Multi-echo magnetic resonance imaging method and system

• US 20060161060A1
• Filed: 01/17/2006
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New York University
• Original Assignee: New York University
• Inventors: Pai, Vinay M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/431
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/561 by reduction of the scanning time, i.e. fast acquiring systems, e.g. using echo-planar pulse sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/563 of moving material, e.g. flow contrast angiography

Abstract

Method, systems and arrangements are provided for creating a high-resolution magnetic resonance image (“MRI”) or obtaining other information of a target, such as a cardiac region of a patient. Radio-frequency (“RF”) pulses can be transmitted toward the target by, e.g., an RF transmitter of an MRI apparatus. In response, multiple echoes corresponding to the plurality of pulses may be received from the target. Data from each of the echoes can be assigned to a single line of k-space, and stored in memory of the apparatus. An image of the target, acceleration data and/or velocity data associated with a target can be generated as a function of the data. In one exemplary embodiment, the data from different echoes may be assigned to the same k-space line, and to different cardiac phases. In one further embodiment, parallel processing may be used to improve the resolution of the image acquired during a single breath-hold duration. In yet another embodiment, utilizing a segmented implementation, multiples lines of k-space are acquired for a given cardiac phase (or time stamp) per trigger signal. The present invention may be utilized for the heart or for any other anatomical organ or region of interest for the evaluation and study of flow dynamics with very high temporal resolution.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining information associated with a target, comprising:

forwarding a plurality of radio-frequency (“

RF”

) pulses toward the target;

receiving a plurality of echoes associated with each of the pulses;

assigning data associated with each of the echoes to at least one of a single line of k-space and multiple phases or time stamps thereof, or a plurality of lines of k-space for at least one of the particular phases or at least one of the time stamps; and

;

generating, as a function of the data, at least one of an image of at least one portion of the target, velocity data associated with the target, or acceleration data associated with the target.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is generated using the data after the data has been assigned to the single line of k-space and to the multiple cardiac phases thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the target is a cardiovascular region of a patient'"'"'s body, and wherein the data is assigned from each of the separate echoes to the separate corresponding cardiac phases.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the data using a parallel processing technique after the data is assigned.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the data using at least one:

a) a sensitivity encoding technique, b) a “

complex”

phased-array ghost elimination technique, c) a spatial harmonics technique, d) a generalized reconstruction using partially parallel acquisition technique, or e) a time-adaptive sensitivity encoding technique, after the data is assigned.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the velocity data or the acceleration are provided in a form of at least of one a plot, a map, a graph, or a chart.

7. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the velocity data or the acceleration data are related to a flow of at least one fluid or a gas in an anatomical structure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one fluid is blood.

9. The method of claim 7, where at least one gas is a polarized gas or a hyperpolarized gas.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the hyperpolarized gas is 3He.

11. A magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising:

a processor;

a radio frequency (“

RF”

) transmitter provided in communication with the processor, wherein the transmitter is capable of forwarding RF pulses to a target in response to a receipt of a signal from the processor; and

an RF receiver provided in communication with the processor, wherein the RF 5 receiver is capable of receiving data from the target based on a plurality of echoes generated by each of the pulses, and forwarding the data to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to assign data from the echoes to a single line in k-space and to multiple phases or time stamps thereof, and configured to generate at least one of an image of at least one portion of the target, acceleration data associated with the target and velocity data associated with the target as a function of the data.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the RF transmitter is configured to generate RF pulses and forward the RF pulses toward a cardiac region of a patient in response to the signal received from the processor, and wherein the processor is configured to assign data from the echoes to the single line in k-space and to the multiple phases or the time stamps thereof, and configured to assign data from different echoes to different phases or different time stamps.

13. A magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising:

a fast arrangement configured to forward a plurality of radio-frequency (“

RF”

) pulses toward a target;

a second arrangement configured to receive a plurality of echoes corresponding to each of the pulses;

a third arrangement configured to assign data received from each of the echoes to at least one of a single line of k-space and to multiple phases or time stamps thereof, or a plurality of lines of k-space for at least one of a particular one of the phases or a particular one of the time stamps; and

a fourth arrangement configured to generate, as a function of the data, at least one of an image of at least one portion of the target, velocity data associated with the target, or acceleration data associated with the target.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the echoes are assigned to the same location in space and time.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the echoes are assigned to different locations in space and time.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising obtaining the information for T1 mapping based on the image.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising obtaining the information used for perfusion studies based on the image.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising obtaining the information for a parallel image reconstruction based on the image.

14. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable software for performing a method of obtaining information associated with a target, the software comprising:

a first set of instructions capable of configuring a processor to cause a transmission of a plurality of radio-frequency (“

RF”

) pulses toward the target;

a second set of instructions capable of configuring the processor to assign data from each of a plurality of echoes received from the target and associated with the RF pulses to at least one of a single line of k-space and to multiple phases or time stamps thereof, or a plurality of lines of k-space for at least one of a particular one of the phases or a particular one of the time stamps; and

a third set of instructions capable of configuring the processor to generate, as a function of the data, at least one of an image of at least one portion of the target, velocity data associated with the target, or acceleration data associated with the target.

15. A method for obtaining information associated with a target, comprising:

forwarding a plurality of radio-frequency (“

RF”

) pulses toward the target;

receiving a plurality of echoes associated with each of the pulses, wherein at least one of the echoes reaches a center of k-space at a first point in time and at least further one of the echoes reaches the center of the k-space at a second point in time which is different than the first point; and

generating an image of the target as a function of the data.

21. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable software for performing a method of obtaining information associated with a target, the software comprising:

a first set of instructions capable of configuring a processor to cause a transmission of a plurality of radio-frequency (“

RF”

) pulses toward a target;

a second set of instructions capable of configuring a processor to receive a plurality of echoes associated with each of the pulses, wherein at least one of the echoes reaches a center of k-space at a first point in time and at least further one of the echoes reaches the center of the k-space at a second point in time which is different than the first point; and

a third set of instructions capable of configuring a processor to generate an image of the target as a function of the data.