Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance imaging method

• US 9,250,303 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• 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: Yamashita, Yuichi, Ichinose, Nobuyasu, Kitane, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): ARANA, LOUIS M
• Application Number:
  US13/852,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20130241554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 324/306, 324/307, 324/309
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0042 for the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• 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 33/28 Details of apparatus provided for in groups G01R33/44 - G01R33/64
• 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 33/5602 by filtering or weighting based on different relaxation times within the sample, e.g. T1 weighting using an inversion pulse
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56333 Involving spatial modulation of the magnetization within an imaged region, e.g. spatial modulation of magnetization [SPAMM] tagging perfusion imaging based on arterial spin tagging G01R33/56366
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection

Abstract

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a magnetic resonance data acquisition unit and a cerebrospinal fluid image data generation unit. The magnetic resonance data acquisition unit consecutively acquires a plurality of magnetic resonance data for generating a plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data, each corresponding to a different data acquisition time, after a labeling pulse is applied. The cerebrospinal fluid image data generation unit generates the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data based on the plurality of magnetic resonance data.

Claims

1. A computer processing and display system comprising:

a display device and a display processor including at least one computer, wherein the display processor is configured to;

acquire a plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets, each corresponding to a different data acquisition time and including labeled cerebrospinal fluid;

extract a cerebrospinal fluid region from each of the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets;

generate a cerebrospinal fluid image such that the labeled cerebrospinal fluid and unlabeled cerebrospinal fluid within the extracted cerebrospinal fluid region are distinguishable; and

display the generated cerebrospinal fluid image on the display device.

2. The computer processing and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the display processor is configured to generate a plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets whose coloring criteria are different from each other, by changing the coloring criteria in the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets according to an acquisition time of magnetic resonance data corresponding to each of the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets.

3. The computer processing and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the display processor is configured to generate the cerebrospinal fluid image by changing coloring criteria depending on a manner in which the imaged cerebrospinal fluid has experienced at least one labeling pulse.

4. The computer processing and display system according to claim 3, wherein

the display processor is configured to change coloring criteria between (a) the cerebrospinal fluid in the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets generated by applying a region selective inversion recovery pulse and a region non-selective inversion recovery pulse, and (b) the cerebrospinal fluid in the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets generated by applying a region non-selective inversion recovery pulse without applying a region selective inversion recovery pulse.

5. The computer processing and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the display processor is configured to generate the cerebrospinal fluid image by coloring a part of the displayed cerebrospinal fluid image.

6. The computer processing and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the display processor is configured to change a coloring criterion on the displayed cerebrospinal fluid image, depending on signal level of a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal of the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets.

7. The computer processing and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the display processor is configured to acquire the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets, each including the cerebrospinal fluid labeled in a striped pattern.

8. The computer processing and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the display processor is configured to acquire the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets, each including the cerebrospinal fluid labeled in a grid pattern.

9. The computer processing and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the display processor is configured to acquire the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets, each including the cerebrospinal fluid labeled in a radial pattern.

10. The computer processing and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the display processor is configured to acquire the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets, each including the cerebrospinal fluid labeled by a region selective inversion recovery pulse and a region non-selective inversion recovery pulse.

11. The computer processing and display system according to claim 1, wherein the display processor is configured to:

acquire the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets, each having a mutually different elapsed time from application of a labeling pulse;

set a threshold corresponding to the cerebrospinal fluid;

then extract each of said cerebrospinal fluid regions from the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets by performing threshold processing; and

generate a plurality of cerebrospinal fluid images, each corresponding to each of the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets, by coloring each of the displayed cerebrospinal fluid regions a chromatic color.

12. A magnetic resonance imaging MRI apparatus comprising:

an assembly of MRI gantry components including static and gradient magnetic field generators and at least one radio frequency (RF) coil defining an imaging volume;

an MRI control system, connected to control said gantry components, including at least one RF transmitter, at least one RF receiver and computer control circuits, wherein the MRI control system is configured to;

acquire a plurality of magnetic resonance data sets for generating a plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets, each corresponding to a different data acquisition time and including labeled cerebrospinal fluid;

extract a cerebrospinal fluid region from each of the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data sets, and to generate a cerebrospinal fluid image such that the labeled cerebrospinal fluid and unlabeled cerebrospinal fluid within the extracted cerebrospinal fluid region are distinguishable; and

cause a display device to display the generated cerebrospinal fluid image.

13. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the MRl control system is configured to consecutively acquire the plurality of magnetic resonance data sets after application of a labeling pulse.

14. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the MRl control system is configured to acquire the plurality of magnetic resonance data sets by repeating acquisition of magnetic resonance data sets for generating cerebrospinal fluid image data sets after application of a labeling pulse.