Reducing movement artifacts in magnetic resonance measurements

• US 7,295,007 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Dold, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Arana; Louis M.
• Application Number:
  US11/010,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20050137475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 324/307, 324/309, 600/420, 600/424, 600/426
• US Class Current: 324/307
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1127 using markers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56509 due to motion, displacement or flow, e.g. gradient moment nulling G01R33/567 takes precedence

Abstract

An arrangement and a method for reducing movement artifacts in spatially resolved magnetic resonance measurements are proposed. A marker system which can emit or reflect at least one electromagnetic ray bundle is permanently connected to a measurement object. The electromagnetic ray bundles emanating from the marker system are projected by means of an imaging system onto spatially separated detector fields and movements of the measurement object are detected by means of the signals of the detector fields and by means of a triangulation method. A correction device generates a correction signal which correspondingly influences the magnetic resonance measurement. Also proposed is a marker system which has a mouthpiece and one or more hollow bodies which can reflect electromagnetic rays and are filled with a material which is visible during a magnetic resonance measurement.

Claims

1. An arrangement for reducing movement artifacts in images of an object obtained from spatially resolved magnetic resonance measurements, comprising:

a magnetic resonance apparatus adapted for producing spatially resolved magnetic resonance measurement of a measurement object;

a marker system comprising at least one source and at least one marker, wherein said marker system is adapted to emit from said at least one source at least one diverging electromagnetic ray bundle and to produce at least one diverging electromagnetic ray bundle by reflecting from said at least one marker electromagnetic rays produced by said at least one source, and wherein said marker system is adapted to be firmly connected to the measurement object;

at least two spatially separated detector fields;

at least one imaging system for imaging a portion of said at least one diverging electromagnetic ray bundle impinging the detector fields;

a position determination device for calculating at least one of position and alignment of said marker system from signals of the detector fields;

wherein said arrangement is also designed to determine position and alignment of said marker system from spatially resolved magnetic resonance measurement of said at least one marker;

wherein said arrangement is also designed to determine a correlation between position and alignment of said marker system obtained from said signals of the detector fields and position and alignment of said marker system obtained from said spatially resolved magnetic resonance measurement of said at least one marker, thereby enabling a coordinate transformation of the position and alignment information from a coordinate system of the detector fields to a coordinate system of the in the magnetic resonance apparatus;

a movement determination device for determining at least one of position and alignment of the measurement object from said at least one of position and alignment of said marker system; and

a correction device for generating a movement correction signal for driving the magnetic resonance apparatus.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the at least two detector fields are arranged so that rays of the at least one diverging ray bundle which emanates from the marker system can simultaneously reach a plurality of the detector fields and wherein the detector fields are arranged spaced apart from one another.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the marker system comprises a hollow body having a cavity;

the hollow body comprises at least one material surrounding the cavity, which material is adapted to reflect electromagnetic rays; and

the cavity of the hollow body is filled with a material which can be detected by a magnetic resonance measurement.

4. The arrangement of claim 1, further comprising:

a reference marker system which is adapted to reflect at least one electromagnetic ray bundle and which is firmly connected to the magnetic resonance apparatus; and

a noise correction device for correcting apparent fluctuations, which are not caused by movement of the measurement object, in at least one of the position and alignment of the marker system, which is connected to the measurement object.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the correction device is configured to generate movement correction signals which vary a magnetic field in the magnetic resonance apparatus.

6. A method of using a marker system for reducing movement artifacts in images of an object obtained from spatially resolved magnetic resonance measurements on a vertebrate or human, comprising:

adapting the marker system to emit at least one diverging electromagnetic ray bundle by reflecting electromagnetic rays and wherein the marker system can be firmly connected to a measurement object of a magnetic resonance measurement;

wherein the marker system comprises a mouthpiece configured for placing inside a mouth of the vertebrate or human and comprises a fastening device which is connected to the mouthpiece and which is to be placed outside the mouth;

wherein at least one marker, which is adapted to reflect at least one electromagnetic ray bundle, is fastened on the fastening device; and

correlating between (1) position and alignment of said marker system obtained from signals generated by parts of said at least one diverging electromagnetic ray bundle impinging at least two spatially separated detector fields and (2) position and alignment of said marker system obtained from said spatially resolved magnetic resonance measurement by a magnetic resonance apparatus of said marker system, thereby enabling a coordinate transformation of the position and alignment information from a coordinate system of the detector fields to a coordinate system of the magnetic resonance apparatus.

7. The method of using the marker system according to claim 6, wherein the marker system comprises as the marker three hollow bodies, each having a cavity;

each of the hollow bodies comprises at least one material surrounding the cavity, which material is adapted to reflect electromagnetic rays; and

the cavity of the hollow body is filled with a material which can be detected by the magnetic resonance measurement.

8. The method of using the marker system according to claim 6, wherein the mouthpiece is adapted to be fastened by means of under pressure on a palate or jaw of the vertebrate or human.

9. A method for reducing movement artifacts in images of an object obtained from spatially resolved magnetic resonance measurements, comprising:

producing with a marker system at least one electromagnetic ray bundle by reflecting electromagnetic rays, wherein said marker system is firmly connected to a measurement object;

recording images of the marker system at various angles of view;

obtaining from said images information relating to at least one of a translational and a rotation of the measurement object;

correlating between (1) position and alignment of said marker system obtained from said images and (2) position and alignment of said marker system obtained from spatially resolved magnetic resonance measurement by a magnetic resonance apparatus of said marker system, thereby enabling a coordinate transformation of the position and alignment information from a coordinate system of the detector fields to a coordinate system of the magnetic resonance apparatus; and

carrying out a movement correction during the magnetic resonance measurements between magnetic resonance measurements by using the information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a divergent electromagnetic ray bundle is irradiated in direction of the marker system;

and

a portion of the ray bundle is reflected by the marker system.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of an absolute position and alignment of the marker system in a coordinate system of said magnetic resonance apparatus is determined by a spatially resolving magnetic resonance measurement.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein information relating to at least one of a position and an alignment of a reference marker system, which is firmly connected to a magnetic resonance apparatus, is obtained;

apparent fluctuations, which are not caused by the movement of the measurement object, in the position the alignment of the marker system, are determined from this information; and

the apparent fluctuations are taken into account in the movement correction.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein at least two detector fields are arranged spaced apart from one another;

and

each of the detector fields detects information sufficient to produce one of the images of the marker system.