Apparatus and method for reducing image artifact

• US 7,432,710 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Takei, Naoyuki, Tsukamoto, Tetsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Vargas; Dixomara
• Application Number:
  US11/538,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20070080690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 324300-322, 600410-435
• US Class Current: 324/318
• 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 33/5676 Gating or triggering based on an MR signal, e.g. involving one or more navigator echoes for motion monitoring and correction

Abstract

For the purpose of preventing development of motion artifacts and improving image quality, a first displacement N1 of the diaphragm before a scanning section 2 performs an imaging sequence and a second displacement N2 of the diaphragm after the scanning section 2 has performed the imaging sequence are detected by a body motion detecting section 25 as displacement caused by respiratory motion of a subject. Thereafter, based on the first displacement N1 and second displacement N2 of the diaphragm detected by the body motion detecting section 25, imaging data is selected as raw data by a raw data selecting section 26. Then, based on the imaging data selected as raw data by the raw data selecting section 26, a slice image of the subject is produced by an image producing section 31.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

a scanning device configured to repetitively perform an imaging sequence in which an electromagnetic wave is emitted toward a subject in a static magnetic field space to excite an imaged region in the subject, and magnetic resonance signals generated in the imaged region in the subject are acquired as imaging data;

a body motion detecting device configured to repetitively detect a displacement caused by body motion of the subject each time said scanning device performs the imaging sequence;

a raw data selecting device configured to select the imaging data acquired by said scanning device performing the imaging sequence as raw data based on the displacement caused by body motion of the subject detected by said body motion detecting device; and

an image producing device configured to produce an image of the subject based on the imaging data selected as raw data by said raw data selecting device,

wherein said body motion detecting device is configured to detect, as the displacement caused by body motion of the subject, a first displacement before said scanning device performs the imaging sequence and a second displacement after said scanning device has performed the imaging sequence, and

said raw data selecting device is configured to select the imaging data as raw data based on the first displacement detected by said body motion detecting device and the second displacement detected by said body motion detecting device.

2. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

if the first displacement and the second displacement fall within a specified range, said raw data selecting device is configured to select imaging data corresponding to the first displacement and the second displacement within the specified range as raw data.

3. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said raw data selecting device is configured to calculate an absolute value of a difference between the first displacement and the second displacement, and to select the imaging data as raw data based on the calculated absolute value.

4. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

if an absolute value of the difference between the first displacement and the second displacement falls within a specified value, said raw data selecting device is configured to select imaging data as raw data.

5. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said body motion detecting device is configured to detect a displacement of the subject caused by respiratory motion.

6. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said scanning device is configured to repetitively perform the imaging sequence for each cardiac cycle of the subject; and

said body motion detecting device is configured to detect the first displacement and the second displacement for each cardiac cycle of the subject.

7. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

said scanning device is configured to repetitively perform the imaging sequence at a first phase over a plurality of cardiac cycles of the subject; and

said body motion detecting device is configured to repetitively detect the first displacement at the first phase over the plurality of cardiac cycles of the subject, and to repetitively detect the second displacement at the first phase over the plurality of cardiac cycles of the subject.

8. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said scanning device is configured to perform a first navigator sequence in order to acquire the magnetic resonance signals as first navigator echo data before performing the imaging sequence, and to perform a second navigator sequence in order to acquire the magnetic resonance signals as second navigator echo data after performing the imaging sequence; and

said body motion detecting device is configured to detect the first displacement based on the first navigator echo data acquired by said scanning device during the first navigator sequence, and to detect the second displacement based on the second navigator echo data acquired by said scanning device during the second navigator sequence.

9. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

said scanning device is configured to perform the first navigator sequence and the second navigator sequence in order to acquire the first navigator echo data and the second navigator echo data for a region containing the diaphragm of the subject.

10. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a display device comprising a display screen configured to display an image of the subject produced by said image producing device.

11. A method for reducing imaging artifacts in a magnetic resonance image, said method comprising:

performing an imaging sequence in which an electromagnetic wave is emitted toward a subject in a static magnetic field space to excite an imaged region in the subject;

detecting a displacement of the subject for each imaging sequence performed;

selecting raw imaging data that is acquired during the performed imaging sequence based on the displacement of the subject caused by a body motion of the subject; and

producing an image of the subject based on the selected raw imaging data.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein detecting a displacement of the subject further comprises:

detecting a first displacement of the subject caused by a first body motion of the subject prior to performing the imaging sequence;

detecting a second displacement of the subject caused by a second body motion of the subject after the imaging sequence is performed; and

selecting the raw data based on the first displacement and the second displacement.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising

detecting the first displacement of the subject caused by a body motion of the subject prior to performing the imaging sequence when the first displacement falls within a specified range;

and

selecting the raw data based when the first displacement is within the specified range.

14. A method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising

detecting the second displacement of the subject caused by a body motion of the subject prior to performing the imaging sequence when the second displacement falls within a specified range;

and

selecting the raw data based when the second displacement is within the specified range.

15. A method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising:

calculating an absolute value of a difference between the first displacement and the second displacement; and

selecting the imaging data raw data based on the calculated absolute value.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising:

determining if the absolute value of the difference between the first displacement and the second displacement falls within a specified value; and

selecting the imaging data as raw data based on the determined absolute value.

17. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein detecting a displacement of the subject further comprises detecting the displacement of the subject caused by respiratory motion.

18. A method in accordance with claim 11, further comprising:

performing the imaging sequence for each cardiac cycle of the subject; and

detecting a displacement of the subject for each cardiac cycle of the subject.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising:

performing the imaging sequence at the same phase in each cardiac cycle of the subject; and

detecting a displacement of the subject for each phase in the cardiac cycle of the subject.

20. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising:

performing a first navigator sequence to acquire a plurality of magnetic resonance signals as first navigator echo data before performing the imaging sequence;

performing a second navigator sequence to acquire a plurality of magnetic resonance signals after performing the imaging sequence; and

detecting the first displacement based on the first navigator echo data acquired; and

detecting the second displacement based on the second navigator echo data acquired.