Motion Generation in MR Environment Using Electrostatic Film Motor for Motion-Triggered Cine-MRI

This paper proposes a new methodology of biomechanical modeling for visualizing tissue deformation, combining an electrostatic film motor and tagged cine-MR imaging. The electrostatic film motor has a simple structure, is easily controlled by open loop, and its MR-compatibility has recently been verified. Tagged cine-MRI is an established process for measuring deformation of active objects. The newly proposed methodology enables the application of cine-MR imaging to passive objects. The electrostatic motor is used to create deformation on passive soft samples inside an MR scanner, the internal deformation of which is visualized by tagged cine-MR imaging. The force applied on the samples is measured by a force sensor fabricated on shielded strain gauges. The impact of the developed system on the MR imaging is verified through SNR evaluation. Then, the proposed methodology is applied to visualizing deformations of a gel sample and a human upper arm to verify the applicability of this methodology in biomechanical measurements.