Method and apparatus for generating medical image data records

• US 10,159,424 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Greiser, Andreas, Speier, Peter, Stalder, Aurelien
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Ruth S
• Application Number:
  US14/723,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20150342496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/00 Medical imaging apparatus involving image processing or analysis A61B1/00009, A61B6/52 and A61B8/52 take precedence; image processing per se G06T; details of algorithms for analysing medical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/20 involving magnetic resonance medical aspects A61B5/055; magnetic resonance gyrometers G01C19/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/54 Signal processing systems, e.g. using pulse sequences ; Generation or control of pulse sequences; Operator console
• 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

Abstract

In a method and medical imaging apparatus, for generating medical image data records, raw data of the examination object are acquired by operation of a medical imaging scanner, a reconstruction algorithm issued for reconstructing a medical image data record on the basis of raw data and of a value of a physiological parameter. At least two medical image data records are created by applying the reconstruction algorithm at least twice to the acquired raw data using a different virtual value of the physiological parameter each time. The at least two medical image data records are provided from the reconstruction computer.

Claims

1. A method for generating medical image data records of an examination object, comprising:

operating a magnetic resonance scanner, while an examination object is situated in the magnetic resonance scanner, to acquire raw magnetic resonance data from the examination object;

providing a computer with a reconstruction algorithm designed to reconstruct a medical image data record from the raw magnetic resonance data and a virtual value of a physiological parameter that has not been obtained from the examination object, said virtual value being selected from the group consisting of blood pressure, cardiac rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, and a hematocrit value;

providing said raw magnetic resonance data acquired from the examination object to said computer and, in said computer, generating at least two medical image data records by applying said reconstruction algorithm at least twice to the raw magnetic resonance data and using a different virtual value of said physiological parameter respectively in said at least two applications of said reconstruction algorithm so as to generate said at least two medical image data records; and

making said at least two medical image data records available in electronic form at an output of said computer.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising making said at least two medical image data records available in said electronic form respectively associated with an electronic representation of the respective virtual value of the physiological parameter that was used to generate the respective medical image data record.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising providing said at least two medical image data records in said electronic form as a series of images.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, after generating said at least two medical image data records, measuring an actual value of said physiological parameter from the examination object, and selecting one of said at least two medical image data records for which said actual value most closely matches said virtual value.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising operating said magnetic resonance scanner to acquire said raw magnetic resonance data as a T1 map of the examination object, and thereafter administering a contrast agent to the examination object, and thereafter operating said magnetic resonance scanner, while the examination object is situated therein, to acquire further raw magnetic resonance data as a further T1 map of the examination object with said contrast medium therein.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising providing said computer with said reconstruction algorithm configured to represent a spatially resolved distribution of an extracellular volume of the examination object.

7. A method as claimed 1 wherein said physiological value is a hematocrit value, and wherein said method comprises operating said magnetic resonance scanner to acquire said raw magnetic resonance data from the examination subject so as to include T1 data and, in said computer, calculating different extracellular volume (ECV) values and ECV maps using said T1 data and said hematocrit value.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 comprising, in said computer, a region of interest (ROI) within each of said at least two medical image data records and calculating a mean of the ECV across each ROI, and providing said at least two image data records in said electronic form together with an electronic representation of the respective calculated mean of the ECV across each ROI in each medical image data record.

9. A medical imaging apparatus comprising:

a magnetic resonance scanner;

a control computer configured to operate said magnetic resonance scanner, while an examination object is situated in the magnetic resonance scanner, to acquire raw magnetic resonance data from the examination object;

an image reconstruction computer configured with a reconstruction algorithm designed to reconstruct a medical image data record from the raw magnetic resonance data and a virtual value of a physiological parameter that has not been obtained from the examination object, said virtual value being selected from the group consisting of blood pressure, cardiac rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, and a hematocrit value;

said image reconstruction computer being provided with said raw magnetic resonance data acquired from the examination object, and said image reconstruction computer being configured to generate at least two medical image data records by applying said reconstruction algorithm at least twice to the raw magnetic resonance data and using a different virtual value of said physiological parameter respectively in said at least two applications of said reconstruction algorithm so as to generate said at least two medical image data records; and

said image reconstruction computer being configured to make said at least two medical image data records available in electronic form at an output of said image reconstruction computer.