POST-ACQUISITION ADAPTIVE RECONSTRUCTION OF MRI DATA

• US 20080240533A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Inventors: Piron, Cameron Anthony, Kim, Jae Koul
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/482 using a Cartesian trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4824 using a non-Cartesian trajectory
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction

Abstract

An improved method for reconstruction of medical images includes the acquisition of k-space data through MRI imaging. Subsequently, subsets of the k-space data are transformed into intermediate images by performing an inverse Fourier transform on selected sets. These intermediate images are saved to a PACS or other memory storage, and can be recalled later to reconstruct an image. By selecting various intermediate images, a user can vary both the spatial and temporal resolution of the reconstructed image after acquisition, thereby providing adaptive reconstruction of images without the need to acquire new data.

Claims

1. A method for storing image data for reconstruction of MRI images, the method comprising the following steps:

a. acquiring k-space data through magnetic resonance imaging;

b. performing an inverse Fourier transform on a selected subset of the k-space data of the scan to form an intermediate image;

c. saving the intermediate image in a standard format;

d. repeating steps a through c until the subsets of k-space data for an entire scan is stored in a corresponding intermediate images; and

e. storing the saved intermediate images in a storage medium wherein the images can be retrieved and summed to reconstruct the image of the scan.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of k-space data comprises at least one of single point of k-space data, an individual line of k-space data from a radially symmetric acquisition scheme, a blade from a PROPELLER pulse sequence, a single line of k-space data from a rectilinear acquisition, and a line segment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step d comprises storing the images in a picture archive and communications system (PACS).

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of wherein the intermediate images are stored in a data storage medium in a vendor independent and machine independent retrievable data format.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the data format is DICOM.

4. A method of post-acquisition reconstruction of an image from magnetic resonance data using an intermediate step of partially reconstructed images, the method comprising:

a. acquiring k-space data through magnetic resonance imaging;

b. performing an inverse Fourier transform on selected portions of the k-space data to construct corresponding intermediate images;

c. storing the intermediate images in a data storage medium,

d. retrieving a plurality of intermediate images and constructing a selected view by summing the plurality of intermediate images.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the stored intermediate images are retrieved and the final viewable image is constructed at a workstation.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein an operator selects at least one of a spatial resolution, a temporal resolution, a spatial distribution and a temporal distribution for constructing the final image.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein step d further comprises the step of providing a search function for selectively searching the intermediate images for data having a specific data content.

10. A method of post-acquisition reconstruction of partial k-space data into intermediate images comprising:

(a) acquiring a portion of k-space data of a selected image;

(b) applying an inverse Fourier transform to the portion of the k-space data to form an intermediate image;

(c) storing the intermediate image in a data storage medium in a vendor independent and machine independent format, and repeating steps a though c until intermediate images are stored for all portions of k-space of the selected image;

(d) retrieving and reconstructing a reconstructed image using a plurality of the intermediate images.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of retrieving and reconstructing the reconstructed image comprising summing all of the intermediate images to produce the image.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of retrieving and reconstructing the reconstructed image comprises selectively summing a plurality of the intermediate images to produce a high spatial resolution image.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of retrieving and reconstructing the reconstructed image comprises selectively summing a plurality of the intermediate images to produce a high temporal resolution image.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising the step of applying a contrast agent during the acquisition of the k-space data.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of acquiring a portion of k-space data comprises performing a radial acquisition of k-space data at continuously incrementing angles over a predetermined time, and collecting a corresponding portion of k-space data for each radial arm of k-space data is per RF excitation during a selected time interval.

16. A method for storing image data acquired from a computed tomography (CT) medical imaging procedure, the method comprising the following steps:

a. performing a CT medical imaging scan on an area of interest of a patient;

b. acquiring a plurality of projections from the CT medical imaging scan;

c. filtering each of the plurality of projections;

c. performing a Fourier transform on each of the projections to form intermediate images;

d. saving the intermediate image in a standard format; and

e. storing the saved intermediate images in a storage medium wherein the images can be retrieved and summed to reconstruct the image of the scan.