To request an academic license to download and use this software, please click on "Express Licensing", create an account/log in if you do not have an account/are not logged in, then return to this page, and click Express Licensing again. For a commercial license, please contact techventures@columbia.edu.
Current methods for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) are limited methodologically by imperfections in the magnetic field (B0), which can lead to signal distortion and dropout. Homogenization of B0 conditions through a process called shimming is essential for MRI and MRS analyses. While the FASTMAP shimming technique has been shown to be time-efficient and well-suited for first and second order spherical harmonic B0 shimming, it is difficult to implement and has not been made available for most commercial MRI systems. This technology is a suite of software tools that provides user-friendly and high-accuracy experimental optimization of B0 homogeneity using the FASTMAP technique. FAMASITO includes three integrated components, including a FASTMAP sequence to derive B0 field information, software tools and algorithms for experimental application, file handling, automated shim calibration, and adjustment of shim coil currents, as well as a stand-alone graphical user interface for detailed analysis, optimization and performance visualization. This technique offers major improvements compared to the original FASTMAP technique, including automated experimental and processing routines for shim calibration, multi-receiver radiofrequency capability, and improved B0 mapping. With these improvements, fewer iterations are needed to derive the optimal shim settings, resulting in substantially reduced time spent on shim adjustments. This technology has been implemented as a dedicated software package for MRI scanners from General Electric (GE) and can be adapted for systems from other vendors as well. This software is designed to provide efficient B0 shimming in a user-friendly manner, and can help to establish an industry standard for B0 shimming practices in academic and clinical settings.
