Method for magnetic resonance fingerprinting

• US 10,126,393 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Grodzki, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Arana, Louis
• Application Number:
  US14/809,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20160033604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 324307, 324309, 324312, 324314
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/448 Relaxometry, i.e. quantification of relaxation times or spin density G01R33/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4804 Spatially selective measurement of temperature or pH
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4814 MR combined with ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4828 Resolving the MR signals of different chemical species, e.g. water-fat imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/483 with selection of signals or spectra from particular regions of the volume, e.g. in vivo spectroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5608 Data processing and visualization specially adapted for MR, e.g. for feature analysis and pattern recognition on the basis of measured MR data, segmentation of measured MR data, edge contour detection on the basis of measured MR data, for enhancing measured MR data in terms of signal-to-noise ratio by means of noise filtering or apodization, for enhancing measured MR data in terms of resolution by means for deblurring, windowing, zero filling, or generation of gray-scaled images, colour-coded images or images displaying vectors instead of pixels image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56341 Diffusion imaging

Abstract

A method for magnetic resonance fingerprinting and to a magnetic resonance device is provided. The method for magnetic resonance fingerprinting includes the following method steps—detecting a magnetic resonance signal waveform of an examination area of an examination object by means of a magnetic resonance fingerprinting method, comparing the detected magnetic resonance signal waveform with a number of signal waveforms stored in a database, wherein a database value of at least one tissue parameter is assigned to each of the database signal waveforms, and determining a value of the at least one tissue parameter on the basis of the signal comparison, wherein an influence of a temperature of the examination object on the magnetic resonance signal waveform is taken into consideration in the further processing of the magnetic resonance signal waveform.

Claims

1. A method for magnetic resonance fingerprinting, comprising the following method steps:

detecting a magnetic resonance signal waveform of an examination area of an examination object by means of a magnetic resonance fingerprinting method;

comparing the detected magnetic resonance signal waveform with a number of signal waveforms stored in a database, wherein a database value of at least one tissue parameter is assigned to each of the database signal waveforms; and

determining a value of the at least one tissue parameter on a basis of the signal comparison,

wherein an influence of a temperature of the examination object on the magnetic resonance signal waveform is taken into consideration in the further processing of the magnetic resonance signal waveform;

wherein each of the database signal waveforms stored in the database is assigned a temperature range;

wherein a temperature of the examination object is measured and that the magnetic resonance signal waveform is compared to those database signal waveforms of the number of database signal waveforms in the temperature range of which the measured temperature of the examination object lies.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a temperature of the examination object is measured by means of a temperature measurement at a defined point in the examination object by means of a magnetic resonance fingerprinting method.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a temperature of the examination object is measured and that the determination of the value of the at least one tissue parameter includes:

determining a provisional value of the at least one tissue parameter on the basis of the signal comparison and adapting the provisional value of the at least one tissue parameter to the measured temperature of the examination object.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the adaptation of the provisional value of the at least one tissue parameter includes a back calculation of the provisional value of the at least one tissue parameter from an initial temperature to the measured temperature of the examination object.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a temperature of the examination object is determined on the basis of the determined value of the at least one tissue parameter.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the temperature of the examination object is determined using calibration data which is determined during a first period of the duration of the detection of the magnetic resonance signal waveform, wherein a calibration temperature of the examination object is known during the first period.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the determination of the temperature of the examination object includes:

determining a first value of the at least one tissue parameter based on a first part range of the magnetic resonance signal waveform which is detected during a first period of the duration of the detection of the magnetic resonance signal waveform, wherein a calibration temperature of the examination object is known during the first period, determining a second value of the at least one tissue parameter on the basis of a second part range of the magnetic resonance signal waveform which is detected during a second period of the duration of the detection of the magnetic resonance signal waveform, wherein the temperature of the examination object to be determined is present during the second period and

determining the temperature of the examination object on the basis of a comparison of the first value and the second value of the at least one tissue parameter using the known calibration temperature.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second value of the at least one tissue parameter is determined taking into account the first value of the at least one tissue parameter.

9. A magnetic resonance device including a signal waveform detection unit, a computing unit and a temperature consideration unit, wherein the magnetic resonance device is designed to carry out a method as claimed in claim 1.

10. A computer program product loaded directly into a memory of a programmable computing unit of a magnetic resonance device, with program code means for carrying out a method comprising:

detecting a magnetic resonance signal waveform of an examination area of an examination object by means of a magnetic resonance fingerprinting method;

comparing the detected magnetic resonance signal waveform with a number of signal waveforms stored in a database, wherein a database value of at least one tissue parameter is assigned to each of the database signal waveforms; and

determining a value of the at least one tissue parameter on a basis of the signal comparison,

wherein an influence of a temperature of the examination object on the magnetic resonance signal waveform is taken into consideration in the further processing of the magnetic resonance signal waveform;

wherein each of the database signal waveforms stored in the database is assigned a temperature range;

wherein a temperature of the examination object is measured and that the magnetic resonance signal waveform is compared to those database signal waveforms of the number of database signal waveforms in the temperature range of which the measured temperature of the examination object lies.

11. A method for magnetic resonance fingerprinting, comprising the following method steps:

detecting a magnetic resonance signal waveform of an examination area of an examination object by means of a magnetic resonance fingerprinting method;

comparing the detected magnetic resonance signal waveform with a number of signal waveforms stored in a database, wherein a database value of at least one tissue parameter is assigned to each of the database signal waveforms; and

determining a value of the at least one tissue parameter on a basis of the signal comparison,

wherein an influence of a temperature of the examination object on the magnetic resonance signal waveform is taken into consideration in the further processing of the magnetic resonance signal waveform;

wherein a temperature of the examination object is measured and that the determination of the value of the at least one tissue parameter includes;

determining a provisional value of the at least one tissue parameter on the basis of the signal comparison and adapting the provisional value of the at least one tissue parameter to the measured temperature of the examination object.

12. A method for magnetic resonance fingerprinting, comprising the following method steps:

detecting a magnetic resonance signal waveform of an examination area of an examination object by means of a magnetic resonance fingerprinting method;

comparing the detected magnetic resonance signal waveform with a number of signal waveforms stored in a database, wherein a database value of at least one tissue parameter is assigned to each of the database signal waveforms; and

determining a value of the at least one tissue parameter on a basis of the signal comparison,

wherein an influence of a temperature of the examination object on the magnetic resonance signal waveform is taken into consideration in the further processing of the magnetic resonance signal waveform;

wherein a temperature of the examination object is determined on the basis of the determined value of the at least one tissue parameter.