Facilities and Equipment

The Radiological Research Laboratory occupies more than 17,000 square feet spread over three floors of the Snyder Translational Research Building in Fontaine Research Park at the University of Virginia. Additional research space and equipment is located at the main Health System campus, including a third whole-body MRI scanner, sited immediately adjacent to University Hospital.

MRI Scanners

UVA Main Hospital

There are 3 MR Scanners in the UVA Main Hospital (1.5T Aera, 3T Skyra, 3T Prisma) as described below. 20 hours per week during regular hours are dedicated to research (across the 3 scanners).

3T Siemens MAGNETOM Prisma. Features include: an actively-shielded 60cm bore, TIM [204×64] digital RF system with 64 high-speed receivers, XR Gradients (Maximum Gradient Strength 80mT/m, Maximum Slew Rate 200 T/m/s), multi-RF-coil body arrays, wireless physiological monitoring and gating system (ECG, respiratory, and pulse), advanced cardiac imaging package, cardiac DOT engine, MYOMAPS, and IDEA pulse sequence development environment.

3T Siemens MAGNETOM Skyra. Features include: an actively-shielded 70cm bore, TIM [204×64] digital RF system with 64 high-speed receivers, XQ Gradients (Maximum Gradient Strength 45mT/m, Maximum Slew Rate 200 T/m/s), multi-RF-coil body arrays, wireless physiological monitoring and gating system (ECG, respiratory, and pulse), advanced cardiac imaging package, cardiac DOT engine, MYOMAPS and IDEA pulse sequence development environment.

1.5T Siemens MAGNETOM Aera. Features include: an actively-shielded 70cm bore, TIM [204×64] digital RF system with 64 high-speed receivers, XQ Gradients (Maximum Gradient Strength 45mT/m, Maximum Slew Rate 200 T/m/s), multi-RF-coil body arrays, wireless physiological monitoring and gating system (ECG, respiratory, and pulse), advanced cardiac imaging package, cardiac DOT engine, MYOMAPS, and IDEA pulse sequence development environment.

A physiological monitoring and gating system (In Vivo Medical Systems, Orlando, FL) with ECG, blood pressure and pulse oximetry is available in the MR suite and a Spectris (Medrad, Indianola PA) contrast power injector is available for use.

Radiological Research Laboratory at Fontaine Research Park

Additional research scanners are available in the Snyder Building (480) that houses Radiology Research Division at Fontaine Research Park, 2 miles from the UVA Main Hospital, fully committed to clinical research.

1.5T Siemens Avanto (with DOT upgrade). Features include: an actively-shielded 60-cm bore, Tim [76 x 32] digital RF system with 32 high-speed receivers. SQ Gradients (Maximum Gradient Strength 45mT/m, Maximum Slew Rate 200 T/m/s), multi-RF-coil body arrays, wireless physiological monitoring and gating system (ECG, respiratory, and pulse), advanced cardiac imaging package, and IDEA pulse sequence development environment. An Invivo 32 channel body array coil is available.

Siemens Biograph mCT (PETCT). Features include: 0.3 s rotation time Biograph mCT•X (0.33 s Biograph mCT•S), Biograph mCT•S: 20-, 40-, 64-slice, Biograph mCT•X: 128-slice, 78 cm open bore, Multislice UFC ™ (Ultra Fast Ceramic) detector, 100 kW generator Biograph mCT•X (80 kW Biograph mCT•S), Adaptive dose shield, Multi-LSO-detector ring system, OptisoHD detection system, 16.4 cm axial field-of-view (FoV), 22.1 cm axial FoV with TrueV, 3D acquisition mode.

Hologic Horizon DXA System. Features include: OnePass™ Acquisition Technique; Multi-Detector Array Scanning Method, High-resolution multi-element detector array with gadolinium
sulfoxylate GADOX scintillator technology, 64 to 216 detectors (model dependent), New High Frequency X-ray Generator, X-ray System Switched-pulse dual-energy (100 kVp/140 kVp), Indexing Scan Table with Positioning Accessories, Dynamic Internal Reference System for Continuous Calibration, QDR™ Anthropomorphic Spine Phantom.
Located at Memorial Gym, 210 Emmett St. S, Charlottesville

Facilities and Other Equipment

A 230 sq. ft. patient examination room for consent and preparation of study participants, located next to the MRI suites. Major equipment includes a handheld Koko spirometer (PDS Ferraris, Louisville, CO), a 12-lead ECG system (HP Pagewriter XLi, Hewlett Packard Co., Palo Alto, CA), and an MR compatible system for monitoring heart rate and oxygen saturation level (model 3150 MRI Patient Monitor, Invivo Research Inc., Orlando, FL).

Hyperpolarized-gas production laboratory. Major equipment includes a¹²⁹Xe/³He gas polarization system (Model IGI.9600.Xe/He; Magnetic Imaging Technologies Inc., Durham, NC), which can routinely deliver 1 liter of ³He polarized to ~40% in 18 hours, or 0.5 liter of ¹²⁹Xe polarized to 10% in approximately 1 hour, and a ³He gas polarization system using hybrid alkali spin-exchange optical pumping to deliver 3 liters of ³He polarized to 50-60% in 12 hours.

RF Coils for Hyperpolarized-Gas Imaging. Two flexible chest ³He coils for 1.5T (1 coil suitable for small and medium-sized adults from IGC-Medical Advances, Milwaukee, WI, and 1 coil suitable for medium to large-sized adults from Clinical MR Solutions, Brookfield, WI); a rigid chest ³He coil for 1.5T (Rapid Biomedical GmbH, Würzburg, Germany); a 24-channel chest ³He coil for 1.5T (Medical Engineering & Technology Co., New York, NY); a 5-inch surface coil for ¹²⁹Xe at 1.5T (Clinical MR Solutions, Brookfield, WI); two flexible chest ¹²⁹Xe coils for 1.5T (Clinical MR Solutions, Brookfield, WI); a flexible chest ¹²⁹Xe coil for 3T (Clinical MR Solutions, Brookfield, WI); a 5-inch surface coil for ¹²⁹Xe at 3T (Clinical MR Solutions, Brookfield, WI); and a variety of custom-built birdcage coils for animal studies of ³He and ¹²⁹Xe at 1.5T and 3T.