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Magnetic resonance imaging of ventilation and perfusion in the lung

  • US 9,750,427 B2
  • Filed: 12/07/2011
  • Issued: 09/05/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A computer-implemented method using magnetic resonance imaging to characterize ventilation and perfusion in a lung, comprising:

  • acquiring, using a magnetic resonance imaging (MM) machine under the control of a processing unit, a magnetic resonance (MR) image of the lung that includes MR data in a voxel of the MR image, wherein the acquiring causes the MM machine to measure a breathing frequency value;

    determining, by the processing unit a water density value and a perfusion value in at least one voxel of the MR image based on the MR data;

    determining, by the processing unit from the water density value, an air content value in the at least one voxel;

    determining, by the processing unit, a specific ventilation value in the at least one voxel based on a time delay between an onset of a stimulus to the lung and a response detected in the at least one voxel;

    determining, by the processing unit a ventilation-perfusion ratio value that is the product of the specific ventilation value, the air content value, the inverse of the perfusion value, and the breathing frequency value; and

    evaluating, by the processing unit, a spatial distribution of the specific ventilation value, perfusion value, and the ventilation-perfusion ratio by computing a standard deviation of the specific ventilation value and perfusion value;

    wherein the specific ventilation value is computed by SVI*(1−

    density)*fB wherein SVI represents quantitative data from the MR image, (1−

    density) represents the air content value, and fB represents the breathing frequency value, thereby determining when the lung is diseased.

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