MRI APPARATUS

• US 20080180097A1
• Filed: 01/28/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kanda, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,782,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/307
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56341 Diffusion imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56509 due to motion, displacement or flow, e.g. gradient moment nulling G01R33/567 takes precedence

Abstract

An MRI apparatus includes: an image display device for displaying diffusion emphatic images of respective axes corresponding to one slice; a designation operating device for allowing an operator to designate each diffusion emphatic image targeted for rephotograph from the displayed diffusion emphatic images of axes; a diffusion emphasis imaging device for rephotographing only the axis of each diffusion emphatic image designated by the operator; a diffusion emphatic image substituting device for substituting an original diffusion emphatic image with each diffusion emphatic image obtained at the diffusion emphatic photography; and a diffusion tensor image creating device for creating a diffusion tensor image from a set of the post-substitution diffusion emphatic images.

Claims

1. An MRI apparatus comprising:

an image display device for displaying diffusion emphatic images of respective axes corresponding to one slice;

a designation operating device for allowing an operator to designate each diffusion emphatic image targeted for rephotograph from the displayed diffusion emphatic images of axes;

a diffusion emphasis imaging device for rephotographing only the axis of each diffusion emphatic image designated by the operator;

a diffusion emphatic image substituting device for substituting an original diffusion emphatic image with each diffusion emphatic image obtained at the diffusion emphatic photography; and

a diffusion tensor image creating device for creating a diffusion tensor image from a set of the post-substitution diffusion emphatic images.

2. The MRI apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an abnormal image extracting device for extracting an abnormal image from the diffusion emphatic images of the respective axes corresponding to the one slice, and warning device for notifying the presence of the abnormal image to the operator.

3. The MRI apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the abnormal image extracting device extracts an abnormal image on the basis of the average of pixel values of the diffusion emphatic images.

4. The MRI apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an imaging condition storing device for storing imaging conditions for the diffusion emphatic images of the respective axes therein,

wherein the diffusion emphasis imaging device reads an imaging condition for the diffusion emphatic image designated by the operator and performs rephotograph under the read imaging condition.

5. An MRI apparatus comprising:

an abnormal image extracting device for extracting an abnormal image from diffusion emphatic images of respective axes corresponding to one slice;

a diffusion emphasis imaging device for rephotographing only the axis of each extracted diffusion emphatic image;

a diffusion emphatic image substituting device for substituting an original diffusion emphatic image with each diffusion emphatic image obtained at the diffusion emphatic photography; and

a diffusion tensor image creating device for creating a diffusion tensor image from a set of the post-substitution diffusion emphatic images.

6. The MRI apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the abnormal image extracting device extracts an abnormal image, based on the average of pixel values of the diffusion emphatic images.

7. The MRI apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an imaging condition storing device for storing imaging conditions for the diffusion emphatic images of the respective axes therein,

wherein the diffusion emphasis imaging device reads an imaging condition for each extracted diffusion emphatic image and performs rephotograph under the read imaging condition.

8. An MRI apparatus comprising:

a selection operating device for allowing an operator to select a diffusion tensor image targeted for rephotograph from diffusion tensor images of one or more slices;

an image display device for displaying diffusion emphatic images of respective axes corresponding to the diffusion tensor image selected by the operator;

a designation operating device for allowing the operator to designate a diffusion emphatic image targeted for rephotograph from the displayed diffusion emphatic images of axes;

a diffusion emphasis imaging device for rephotographing only the axis of the diffusion emphatic image designated by the operator;

a diffusion emphatic image substituting device for substituting an original diffusion emphatic image with each diffusion emphatic image obtained at the diffusion emphatic photography;

a diffusion tensor image creating device for creating a diffusion tensor image from a set of the post-substitution diffusion emphatic images; and

a diffusion tensor image substituting device for substituting an original diffusion tensor image with the created diffusion tensor image.

9. The MRI apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising abnormal image extracting device for extracting an abnormal image from the diffusion tensor images of the one or more slices, and warning device for notifying the presence of the abnormal image to the operator.

10. The MRI apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the abnormal image extracting device extracts an abnormal image on the basis of the average of pixel values of the diffusion tensor images.

11. The MRI apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an abnormal image extracting device for extracting an abnormal image from the diffusion emphatic images of the respective axes corresponding to the diffusion tensor image selected by the operator, and a warning device for notifying the presence of the extracted diffusion emphatic image to the operator.

12. The MRI apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the abnormal image extracting device extracts an abnormal image, based on the average of pixel values of the diffusion emphatic images.

13. The MRI apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an imaging condition storing device for storing imaging conditions for the diffusion emphatic images of the respective axes therein, wherein the diffusion emphasis imaging device reads an imaging condition for the diffusion emphatic image designated by the operator and performs rephotograph under the read imaging condition.

14. An MRI apparatus comprising:

a selection operating device for allowing an operator to select a diffusion tensor image targeted for rephotograph from diffusion tensor images of one or more slices;

an abnormal image extracting device for extracting an abnormal image from diffusion emphatic images of respective axes corresponding to the diffusion tensor image selected by the operator;

a diffusion emphasis imaging device for rephotographing only the axis of the extracted diffusion emphatic image;

a diffusion emphatic image substituting device for substituting an original diffusion emphatic image with each diffusion emphatic image obtained at the diffusion emphatic photography;

a diffusion tensor image creating device for creating a diffusion tensor image from a set of the post-substitution diffusion emphatic images; and

a diffusion tensor image substituting device for substituting an original diffusion tensor image with the created diffusion tensor image.

15. The MRI apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the abnormal image extracting device extracts an abnormal image, based on the average of pixel values of the diffusion emphatic images.

16. The MRI apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising an imaging condition storing device for storing imaging conditions for the diffusion emphatic images of the respective axes therein,

wherein the diffusion emphasis imaging device reads an imaging condition for each extracted diffusion emphatic image and performs rephotograph under the read imaging condition.

17. An MRI apparatus comprising:

an abnormal image extracting device for extracting an abnormal image from diffusion tensor images of one or more slices and extracting an abnormal image from diffusion emphatic images of respective axes corresponding to the extracted abnormal image;

a diffusion emphasis imaging device for rephotographing only the axis of the extracted diffusion emphatic image;

a diffusion emphatic image substituting device for substituting an original diffusion emphatic image with each diffusion emphatic image obtained at the diffusion emphatic photography;

a diffusion tensor image creating device for creating a diffusion tensor image from a set of the post-substitution diffusion emphatic images; and

a diffusion tensor image substituting device for substituting an original diffusion tensor image with the created diffusion tensor image.

18. The MRI apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the abnormal image extracting device extracts an abnormal image, based on the averages of pixel values of both the diffusion tensor images and the diffusion emphatic images.

19. The MRI apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising an imaging condition storing device for storing imaging conditions for the diffusion emphatic images of the respective axes therein,

wherein the diffusion emphasis imaging device reads an imaging condition for each extracted diffusion emphatic image and performs rephotograph under the read imaging condition.