Time-Dependent OGSE Diffusion MRI with MAGNUS Ultra-High-Performance Gradient Coil for Microstructure Imaging in Glioma Brain Tumor Patients

The MAGNUS ultra-high-performance gradient coil delivers simultaneous 200 mT/m and 500 T/m/s performance on each axis, with higher peripheral nerve stimulation thresholds than whole-body gradient coils, which is particularly useful for diffusion MRI-based microstructure imaging. We used MAGNUS-enabled OGSE to assess shorter diffusion times and length scales <10 µm in four brain tumor patients with gliomas. We measured differences in time-dependent diffusivity between high-grade glioma and low-grade glioma, as well as between recurrent glioblastoma and treatment effects. The malignant lesions demonstrated greater time-dependence of diffusivity. Further investigation with additional subjects and histopathologic correlation may lead to future clinical applications.