MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20130266200A1
• Filed: 04/03/2013
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: MIYAZAKI, Mitsue, YAMASHITA, Yuichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,675,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/026 for the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0042 for the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/307 specially adapted for moving the sample relative to the MR system, e.g. spinning mechanisms, flow cells or means for positioning the sample inside a spectrometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/385 using gradient magnetic field coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4818 MR characterised by data acquisition along a specific k-space trajectory or by the temporal order of k-space coverage, e.g. centric or segmented coverage of k-space
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5614 using a fully balanced steady-state free precession [bSSFP] pulse sequence, e.g. trueFISP
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56333 Involving spatial modulation of the magnetization within an imaged region, e.g. spatial modulation of magnetization [SPAMM] tagging perfusion imaging based on arterial spin tagging G01R33/56366
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10088 Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30016 Brain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes a collection unit and a generation unit. The collection unit collects data of an imaging area over a plurality of time phases within a certain respiratory cycle after applying a labeling pulse to a labeling area in which cerebrospinal fluid flows under a task of respiration. The generation unit generates images of a plurality of time phases depicting the cerebrospinal fluid by using the collected data.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

a collection unit configured to collect data of an imaging area over a plurality of time phases within a certain respiratory cycle after applying a labeling pulse to a labeling area in which cerebrospinal fluid flows under a task of respiration; and

a generation unit configured to generate images of a plurality of time phases depicting the cerebrospinal fluid by using collected data.

2. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collection unit collects the data of the imaging area during a period in which respiratory fluctuation is large in the respiratory cycle.

3. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the collection unit collects part of the data of the imaging area divided into a plurality of segments over a plurality of time phases within one respiratory cycle;

and

the generation unit generates the images of the time phases by combining pieces of data collected in respective respiratory cycles.

4. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the collection unit collects data in a low frequency region of a k-space over a plurality of time phases within one respiratory cycle and collects data in a high frequency region of the k-space over the time phases within one respiratory cycle;

and

the generation unit generates the images of the time phases by combining the data in the low frequency region and the data in the high frequency region.

5. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the collection unit collects data of the entire k-space for one time phase within one respiratory cycle and collects data in a low frequency region of the k-space over the time phases within one respiratory cycle;

and

the generation unit generates the images of the time phases by combining data in a high frequency region among whole data for one time phase with the data in the low frequency region in each time phase.

6. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the collection unit collects data in a low frequency region of a k-space over a plurality of time phases within one respiratory cycle and collects data in a high frequency region of the k-space for one time phase within one respiratory cycle;

and

the generation unit generates the images of the time phases by combining the data in the low frequency region and the data in the high frequency region.

7. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a derivation unit configured to specify a period in which respiratory fluctuation is large based on a waveform of the respiratory fluctuation of a subject, and derives at least one of the number of segments and the number of time phases as an imaging condition for collecting the data according to the specified period, wherein

the collection unit collects the data of the imaging area according to the derived imaging condition.

8. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display controller configured to display, in parallel or as a moving image, the generated images of the time phases on a display unit.

9. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the collection unit collects the data of the imaging area over the time phases during a certain period in the respiratory cycle, and

the generation unit generates the images of the time phases depicting the cerebrospinal fluid in the certain period.

10. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the collection unit collects the data of the imaging area over the time phases in at least one of a period in which respiratory fluctuation is large, a period of exhalation, and a period of inhalation, and

the generation unit generates the images of the time phases depicting the cerebrospinal fluid in at least one of the period in which the respiratory fluctuation is large, the period of exhalation, and the period of inhalation.

11. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collection unit collects the data of the imaging area by changing the number of segments and a time window width for collecting the data depending on a certain period in the respiratory cycle.

12. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collection unit collects data having a first size with a first time window width in a period of exhalation and a period of inhalation in one respiratory cycle, and collects data having a size smaller than the first size with a second time window width shorter than the first time window width in a transition period between exhalation and inhalation.

13. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collection unit inserts and applies the labeling pulse between pieces of data of different time phases when collecting part of the data of the imaging area divided into a plurality of segments over a plurality of time phases within one respiratory cycle.

14. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

a collection unit configured to collect data of an imaging area over a plurality of time phases within a certain respiratory cycle after applying a labeling pulse to a labeling area in which cerebrospinal fluid flows; and

a generation unit configured to generate images of a plurality of time phases depicting the cerebrospinal fluid during a certain period in the respiratory cycle by using the collected data.

15. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the collection unit selectively collects data during a certain period in the respiratory cycle;

and

the generation unit generates the images of a plurality of time phases during the certain period by using the selectively collected data.

16. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the collection unit selectively collects data in at least one of a period in which respiratory fluctuation is large, a period of exhalation, and a period of inhalation in the respiratory cycle;

and

the generation unit generates the images of a plurality of time phases in at least one of the period in which the respiratory fluctuation is large, the period of exhalation, and the period of inhalation.

17. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the collection unit continuously collects the data of the imaging area over the time phases and collects data indicating the time phase of the respiratory cycle;

and

the generation unit selectively generates the images of the time phases during a certain period in the respiratory cycle by using the continuously collected data of the imaging area and the data indicating the time phase of the respiratory cycle.

18. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the collection unit continuously collects the data of the imaging area over the time phases and collects data indicating the time phase of the respiratory cycle;

and

the generation unit selectively generates the images of the time phases in at least one of a period in which respiratory fluctuation is large, a period of exhalation, and a period of inhalation in the respiratory cycle by using the continuously collected data of the imaging area and the data indicating the time phase of the respiratory cycle.

19. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a display controller configured to display, in parallel or as a moving image, the images of the time phases depicting the cerebrospinal fluid during a certain period in the respiratory cycle, on a display unit.

20. A method for magnetic resonance imaging executed by a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, the method comprising:

collecting data of an imaging area over a plurality of time phases within a certain respiratory cycle after applying a labeling pulse to fluid of which correlation with a cardiac phase is low under a task of respiration; and

generating images of a plurality of time phases indicating kinetics of the fluid by using the collected data.