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. It is home to a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, an international neurodevelopmental institute, a stem cell institute and a comprehensive children's hospital. Other nationally prominent centers focus on advancing telemedicine, improving vascular care, eliminating health disparities and translating research findings into new treatments for patients. Together, they make UC Davis a hub of innovation that is transforming health for all. For more information, visit healthsystem.ucdavis.edu.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Virginia Tech researchers find novice teen drivers easily fall into distraction, accidents

2014-01-02
Virginia Tech researchers find novice teen drivers easily fall into distraction, accidents Cell phones, other distractions pose greater threat to teen drivers Teens may begin their driving habits with great caution, but as months behind the wheel pass, they begin to multi-task ...

Novel noninvasive therapy prevents breast cancer formation in mice

2014-01-02
Novel noninvasive therapy prevents breast cancer formation in mice Injectable therapy could help people avoid mastectomy BOSTON – A novel breast-cancer therapy that partially reverses the cancerous state in cultured breast ...

Research into fruit fly cells could lead to cancer insights

2014-01-02
Research into fruit fly cells could lead to cancer insights New research by scientists at the University of Exeter has shown that cells demonstrate remarkable flexibility and versatility when it comes to how they divide - a finding with potential links ...

Alcohol, tobacco, drug use far higher in severely mentally ill

2014-01-02
Alcohol, tobacco, drug use far higher in severely mentally ill In the largest ever assessment of substance use among people with severe psychiatric illness, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Southern ...

Tripling tobacco taxes worldwide would avoid 200 million tobacco deaths

2014-01-02
Tripling tobacco taxes worldwide would avoid 200 million tobacco deaths Controlling tobacco marketing is also key to helping people quit smoking TORONTO, Jan. 2, 2014—Tripling taxes on cigarettes around the world would reduce the number of smokers by one-third ...

US global share of research spending declines

2014-01-02
US global share of research spending declines New analysis shows Asia gaining, due to increased support from both government, industry ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The United States' global share of biomedical research spending fell from 51 percent in 2007 ...

Drivers engaged in other tasks about 10 percent of the time

2014-01-02
Drivers engaged in other tasks about 10 percent of the time NIH, Virginia Tech study shows crash risks greatest for teens Drivers eat, reach for the phone, text, or otherwise take their eyes off the road about 10 percent of the time ...

High blood pressure potentially more dangerous for women than men

2014-01-02
High blood pressure potentially more dangerous for women than men WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Jan. 2, 2014 – Doctors may need to treat high blood pressure in women earlier and more aggressively than they do in men, according to scientists at Wake Forest ...

To grow or to defend: How plants decide

2014-01-01
To grow or to defend: How plants decide Crop breeding for semi-dwarfed plants could also improve disease resistance Scientists have discovered how plants use steroid hormones to choose growth over defence when their survival depends on it. The findings ...

Insight into likelihood of retinal detachment following open globe injury

2014-01-01
Insight into likelihood of retinal detachment following open globe injury Findings published in Jan. issue of Ophthalmology BOSTON (Jan. 1, 2014) – Ocular trauma causing open globe injury, or a breach in the wall of the eye, remains an important ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

[Press-News.org] New MRI technique illuminates the wrist in motion