System and method for phase contrast imaging with improved efficiency

• US 8,838,204 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northshore University Healthsystem (Advocate Aurora Health, Inc.), Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Dept of Health and Human Services, Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG), The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Inventors: Edelman, Robert R, Glielmi, Christopher, Koktzoglou, Ioannis, Offerman, Erik J
• Primary Examiner(s): Roy, Baisakhi
• Application Number:
  US13/718,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20130184561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/410, 600/413, 600/419, 382/131, 324/309
• US Class Current: 600/413
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0044 for the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0263 using NMR
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5635 Angiography, e.g. contrast-enhanced angiography [CE-MRA] or time-of-flight angiography [TOF-MRA]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5673 Gating or triggering based on a physiological signal other than an MR signal, e.g. ECG gating or motion monitoring using optical systems for monitoring the motion of a fiducial marker

Abstract

A system and method is provided for magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) that includes performing a pulse sequence using the MRI system, the pulse sequence including a phase-based flow encoding to collect a time-series of image data from the portion of the vasculature of the subject and identifying at least a portion of the time series of image data corresponding to a period of reduced flow through the portion of the vasculature. The portion of the time series of image data is subtracted from the time series of image data to create a time series of images of the portion of the vasculature having background tissue surrounding the portion of the vasculature substantially suppressed.

Claims

1. A method of acquiring a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) image of a portion of a vasculature of a subject using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the method comprising:

performing a pulse sequence using the MRI system, the pulse sequence including a phase-based flow encoding to collect a time-series of image data from the portion of the vasculature of the subject;

monitoring, during the performing of the pulse sequence, a cardiac cycle of the subject and synchronizing the collection of the time-series of image data from the portion of the vasculature of the subject to the cardiac cycle of the subject;

identifying at least a portion of the time series of image data within the cardiac cycle and corresponding to a period of reduced flow through the portion of the vasculature; and

subtracting the portion of the time series of image data within the cardiac cycle from the time series of image data to create a time series of images of the portion of the vasculature having background tissue surrounding the portion of the vasculature substantially suppressed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying at least a portion of the time series of image data includes selecting at least one image frame to create a subtraction image.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein subtracting includes subtracting the subtraction image from each image frame reconstructed from the time series of image data.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein identifying at least a portion of the time series of image data includes selecting multiple image frames and averaging the multiple image frames to create a subtraction image.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein subtracting includes subtracting the subtraction image from each image frame reconstructed from the time series of image data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying includes selecting at least one image frame from a time series of images reconstructed from the time series of image data corresponding to reduced flow from through the portion of the vasculature.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein subtracting includes iteratively processing each image frame reconstructed from the time series of image data with respect to the identified at least a portion of the time series of image data.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a minority of image frames is acquired using a flow-rephased gradient waveform.

9. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprising:

a magnet system configured to generate a polarizing magnetic field about at least a portion of a subject arranged in the MRI system;

a plurality of gradient coils configured to apply a gradient field to the polarizing magnetic field;

a radio frequency (RF) system configured to apply an excitation field to the subject and acquire MR image data therefrom;

a computer system programmed to;

perform a pulse sequence using the MRI system, the pulse sequence including a phase-based flow encoding to collect a time-series of image data from the portion of the vasculature of the subject;

monitor, during the performing of the pulse sequence, a cardiac cycle of the subject and synchronize the collection of the time-series of image data from the portion of the vasculature of the subject to the cardiac cycle of the subject;

identify at least a portion of the time series of image data within the cardiac cycle and corresponding to a period of reduced flow through the portion of the vasculature; and

subtract the portion of the time series of image data within the cardiac cycle from the time series of image data to create a time series of images of the portion of the vasculature having background tissue surrounding the portion of the vasculature substantially suppressed.