MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) IMAGE FILTRATION ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT CARDIAC RHYTHMS

• US 20200134889A1
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biosense Webster Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Biosense Webster Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Govari, Assaf
• Granted Patent: US 10,726,588 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/023 for the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0044 for the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• 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 33/56509 due to motion, displacement or flow, e.g. gradient moment nulling G01R33/567 takes precedence
• 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: G01R 33/5676 Gating or triggering based on an MR signal, e.g. involving one or more navigator echoes for motion monitoring and correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/008 Specific post-processing after tomographic reconstruction, e.g. voxelisation, metal artifact correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10088 Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10096 Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging [DCE-MRI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30048 Heart; Cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction

Abstract

A method includes receiving a plurality of voxel values corresponding to respective locations in a heart, which are acquired using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Voxel values that, in spite of (i) corresponding to a same location in the heart and (ii) being gated to a same phase of an electrocardiogram (ECG) cycle of the heart, differ by more than a predefined difference, are identified. An image of at least a portion of the heart is reconstructed from the plurality of voxel values excluding at least the identified voxel values.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a plurality of voxel values corresponding to respective locations in a heart, which are acquired using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI);

identifying voxel values that, in spite of (i) corresponding to a same location in the heart and (ii) being gated to a same phase of an electrocardiogram (ECG) cycle of the heart, differ by more than a predefined difference; and

reconstructing an image of at least a portion of the heart from the plurality of voxel values excluding at least the identified voxel values.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein identifying the voxel values that differ by more than the predefined difference comprises:

constructing a scatter plot comprising multiple data points in a plane whose first and second axes denote voxel values acquired in respective first and second MRI acquisitions, wherein each data point represents the voxel values at a given location in the heart in the first and second MRI acquisitions; and

identifying one or more data points that fall outside a predefined region in the plane.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein reconstructing the image comprises skipping reconstruction of any image that comprises an acquisition taken during an identified arrhythmia.

4. The method according to claim 1, and comprising, in response to excluding the voxel values, adjusting a thickness of the reconstructed image.

5. The method according to claim 1, and comprising, in response to excluding the voxel values, adjusting a reconstruction filter used for reconstructing the image.

6. A system, comprising:

a memory, which is configured to store a plurality of voxel values corresponding to respective locations in a heart, which are acquired using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); and

a processor, which is configured to;

identify voxel values that, in spite of (i) corresponding to a same location in the heart and (ii) being gated to a same phase of an electrocardiogram (ECG) cycle of the heart, differ by more than a predefined difference; and

reconstruct an image of at least a portion of the heart from the plurality of voxel values excluding at least the identified voxel values.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to identify the voxel values that differ by more than the predefined difference by:

constructing a scatter plot comprising multiple data points in a plane whose first and second axes denote voxel values acquired in respective first and second MRI acquisitions, wherein each data point represents the voxel values at a given location in the heart in the first and second MRI acquisitions; and

identifying one or more data points that fall outside a predefined region in the plane.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to reconstruct the image by skipping reconstruction of any image that comprises an acquisition taken during an identified arrhythmia.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to, in response to excluding the voxel values, adjust a thickness of the reconstructed image.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to, in response to excluding the voxel values, adjust a reconstruction filter used for reconstructing the image.