Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and method

• US 7,944,209 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Abe, Takayuki, Takahashi, Tetsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Arana; Louis M
• Application Number:
  US12/295,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20100244823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 324/309, 324/312
• US Class Current: 324/309
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/704 Tables
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/243 Spatial mapping of the polarizing magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/543 Control of the operation of the MR system, e.g. setting of acquisition parameters prior to or during MR data acquisition, dynamic shimming, use of one or more scout images for scan plane prescription G01R33/546 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56375 Intentional motion of the sample during MR, e.g. moving table imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56383 involving motion of the sample as a whole, e.g. multistation MR or MR with continuous table motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56563 caused by a distortion of the main magnetic field B0, e.g. temporal variation of the magnitude or spatial inhomogeneity of B0 G01R33/56509, G01R33/56518, G01R33/56536 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/58 Calibration of imaging systems, e.g. using test probes , Phantoms; Calibration objects or fiducial markers such as active or passive RF coils surrounding an MR active material

Abstract

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is configured to generate a correcting magnetic field for correcting a static magnetic field, based on a first set of information representing an inhomogeneous distribution of the static magnetic field generated depending on the characteristic of the static magnetic field generating means, a second set of information representing an inhomogeneous distribution of the static magnetic field generated depending on the tissue of the object, a third set of information corresponding to a set field of view for imaging in a desired region of the object.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

static magnetic field generating means for generating a static magnetic field in an imaging space;

measuring means for generating a high-frequency magnetic field and a gradient magnetic field in the imaging space and measuring a nuclear magnetic resonance signal generated from an object to be examined placed in the imaging space;

signal processing means for reconstructing a magnetic resonance image based on the nuclear magnetic resonance signal;

control means for controlling the measuring means and the signal processing means; and

display means for displaying the magnetic resonance image obtained by the signal processing means,

characterized in further comprising;

storing means for storing a first set of information representing inhomogeneous distribution of the static magnetic field generated depending on the characteristic of the static magnetic field generating means and a second set of information representing inhomogeneous distribution of the static magnetic field generated depending on a tissue of the object;

setting means for setting an imaging FOV in a desired region of the object;

selecting means, from among the second set of information, for selecting the information corresponding to the set imaging FOV as a third set of information; and

correcting magnetic field generating means for generating a correcting magnetic field for correcting the static magnetic field based on the third set of information and the first set of information.

2. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 comprising adding means for obtaining a fourth set of information by adding the third set of information and the first set of information, wherein the correcting magnetic field generating means generates the correcting magnetic field based on the fourth set of information.

3. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in comprising obtaining means for obtaining the first set of information and the second set of information.

4. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the obtaining means for obtaining the second set of information, comprises:

means for measuring a fifth set of information representing inhomogeneous distribution of the static magnetic field generated when the object is placed in the imaging space; and

subtracting means for subtracting the first set of information from the fifth set of information.

5. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in comprising moving means for moving the object in a static magnetic field.

6. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control means changes generation amount of the correcting magnetic field in accordance with the movement of the object by the moving means.

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

the moving means moves the object step-wise; and

the correcting magnetic field generating means changes the generation amount of the correcting magnetic field based on the fourth set of information which is added with respect to every step.

8. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the moving means moves the object continuously; and

the correcting magnetic field generating means generates the correcting magnetic field based on the fourth set of the information which is added with respect to every collection of more than at least one nuclear magnetic signal.

9. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the obtaining means comprises;

derivative distribution calculating means for calculating a sixth set of information representing the distribution of spatial derivative value of the second set of information based on the difference information of the fifth set of information obtained in the case that the measurement is performed when the object is placed in adjacent two positions; and

integral processing means for calculating the second set of information by integral processing of the sixth set of information obtained by the derivative distribution calculation means.

10. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the obtaining means comprises means for calculating the first set of information by subtracting the second set of information obtained by the integral processing means from the fifth set of information.

11. A magnetic resonance imaging method for obtaining a nuclear magnetic resonance image of an object to be examined placed in a static magnetic field, said method comprising:

(1) storing a first set of information representing inhomogeneous distribution of the static magnetic field and a second set of information representing inhomogeneous distribution of the static magnetic field generated depending on a tissue of the object;

(2) a step for setting an imaging FOV for representing a desired region of the object;

(3) a step, from among the second set of information, for selecting the information corresponding to the set imaging FOV as a third set of information;

(4) a step for obtaining a fourth set of information by adding the third set of information and the first set of information; and

(5) a step for generating a correcting magnetic field based on the fourth set of information, and measuring a nuclear magnetic field generated thereby.

12. The magnetic resonance imaging method according to claim 11, further comprising:

a step for measuring the first set of the information.

13. The magnetic resonance imaging method according to claim 12, further comprising:

a step for measuring the second set of information.

14. The magnetic resonance imaging method according to claim 13, further comprising:

a step for measuring the fifth set of information in the case that the table to which the object is placed is arranged in more than at least one position; and

a step for calculating the second set of information by subtracting the first set of information from the fifth set of information.

15. The magnetic resonance imaging method according to claim 11, wherein:

the measurement of the nuclear magnetic resonance signal in (5) is executed while moving the object stepwise; and

the fourth set of information is obtained in (4) by calculating with respect to imaging FOV of the respective positions of every step.

16. The magnetic resonance imaging method according to claim 11, wherein:

the measurement of the nuclear magnetic resonance signal in (5) is executed while the object is moving continuously; and

the fourth set of information is obtained in (4) by calculating with respect to every collection of more than at least one nuclear magnetic resonance signal.

17. The magnetic resonance imaging method according to claim 16, wherein the calculation with respect to every collection of more than at least one nuclear magnetic resonance signal means the calculation with respect to every one cycle of echo signal acquisition of an overall phase encode.

18. The magnetic resonance imaging method according to claim 17, characterized in that the echo signal wherein the phase encode is zero at the central timing is measured in echo signal acquisition for each cycle.

19. The magnetic resonance imaging method according to claim 13, further comprising:

(9) a step for calculating a sixth set of information representing the spatial derivative value of the second set of information based on the difference information of the two fifth sets of information obtained upon measurement when the object is placed in two adjacent positions; and

(10) a step for calculating the second set of information by integral processing of the sixth set of information obtained in (9).

20. The magnetic resonance imaging method according to claim 19, further comprising:

(11) a step for subtracting the second set of information obtained in (10) from the fifth set of information.