Producing pseudocolor magnetic resonance images

• US 4,789,831 A
• Filed: 01/23/1987
• Issued: 12/06/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: North American Philips Corp. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: North American Philips Corp. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Mayo, William T. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaworski, Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US07/006,534
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 128/653, 128/660, 358/81-82, 358/110, 358/112, 340/703, 342/181, 324/309
• US Class Current: 324/309
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56 Image enhancement or correction, e.g. subtraction or averaging techniques , e.g. improvement of signal-to-noise ratio and resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8954 using a broad-band spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52071 Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables

Abstract

A method for displaying the values of two parameter at a plurality of points in an image. The intensity of each pixel in the display is modulated in accordance with the value of the first parameter at corresponding points in the image. The hue of each pixel is modulated to a first color whenever the value of the second parameter at the corresponding point in the image is greater than a reference value and to a second color whenever the value of the second parameter is less than the reference value. The saturation at each pixel is modulated as a function of the absolute value of the deviation of the second parameter from the reference value at the corresponding point in the image.

Claims

1. A method for producing a magnetic resonance image for simultaneously visualizing independent first and second parameters in a field of data comprising the steps of:

modulating the intensity of pixels of an image in accordance with the value of said first parameter at a corresponding location in the field;

modulating the hue of said pixel to a first color when the value of said second parameter at the corresponding location in the field is greater than a reference value and modulating the hue of said pixel to a second color when said value of the second parameter is less than the reference value; and

modulating the saturation of the color of the pixel in proportion to the absolute value of the deviation of the second parameter from the reference value at the corresponding location in the field;

wherein the first parameter is located magnetic resonance spin echo intensity and the second parameter is local magnetic resonance relaxation time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second parameter is T1.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second parameter is T2.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second parameter is the difference between T1 AND T2.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second parameter is the mean of T1 and T2.