Opposed orthogonal fusion system and method for generating color segmented MRI voxel matrices

• US 7,145,336 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hugh Keith Brown
• Original Assignee: Hugh Keith Brown
• Inventors: Brown, Hugh Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Gutierrez, Diego
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vargas, Dixomara
• Application Number:
  US11/117,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20050190955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for creating and manipulating one or more color-coded magnetic resonance images. The method includes acquiring a digitally-stored first gray tone series of images of a region of interest at a first predetermined time on a predetermined plane using a predetermined pulse sequence parameter, and applying a first color mask to the first gray tone series of images to create a first color masked series of images, wherein the first color masked series of images represent a first state of a biophysical property of interest. The method also includes acquiring a digitally-stored second gray tone series of images of the region of interest at a second predetermined time on the predetermined plane using the predetermined pulse sequence parameter, wherein the second predetermined time is subsequent to the first predetermined time, and applying a second color mask to the second gray tone series of images to create a second color masked series of images, wherein the second color masked series of images represent a second state of the biophysical property of interest. The method further includes spatially-aligning and combining the first color masked series of images and the second color masked series of images to create one or more full color images.

Claims

1. A method for creating one or more color-coded magnetic resonance images, comprising:

acquiring a digitally-stored first gray tone series of images of a region of interest at a first predetermined time on a plurality of predetermined orthogonally-opposed planes using a plurality of predetermined pulse sequence parameters;

applying a first color mask to the first gray tone series of images to create a first color masked series of images, wherein the first color masked series of images comprise a plurality of pixels that each represent a first state of a biophysical property of interest;

acquiring a digitally-stored second gray tone series of images of the region of interest at a second predetermined time on the plurality of predetermined orthogonally-opposed planes using the plurality of predetermined pulse sequence parameters, wherein the second predetermined time is subsequent to the first predetermined time;

applying a second color mask to the second gray tone series of images to create a second color masked series of images, wherein the second color masked series of images comprise a plurality of pixels that each represent a second state of the biophysical property of interest; and

spatially-aligning and combining the first color masked series of images and the second color masked series of images to create one or more full color images comprising a plurality of voxels.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a contrast material has been introduced into the region of interest prior to obtaining one or more of the first gray tone series of images of the region of interest at the first predetermined time and the second gray tone series of images of the region of interest at the second predetermined time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more full color images illustrate the wash-in/wash-out of the contrast material into/out of the region of interest.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined orthogonally-opposed planes comprises one of sagittal, axial, and coronal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined pulse sequence parameters comprises one of longitudinal relaxation rate (T1), transverse relaxation rate (T2), proton density (PD), gradient recovery (GR), inversion recovery (IR), magnetic susceptibility, and flow velocity and direction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first color mask and the second color mask each comprise one of a red-green-blue (RGB) color mask, a hue-saturation-intensity (HSI) color mask, and a cyan-magenta-yellow (CMY).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the region of interest comprises at least a portion of one of a human breast and a human liver.

8. A system for creating one or more color-coded magnetic resonance images, comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring a digitally-stored first gray tone series of images of a region of interest at a first predetermined time on a plurality of predetermined orthogonally-opposed planes using a plurality pf predetermined pulse sequence parameters;

processing means for applying a first color mask to the first gray tone series of images to create a first color masked series of images, wherein the first color masked series of images comprise a plurality of pixels that each represent a first state of a biophysical property of interest;

acquisition means for acquiring a digitally-stored second gray tone series of images of the region of interest at a second predetermined time on the plurality of predetermined orthogonally-opposed planes using the plurality of predetermined pulse sequence parameters, wherein the second predetermined time is subsequent to the first predetermined time;

processing means for applying a second color mask to the second gray tone series of images to create a second color masked series of images, wherein the second color masked series of images comprise a plurality of pixels that each represent a second state of the biophysical property of interest; and

processing means for spatially-aligning and combining the first color masked series of images and the second color masked series of images to create one or more full color images comprising a plurality of voxels.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a contrast material has been introduced into the region of interest prior to obtaining one or more of the first gray tone series of images of the region of interest at the first predetermined time and the second gray tone series of images of the region of interest at the second predetermined time.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more full color images illustrate the wash-in/wash-out of the contrast material into/out of the region of interest.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined orthogonally-opposed planes comprises one of sagittal, axial, and coronal.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined pulse sequence parameters comprises one of longitudinal relaxation rate (T1), transverse relaxation rate (T2), proton density (PD), gradient recovery (GR), inversion recovery (IR), magnetic susceptibility, and flow velocity and direction.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the first color mask and the second color mask each comprise one of a red-green-blue (RGB) color mask, a hue-saturation-intensity (HSI) color mask, and a cyan-magenta-yellow (CMY).

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the region of interest comprises at least a portion of one of a human breast and a human liver.

15. A method for creating one or more color-coded magnetic resonance images, comprising:

acquiring a digitally-stored first gray tone series of images of a region of interest at a first predetermined time on a plurality of predetermined planes using a plurality of predetermined pulse sequence parameters;

applying one or more first color masks to the first gray tone series of images to create a first color masked series of images, wherein the first color masked series of images comprise a plurality of pixels that each represent a first state of one or more biophysical properties of interest;

acquiring a digitally-stored second gray tone series of images of the region of interest at a second predetermined time on the plurality of predetermined planes using the plurality of predetermined pulse sequence parameters, wherein the second predetermined time is subsequent to the first predetermined time;

applying one or more second color masks to the second gray tone series of images to create a second color masked series of images, wherein the second color masked series of images comprise a plurality of pixels that each represent a second state of the one or more biophysical properties of interest; and

spatially-aligning and combining the first color masked series of images and the second color masked series of images to create one or more full color images, wherein the one or more full color images each comprise a three-dimensional matrix of voxels.

16. A system for creating one or more color-coded magnetic resonance images, comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring a digitally-stored first gray tone series of images of a region of interest at a first predetermined time on a plurality of predetermined planes using a plurality of predetermined pulse sequence parameters;

processing means for applying one or more first color masks to the first gray tone series of images to create a first color masked series of images, wherein the first color masked series of images comprise a plurality of pixels that each represent a first state of one or more biophysical properties of interest;

acquisition means for acquiring a digitally-stored second gray tone series of images of the region of interest at a second predetennined time on the plurality of predetermined planes using the plurality of predetermined pulse sequence parameters, wherein the second predetermined time is subsequent to the first predetermined time;

processing means for applying one or more second color masks to the second gray tone series of images to create a second color masked series of images, wherein the second color masked series of images comprise a plurality of pixels that each represent a second state of the one or more biophysical properties of interest; and

processing means for spatially-aligning and combining the first color masked series of images and the second color masked series of images to create one or more full color images, wherein the one or more full color images each comprise a three-dimensional matrix of voxels.