Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance imaging method

• US 7,965,079 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Furudate, Naoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Arana; Louis M
• Application Number:
  US12/481,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20090309592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 324/306, 324/309
• US Class Current: 324/306
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/56 by using electric or magnetic effects G01F1/66 takes precedence
• 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 33/56308 Characterization of motion or flow; Dynamic imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5635 Angiography, e.g. contrast-enhanced angiography [CE-MRA] or time-of-flight angiography [TOF-MRA]

Abstract

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a fluid image data acquisition unit and a flow velocity measuring unit. The a fluid image data acquisition unit acquires fluid image data, corresponding to mutually different inversion times, by imaging with applying at least three inversion recovery pulses having the inversion times. The flow velocity measuring unit obtains a flow velocity of fluid based on time variation of a signal intensity depending on the inversion times at each of plural positions and a distance between the plural positions.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

a fluid image data acquisition unit configured to acquire plural pieces of fluid image data from an object by imaging with applying at least three inversion recovery pulses having mutually different inversion times, the plural pieces of the fluid image data corresponding to the inversion times; and

a flow velocity measuring unit configured to obtain a flow velocity of fluid based on time variation of a signal intensity depending on the inversion times at each of plural positions set in at least one of the plural pieces of the fluid image data and a distance between the plural positions.

2. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said fluid image data acquisition unit is configured to acquire plural pieces of blood flow image data as the plural pieces of the fluid image data.

3. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said fluid image data acquisition unit is configured to acquire plural pieces of non-contrast-enhanced blood flow image data as the plural pieces of the fluid image data by a spin echo sequence.

4. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said fluid image data acquisition unit is configured to acquire plural pieces of contrast-enhanced blood flow image data as the plural pieces of the fluid image data by a field echo sequence.

5. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a setting unit configured to set a desired inversion time based on the plural pieces of the fluid image data corresponding to the inversion times; and

an imaging unit configured to acquire image data by imaging under an inversion recovery method according to the desired inversion time as an imaging condition.

6. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a setting unit configured to set a desired inversion time based on the plural pieces of the fluid image data corresponding to the inversion times; and

an imaging unit configured to acquire image data by imaging with a Time Spatial Labeling Inversion Pulse sequence according to the desired inversion time as an imaging condition.

7. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an imaging unit configured to acquire image data by imaging with a Time Spatial Labeling Inversion Pulse sequence according to the flow velocity of the fluid as an imaging condition.

8. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said flow velocity measuring unit is configured to obtain an average velocity of the fluid on a path of the fluid.

9. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said fluid image data acquisition unit is configured to acquire plural pieces of blood flow image data with tagging blood flow by applying region-selective inversion recovery pulses in a region including a upstream blood vessel of a target blood vessel.

10. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 5,

wherein said fluid image data acquisition unit is configured to acquire plural pieces of two-dimensional fluid image data.

11. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 6,

wherein said fluid image data acquisition unit is configured to acquire plural pieces of two-dimensional fluid image data.

12. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 7,

wherein said fluid image data acquisition unit is configured to acquire plural pieces of two-dimensional fluid image data.

13. A magnetic resonance imaging method comprising:

acquiring plural pieces of fluid image data from an object by imaging with applying at least three inversion recovery pulses having mutually different inversion times, the plural pieces of the fluid image data corresponding to the inversion times; and

obtaining a flow velocity of fluid based on time variation of a signal intensity depending on the inversion times at each of plural positions set in at least one of the plural pieces of the fluid image data and a distance between the plural positions.