Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance imaging method

• US 9,217,785 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US13/714,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20130154645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 324/314, 324/309, 324/307
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4833 using spatially selective excitation of the volume of interest, e.g. selecting non-orthogonal or inclined slices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/54 Signal processing systems, e.g. using pulse sequences ; Generation or control of pulse sequences; Operator console
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/546 Interface between the MR system and the user, e.g. for controlling the operation of the MR system or for the design of pulse sequences

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes an imaging condition setting unit and an imaging unit. The imaging condition setting unit is configured to display a setting screen of a radio frequency prepulse on a display unit to set imaging conditions including application timings of radio frequency prepulses according to input information from an input device through the setting screen. The setting screen displays an application timing of a radio frequency excitation pulse and the application timings of the radio frequency prepulses on a time axis. The imaging unit is configured to perform imaging of an object according to the imaging condition.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

a control system including a computer configured to display a setting screen of a radio frequency prepulse on a display unit to set imaging conditions including application timings of radio frequency prepulses according to input information from an input device through the setting screen, the setting screen displaying an application timing of a radio frequency excitation pulse and the application timings of the corresponding radio frequency prepulses on a time axis; and

an assembly operatively coupled to the control system and including a magnet, a gradient coil and at least one radio frequency coil, the assembly configured to perform imaging of an object according to the imaging conditions.

2. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to display an application region of a region selective pulse among the radio frequency prepulses on positioning images and to provide for changing an application region of a selected region selective pulse to non-display on a selected positioning image.

3. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to display an application region of a region selective pulse among the radio frequency prepulses and to provide for changing an application region of a selected region selective pulse to not display.

4. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to display an application region of a region selective pulse among the radio frequency prepulses.

5. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to perform a display control to change and display a user interface on a display unit, the user interface being for adjusting an application condition for a selected radio frequency prepulse of the radio frequency prepulses.

6. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to provide for changing a selected radio frequency prepulse out of the radio frequency prepulses, from a region selective pulse to a region non-selective pulse or from the region non-selective pulse to the region selective pulse.

7. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to display a first figure showing a region selective pulse and a second figure showing a region non-selective pulse on the time axis, the second figure being different from the first figure.

8. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to display figures showing the radio frequency prepulses on the time axis and to update positions of the figures to positions corresponding to adjusted application timings when application timings of the radio frequency prepulses are adjusted.

9. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to display an application timing of a selected radio frequency prepulse of the radio frequency prepulses emphatically on the time axis and to display an application region of the selected radio frequency prepulse emphatically on at least one positioning image.

10. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to display at least one of elapsed times from an arbitrary pulse and inversion recovery times corresponding to the radio frequency prepulses with figures indicating the radio frequency prepulses on the time axis.

11. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to set imaging conditions including application timings of radio frequency prepulses consisting of at least one of a region non-selective inversion recovery pulse, a region selective inversion recovery pulse and a presaturation pulse.

12. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 4,

wherein said computer is configured to display application timings of the radio frequency prepulses including a region non-selective pulse on the time axis and to display a setting screen on the display unit, the setting screen displaying information other than application information of the region non-selective pulse on a display region of the application region of the region selective pulse.

13. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 4,

wherein said computer is configured to display application timings of the radio frequency prepulses including a region non-selective pulse on the time axis and to display a setting screen on the display unit, the setting screen displaying application information of the region non-selective pulse on a display region of the application region of the region selective pulse.

14. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to display a setting screen on the display unit, the setting screen displaying a screen for independently editing an application condition of each of the radio frequency prepulses, the screen being changeable to another screen by a tab displayed on the display unit.

15. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said computer is configured to display the setting screen of the radio frequency prepulses on the display unit, the setting screen displaying the application timing of the radio frequency excitation pulse and the application timings of the radio frequency prepulses on a same time axis.

16. A magnetic resonance imaging method comprising:

displaying a setting screen of a radio frequency prepulse on a display unit to set imaging conditions including application timings of radio frequency prepulses according to input information from an input device through the setting screen, the setting screen displaying an application timing of a radio frequency excitation pulse and the application timings of the corresponding radio frequency prepulses on a time axis; and

performing imaging of an object according to the set imaging conditions.