METHOD, APPARATUS AND USER INTERFACE FOR DETERMINING AN ARTERIAL INPUT FUNCTION USED FOR CALCULATING HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS

• US 20080114234A1
• Filed: 11/10/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Gering, David T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,125,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/411
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/546 Interface between the MR system and the user, e.g. for controlling the operation of the MR system or for the design of pulse sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5601 involving use of a contrast agent for contrast manipulation, e.g. a paramagnetic, super-paramagnetic, ferromagnetic or hyperpolarised contrast agent
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5616 using gradient refocusing, e.g. EPI
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56366 Perfusion imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A graphical user interface and method allows a user to interactively select an arterial input function. An anatomical image and time-course data corresponding to a selected region of interest are displayed simultaneously. The time-course data is displayed as an array of graphs, annotated with best-fit curves and parameters derived from fitting the time-course data. The region displayed in the graphs may be updated by panning and zooming with a mouse in the image. Time-course data corresponding to a graph is selected for use in deriving an arterial input function. The arterial input function is used to calculate maps of hemodynamic parameters.

Claims

1. A method for determining an arterial input function from a magnetic resonance image dataset, the method comprising:

providing a user interface configured to display at least one magnetic resonance image from the magnetic resonance image dataset and a plurality of time-course graphs simultaneously, the plurality of time-course graphs associated with a selected region of the at least one magnetic resonance image and each time-course graph having associated time-course data;

annotating at least one time-course graph with at least one element that indicates fitness of the time-course data associated with the at least one time-course graph for use in deriving an arterial input function;

receiving a selection of a time-course graph from the plurality of time-course graphs; and

deriving an arterial input function from the time-course data associated with the selected time-course graph.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating at least one parametric map based on at least the arterial input function; and

displaying the at least one parametric map.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one magnetic resonance image comprises a plurality of pixels, each pixel having associated time-course data and wherein each time-course graph is generated by combining time-course data from neighboring pixels.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein combining time-course data from neighboring pixels to generate the time-course graph comprises calculating an average of time-course data from neighboring pixels.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one element is a best-fit curve derived from curve-fitting at least a portion of the time-course data associated with the at least one graph.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one element is a mathematical parameter derived from curve-fitting at least a portion of the time-course data associated with the at least one graph.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the user interface further comprises a navigation tool configured to allow a user to select a region of the magnetic resonance image.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the navigation tool includes a zoom feature.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the navigation tool includes a panning feature.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein the navigation tool is configured to zoom and pan the image using only mouse controls.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein generating at least one parametric map comprises generating a plurality of parametric maps, each parametric map corresponding to a different hemodynamic parameter.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein generating at least one parametric map comprises generating a plurality of parametric maps, each parametric map associated with a different slice location and generated using the arterial input function.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic resonance image and the plurality of time-course graphs are displayed side-by-side.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the at least one parametric map comprises displaying the at least one parametric map simultaneously with the plurality of time-course graphs.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein displaying the at least one parametric map comprises displaying the at least one parametric map as a semi-transparent overlay on a magnetic resonance image of a corresponding slice location.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for determining an arterial input function from a magnetic resonance image dataset, the computer-readable medium comprising:

program code for providing a user interface configured to display at least one magnetic resonance image from the magnetic resonance image dataset and a plurality of time-course graphs simultaneously, the plurality of time-course graphs associated with a selected region of the at least one magnetic resonance image and each time-course graph having associated time-course data;

program code for annotating at least one time-course graph with at least one element that indicates fitness of the time-course data associated with the at least one time-course graph for use in deriving an arterial input function;

program code for receiving a selection of a time-course graph from the plurality of time-course graphs; and

program code for deriving an arterial input function from the time-course data associated with the selected time-course graph.

17. A computer-readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising:

program code for generating at least one parametric map based on at least the arterial input function; and

program code for displaying the at least one parametric map.

18. An apparatus for determining an arterial input function from a magnetic resonance image dataset, the apparatus comprising:

a user interface configured to display at least one magnetic resonance image from the magnetic resonance image dataset and a plurality of annotated time-course graphs simultaneously and to receive a selection of a time-course graph from the plurality of time-course graphs to be used in deriving an arterial input function;

wherein the plurality of annotated time-course graphs are associated with a selected region of the at least one magnetic resonance image.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the user interface further comprises a navigation tool configured to allow a user to select a region of the magnetic resonance image.

20. An apparatus for determining an arterial input function from a magnetic resonance image dataset, the apparatus comprising:

a processing unit programmed to execute a user interface configured to display at least one magnetic resonance image from the dataset and a plurality of annotated time-course graphs simultaneously and to receive a selection of a time-course graph from the plurality of time-course graphs to be used in deriving an arterial input function;

wherein the plurality of annotated time-course graphs are associated with a selected region of the at least one magnetic resonance image.