MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING APPARATUS AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING METHOD

• US 20170127952A1
• Filed: 01/25/2017
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: MIYAZAKI, MITSUE, KUHARA, SHIGEHIDE
• Granted Patent: US 9,839,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0037 Performing a preliminary scan, e.g. a prescan for identifying a region of interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0263 using NMR
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/029 Measuring or recording blood output from the heart, e.g. minute volume A61B8/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7271 Specific aspects of physiological measurement analysis A61B5/316, A61B5/349 and A61B5/374 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/385 using gradient magnetic field coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4833 using spatially selective excitation of the volume of interest, e.g. selecting non-orthogonal or inclined slices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/543 Control of the operation of the MR system, e.g. setting of acquisition parameters prior to or during MR data acquisition, dynamic shimming, use of one or more scout images for scan plane prescription G01R33/546 takes precedence
• 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 33/5608 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: G01R 33/5635 Angiography, e.g. contrast-enhanced angiography [CE-MRA] or time-of-flight angiography [TOF-MRA]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56366 Perfusion imaging

Abstract

An MRI apparatus includes an imaging data acquiring unit and a blood flow information generating unit. The imaging data acquiring unit acquires imaging data from an imaging region including myocardium, without using a contrast medium, by applying a spatial selective excitation pulse to a region including at least a part of an ascending aorta for distinguishably displaying inflowing blood flowing into the imaging region. The blood flow information generating unit generates blood flow image data based on the imaging data.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising:

an assembly of gantry components including static and gradient magnetic field generators and at least one radio frequency (RF) coil; and

an MRI control system connected to control the gantry components, including at least one RF transmitter, at least one RF receiver and one or more computer control circuits, the MRI control system being configured to;

acquire a plurality of imaging data sets, each set corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of different traveling times of inflowing blood flowing into an imaging region including myocardium in synchronization with a heartbeat and without administration of a contrast medium, by changing each of the plurality of different traveling times from (a) application timing of a spatially selective excitation pulse to (b) acquisition timing of each acquisition of the imaging data sets;

generate a plurality of blood flow image data sets corresponding to the plurality of different traveling times of the inflowing blood based on the plurality of imaging data sets;

analyze cardiac function of the myocardium based on comparison between the plurality of blood flow image data sets corresponding to the different traveling times;

specify an infarction area or an ischemia area as a lesion area based on a signal difference between the plurality of blood flow image data sets corresponding to the different traveling times; and

display the specified lesion area distinguishably on a cross-sectional image of the myocardium.

5. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the MRI control system is further configured to:

perform image registration among the plurality of blood flow image data sets using a reference position at a border part between a left ventricle and a right ventricle, and

calculate signal intensities or signal intensity differences of the plurality of blood flow image data sets after the image registration.

2. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising:

an assembly of gantry components including static and gradient magnetic field generators and at least one radio frequency (RF) coil; and

an MRI control system connected to control the gantry components, including at least one RF transmitter, at least one RF receiver and one or more computer control circuits, the MRI control system being configured to;

acquire a plurality of imaging data sets, each set corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of different traveling times of inflowing blood flowing into an imaging region including myocardium in synchronization with a heartbeat and without administration of a contrast medium, by changing each of the plurality of different traveling times from (a) application timing of a spatial selective excitation pulse to (b) acquisition timing of each acquisition of the imaging data sets;

generate a plurality of blood flow image data sets corresponding to the plurality of different traveling times of the inflowing blood based on the plurality of imaging data sets;

analyze cardiac function of the myocardium based on comparison between the plurality of blood flow image data sets corresponding to the different traveling times; and

generate one or more profiles of respective signal intensities or signal intensity differences corresponding to the plurality of blood flow image data sets, the one or more profiles indicating the signal intensities or signal intensity differences along a linear region of interest set on a cross-sectional image of the myocardium.

6. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the MRI control system is further configured to:

perform image registration among the plurality of blood flow image data sets using a reference position at a border part between a left ventricle and a right ventricle, and

calculate signal intensities or signal intensity differences of the plurality of blood flow image data sets after the image registration.

3. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising:

an assembly of gantry components including static and gradient magnetic field generators and at least one radio frequency (RF) coil; and

an MRI control system connected to control the gantry components, including at least one RF transmitter, at least one RF receiver and one or more computer control circuits, the MRI control system being configured to;

acquire a plurality of imaging data sets, each set corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of different traveling times of inflowing blood flowing into an imaging region including myocardium in synchronization with a heartbeat and without administration of a contrast medium, by changing each of the plurality of different traveling times from (a) application timing of a spatial selective excitation pulse to (b) acquisition timing of each acquisition of the imaging data sets;

generate a plurality of blood flow image data sets corresponding to the plurality of different traveling times of the inflowing blood based on the plurality of imaging data sets;

analyze cardiac function of the myocardium based on comparison between the plurality of blood flow image data sets corresponding to the different traveling times; and

generate one or more 3-dimensional profiles of respective signal intensities or signal intensity differences corresponding to the plurality of blood flow image data sets, the one or more 3-dimensional profiles indicating signal values in two coordinates in respective two directions crossing on a myocardial cross-section.

7. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the MRI control system is further configured to:

perform image registration among the plurality of blood flow image data sets using a reference position at a border part between a left ventricle and a right ventricle, and

calculate signal intensities or signal intensity differences of the plurality of blood flow image data sets after the image registration.

4. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising:

an assembly of gantry components including static and gradient magnetic field generators and at least one radio frequency (RF) coil; and

an MRI control system connected to control the gantry components, including at least one RF transmitter, at least one RF receiver and one or more computer control circuits, the MRI control system being configured to;

acquire a plurality of imaging data sets, each set corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of different traveling times of inflowing blood flowing into an imaging region including myocardium in synchronization with a heartbeat and without administration of a contrast medium, by changing each of the plurality of different traveling times from (a) application timing of a spatial selective excitation pulse to (b) acquisition timing of each acquisition of the imaging data sets;

generate a plurality of blood flow image data sets corresponding to the plurality of different traveling times of the inflowing blood based on the plurality of imaging data sets;

analyze cardiac function of the myocardium based on comparison between the plurality of blood flow image data sets corresponding to the different traveling times;

perform image registration among the plurality of blood flow image data sets, and

generate a blood flow information image for displaying in such a manner that the blood flow information image is divided into a plurality segments and signal intensity differences, on a desired cross-section, between the plurality of blood flow image data sets after the image registration are shown.

8. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the MRI control system is further configured to:

perform image registration among the plurality of blood flow image data sets using a reference position at a border part between a left ventricle and a right ventricle, and

calculate signal intensities or signal intensity differences of the plurality of blood flow image data sets after the image registration.