Method software and apparatus for acquiring mr-image data pertaining to a moving organ

• US 20050165300A1
• Filed: 03/18/2003
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Springorum, Rudof Theodoor, Haselhoff, Eltjo Hans
• Granted Patent: US 7,418,288 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/413
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4835 of multiple slices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5673 Gating or triggering based on a physiological signal other than an MR signal, e.g. ECG gating or motion monitoring using optical systems for monitoring the motion of a fiducial marker

Abstract

A method for acquiring MR image data pertaining an organ, moving between a first extreme and a second extreme position such as in motion due to breathing of the patient to be examined. A scout film is registered of the organ concurrently with the registration of a signal that is indicative for the position of such organ. Real-time MR image data are acquired in at least one scan-plane of said organ, and the scan-plane is adjusted depending on the concurrently measured signal estimating the position of said organ. Several scan-planes are employed. For each individual scan-plane of said plurality of scan-planes, its position as a function of time is defined in relation to pre-selected organ-positions is measured with the scout-film. During the acquisition of the real-time MR image data the respective scan-positions are each individually adjusted, each scan-plane position thereby depending on the signal indicative for the position of the organ. In particular the invention is used in cardiac MR-imaging.

Claims

1. Method for acquiring MR image data pertaining to a moving organ, said organ executing motion between a first extreme and a second extreme position, said method comprising the steps of:

registering a scout film of the organ concurrently with the registration of at least one signal that is indicative for the position of such organ as measured with the scout-film

acquiring real-time MR image data in at least one scan-plane of said organ, whereby the position of said scan-plane is adjusted depending on the concurrently measured signal estimating the position of said organ between its extreme positions,

characterized in that

a plurality of scan-planes are employed whereby for each individual scan-plane of said plurality of scan-planes, its position as a function of time is defined in relation to pre-selected organ-positions as measured with the scout-film; and

that

during the acquisition of the real-time MR image data the respective scan-positions are each individually adjusted, each scan-plane position thereby depending on the signal indicative for the position of the organ.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the signal is responsive to a breathing-cycle of a patient, whose organ is being measured.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the signal is responsive to the autonomous motion of the organ being measured.

4. Method according to claim 1 characterized in that the organ is a heart and that the signal is an ECG-signal, a position signal pertaining to the long/liver transitional plane, or both.

5. Method according to claim 1 characterized in that the individual scan-plane positions are defined in relation to organ-positions as identified on pre-selected images from a series of images that collectively constitute the scout-film, and that the individual scan-plane positions relating to non-selected images that are intermediate with respect to the pre-selected images, are derived by interpolation.

6. Apparatus intended for executing the method according claim 1.

7. Software program for a computer of an apparatus for acquiring MR image data, comprising coding for having the apparatus execute the method according to claim 1.