METHOD AND COMPUTER FOR PRODUCING A PULSE SEQUENCE FOR CONTROLLING A MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20190310337A1
• Filed: 04/05/2019
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2018
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Carinci, Flavio, Paul, Dominik, Splitthoff, Daniel Nico, Zeller, Mario
• Application Number:
  US16/376,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20190310337A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4835 of multiple slices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/50 based on the determination of relaxation times , e.g. T1 measurement by IR sequences; T2 measurement by multiple-echo sequences
• 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 33/5607 by reducing the NMR signal of a particular spin species, e.g. of a chemical species for fat suppression, or of a moving spin species for black-blood imaging

Abstract

In a pulse sequence that is produced and used for controlling a magnetic resonance imaging system as part of an inversion recovery measurement sequence, a number of partial volumes to be imaged are excited, wherein the pulse sequence includes a start sequence followed by an excitation sequence. The start sequence is series arrangement of a succession of at least two initial inversion pulses for inverting partial volumes. The excitation sequence is series arrangement of excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses, with each excitation block being followed by additional inversion pulses, so that excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses always alternate.

Claims

1. A method for producing a pulse sequence for controlling a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus as part of an inversion recovery measurement sequence for generating magnetic resonance image data on a subject under examination, in which, in order to acquire magnetic resonance raw data, different transverse magnetizations are excited in a plurality of partial volumes to be imaged, and are used for the imaging, wherein the pulse sequence comprises a start sequence followed by an excitation sequence, said method comprising:

forming the start sequence in a computer by series arrangement of a succession of at least two initial inversion pulses for inverting partial volumes; and

forming the excitation sequence in said computer by series arrangement of excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses with each excitation block being followed by additional inversion pulses, so that excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses always alternate.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pulse sequence has an inversion time TI between the first initial inversion pulse and the first excitation block, wherein the inversion time TI is longer than the sum of the time length of an inversion pulse and the time length of an excitation block.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising, in said computer:

comparing the inversion time TI with a preset time limit before producing the pulse sequence;

if the inversion time TI is longer than the preset time limit, forming said pulse sequence; and

if the inversion time TI is shorter than the preset time limit, producing pulse sequence in which each inversion pulse for a respective partial volume is followed by an excitation block for that respective partial volume, without an inversion pulse or an excitation block for another partial volume being between said inversion pulse ad said excitation pulse of that respective partial volume, and with said pairs of inversion pulses and excitation blocks respectively for the partial volumes to be acquired being next to one another.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising determining a number P of initial inversion pulses in the start sequence based on a time duration dl of the inversion pulses, a time duration dE of the excitation blocks, and the inversion time TI, as

P=int[(TI−

dI/2)/(dI+dE)]+1.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising generating the pulse sequence with the start sequence comprising at least three initial inversion pulses.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising generating the pulse sequence with the excitation sequence comprising at least one initial inversion pulse that occurs after the first excitation block.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising generating the pulse sequence with the start sequence comprising at least three initial inversion pulses, and with the excitation sequence comprising at least one initial inversion pulse that occurs after the first excitation block.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of partial volumes are excited simultaneously for the magnetic resonance imaging acquisition, and wherein the inversion pulses and/or the excitation blocks comprise multiband pulses.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising generating the pulse sequence so that, with regard to the partial volumes, an order of the excitation blocks always matches an order of the inversion pulses.

10. A computer for producing a pulse sequence for controlling a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus as part of an inversion recovery measurement sequence for generating magnetic resonance image data on a subject under examination, in which, in order to acquire magnetic resonance raw data, different transverse magnetizations are excited in a plurality of partial volumes to be imaged, and are used for the imaging, wherein the pulse sequence comprises a start sequence followed by an excitation sequence, said computer comprising:

a processor configured to form the start sequence by series arrangement of a succession of at least two initial inversion pulses for inverting partial volumes; and

said processor being configured to form the excitation sequence in said computer by series arrangement of excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses with each excitation block being followed by additional inversion pulses, so that excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses always alternate.

11. A method for operating a magnetic resonance apparatus comprising:

producing a pulse sequence for controlling said magnetic resonance imaging apparatus as part of an inversion recovery measurement sequence for generating magnetic resonance image data on a subject under examination, in which, in order to acquire magnetic resonance raw data, different transverse magnetizations are excited in a plurality of partial volumes to be imaged, and are used for the imaging, wherein the pulse sequence comprises a start sequence followed by an excitation sequence;

forming the start sequence in a computer by series arrangement of a succession of at least two initial inversion pulses for inverting partial volumes; and

forming the excitation sequence in said computer by series arrangement of excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses with each excitation block being followed by additional inversion pulses, so that excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses always alternate.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, comprising, in said computer:

comparing the inversion time TI with a preset time limit before producing the pulse sequence;

if the inversion time TI is longer than the preset time limit, forming said pulse sequence; and

if the inversion time TI is shorter than the preset time limit, producing pulse sequence in which each inversion pulse for a respective partial volume is followed by an excitation block for that respective partial volume, without an inversion pulse or an excitation block for another partial volume being between said inversion pulse ad said excitation pulse of that respective partial volume, and with said pairs of inversion pulses and excitation blocks respectively for the partial volumes to be acquired being next to one another.

13. A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging apparatus comprising:

an MR data acquisition scanner;

a computer configured to produce a pulse sequence for controlling said MR data acquisition scanner as part of an inversion recovery measurement sequence for generating magnetic resonance image data on a subject under examination, in which, in order to acquire magnetic resonance raw data, different transverse magnetizations are excited in a plurality of partial volumes to be imaged, and are used for the imaging, wherein the pulse sequence comprises a start sequence followed by an excitation sequence;

said computer being configured to form the start sequence by series arrangement of a succession of at least two initial inversion pulses for inverting partial volumes; and

said computer being configured to form the excitation sequence by series arrangement of excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses with each excitation block being followed by additional inversion pulses, so that excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses always alternate.

14. A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions for producing a pulse sequence for controlling a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus as part of an inversion recovery measurement sequence for generating magnetic resonance image data on a subject under examination, in which, in order to acquire magnetic resonance raw data, different transverse magnetizations are excited in a plurality of partial volumes to be imaged, and are used for the imaging, wherein the pulse sequence comprises a start sequence followed by an excitation sequence, said storage medium being loaded into a computer and said programming instructions causing said computer to:

form the start sequence in a computer by series arrangement of a succession of at least two initial inversion pulses for inverting partial volumes; and

form the excitation sequence in said computer by series arrangement of excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses with each excitation block being followed by additional inversion pulses, so that excitation blocks and additional inversion pulses always alternate.