Method and apparatus for administration of contrast agents for use in magnetic resonance arteriography

• US 6,889,072 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2001
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Martin R. Prince
• Original Assignee: Martin R. Prince
• Inventors: Prince, Martin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): MANTIS MERCADER, ELENI M
• Application Number:
  US09/899,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 600/420, 600/410, 600/419, 600/431, 324/307, 324/309, 324/306, 424/9.36, 424/9.3, 604/93.01, 604/48, 604/223, 382/130
• US Class Current: 600/420
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/201 Assessing renal or kidney functions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/416 the spleen
• 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: A61K 49/18 characterised by a special physical form, e.g. emulsions, microcapsules, liposomes
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/281 Means for the use of in vitro contrast agents G01R33/282 takes precedence; involving use of a contrast agent in MR imaging G01R33/5601; in vivo contrast agents A61K49/0002
• 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 33/5619 by temporal sharing of data, e.g. keyhole, block regional interpolation scheme for k-Space [BRISK]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/563 of moving material, e.g. flow contrast angiography
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56308 Characterization of motion or flow; Dynamic imaging

Abstract

The present invention is a method and apparatus for providing preferential enhancement of an artery of interest relative to adjacent veins and background tissue. The method and apparatus adapts the timing of a maximum or substantially elevated rate of infusion to correlate with the collection of image data corresponding to the center of k-space. The technique and apparatus temporally correlates the timing of a maximum or substantially elevated rate of infusion and the mapping of k-space according to the location of the artery of interest, the size of the artery of interest, the physical condition of the patient, the time delay due to the configuration of the contrast agent delivery system, and/or the type of pulse sequence employed by the imaging apparatus. Adapting the timing of a maximum or substantially elevated rate of infusion to correlate with the collection of image data corresponding to the center of k-space provides a period of a maximum or substantially elevated contrast concentration in the artery of interest relative to adjacent veins during collection of at least a portion of the image data corresponding to the center of k-space.

Claims

1. A method of imaging an artery in a patient using magnetic resonance imaging, comprising,

administering a magnetic resonance contrast agent to the patient;

collecting image data of an image sequence wherein the image sequence includes;

image data which is representative of a center of k-space, and

image data which is representative of a periphery of k-space, and

wherein the image sequence is arranged to collect image data which is representative of the periphery of k-space before and after collecting image data which is representative of the center of k-space; and

temporally correlating administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent with collecting image data based on the circulation time of the contrast agent so that a concentration of contrast agent in the artery is substantially greater than a concentration of contrast agent in veins and background tissue adjacent to the artery while collecting the image data which is representative of the center of k-space.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein temporally correlating collecting the image data and administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent in accordance with the delay time in a delivery system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein temporally correlating collecting the image data and administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent so that the concentration of contrast agent in the artery is substantially a maximum.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein collecting the image sequence is a 3D pulse sequence and wherein administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent includes administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent to the patient by bolus injection.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the artery is the aorta and the image data corresponding to the aorta is reconstructed to create a maximum intensity projection (MIP).

6. The method of claim 1 further including instructing the patient to suspend respiration during the collection of the image data of the image sequence.

7. The method of claim 1 further including instructing the patient to suspend respiration during the collection of the image data which is representative of the center of k-space.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein temporally correlating administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent with collecting image data further includes correlating administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent with collecting the image data based on a location or size of the artery.

9. A method of imaging an artery in a patient using a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, comprising,

administering a magnetic resonance contrast agent to the patient;

collecting image data of an imaging pulse sequence, including image data which is representative of a center of k-space and image data which is representative of the periphery of k-space; and

temporally correlating administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent with collecting image data based on the type of the imaging pulse sequence and the circulation time of the magnetic resonance contrast agent to provide a concentration of the contrast agent in the artery which is substantially greater than the concentration of contrast agent in veins adjacent to the artery during collecting the image data.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the imaging pulse sequence is arranged to collect image data which is representative of the periphery of k-space before and after collecting image data which is representative of the center of k-space.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the pulse sequence is arranged to collect image data which is representative of the center of k-space before collecting image data which is representative of the periphery of k-space.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein temporally correlating administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent with collecting image data further includes correlating administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent with collecting the image data based on the delay time in a delivery system.

13. The method of claim 9 further including instructing the patient to suspend respiration while collecting the image data which is representative of the center of k-space.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein temporally correlating administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent with collecting image data further includes administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent to the patient before collecting image data to provide a maximum concentration of the contrast agent in the artery relative to the veins adjacent to the artery to coincide with collecting the image data which is representative of the center of k-space.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the imaging sequence is a 3D pulse sequence having a TR that is less than 25 milliseconds.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the 3D pulse sequence is arranged to collect the image data which is representative of the center of k-space substantially at the beginning of the 3D pulse sequence.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent includes administering the contrast agent to the patient by bolus injection.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the 3D pulse sequence is arranged to collect the image data which is representative of the center of k-space substantially in the middle of the 3D pulse sequence.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein administering the magnetic resonance contrast agent includes administering the contrast agent to the patient by bolus injection.

20. The method of claim 19 further including instructing the patient to suspend respiration while collecting the image data which is representative of the center of k-space.

21. The method of claim 9 wherein the artery is the aorta and the image data corresponding to the aorta is reconstructed to create a maximum intensity projection (MIP).