Motion correction for magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) with 3D radial acquisitions

• US 9,788,761 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Aiming, Ouyang, Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pu, Ruifeng
• Application Number:
  US14/191,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20150241538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0042 for the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0263 using NMR
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7214 using signal cancellation, e.g. based on input of two identical physiological sensors spaced apart, or based on two signals derived from the same sensor, for different optical wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4826 in three dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56366 Perfusion imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56509 due to motion, displacement or flow, e.g. gradient moment nulling G01R33/567 takes precedence

Abstract

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, method and/or computer readable medium is configured to effect magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) images with reduced motion artifacts includes acquiring a plurality of k-space data sets by traversing a plurality of radial trajectories in three-dimensional (3D) k-space, generating a plurality of 3D MR images derived from k-space populated by the k-space data sets, aligning the 3D MR images with respect to each other, determining one or more motion parameters for the object based upon the aligning, modifying values of k-space data sets using the determined one or more motion parameters, generating a motion-corrected 3D MR image from a combination of acquired k-space data sets including the modified values.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system for effecting magnetic resonance (MR) images with reduced motion artifacts, said MRI system comprising:

an MRI gantry including a static magnetic field coil, gradient magnetic field coils, at least one radio frequency (RF) coil configured to transmit RF signals into an imaging volume and/or to receive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) RF signals from an object located in the imaging volume; and

at least one digital data processor coupled to receive digitized MR data from said at least one RF coil, said at least one processor being configured to;

acquire a plurality of k-space data sets, each k-space data set being acquired by traversing a plurality of radial trajectories of locations in three-dimensional (3D) k-space;

generate a plurality of 3D MR images, each 3D MR image derived from a k-space populated by a respective one of the k-space data sets;

align the 3D MR images with respect to each other;

determine one or more motion parameters for the object based upon the aligning;

modify, using the determined one or more motion parameters, values of at least one of the acquired k-space data sets;

generate a motion-corrected 3D MR image by constructing it from a set of corrected sets of acquired k-space data including the modified values; and

output the motion-corrected 3D MR image to a display, a data storage, or to a data transmission port.

2. The MRI system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sequence controller configured to apply an MR sequence comprising a plurality of labeling pulses to the object,

wherein each of the acquired k-space data sets is acquired after a respective application of the plurality of labeling pulses.

3. The MRI system of claim 2, wherein the MR sequence comprises at least one background suppression radio frequency pulse preceding the plurality of labeling pulses.

4. The MRI system of claim 2, wherein the MR sequence includes a pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (PCASL) sequence.

5. The MRI system of claim 1, further comprising an interface for configuring the MR sequence performed by the sequence controller.

6. The MRI system of claim 1, wherein respective ones of the radial trajectories include a center of k-space.

7. The MRI system of claim 6, wherein said each of the radial trajectories include the origin location of k-space.

8. The MRI system of claim 1, further comprising an interface for configuring one or more parameters for 3D radial acquisitions,

wherein for each k-space data set, the traversed plurality of radial trajectories correspond to the configured one or more parameters.

9. The MRI system of claim 8, wherein the configured one or more parameters include at least one pattern for three dimensional radial acquisitions,

wherein for each k-space data set, the traversed plurality of radial trajectories correspond to the at least one pattern.

10. The MRI system of claim 1, wherein each of the k-space data sets under samples k-space.

11. The MRI system of claim 1, wherein said each k-space data set comprises radial trajectories substantially evenly distributed throughout k-space.

12. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method for effecting magnetic resonance (MR) images with reduced motion artifacts, said MRI method comprising:

placing an object into an MRI gantry including a static magnetic field coil, gradient magnetic field coils, at least one radio frequency (RF) coil configured to transmit RF signals into an imaging volume and/or to receive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) RF signals from said object when located in the imaging volume;

acquiring a plurality of k-space data sets, each k-space data set being acquired by traversing a plurality of radial trajectories of locations in three-dimensional (3D) k-space;

generating a plurality of 3D MR images, each 3D MR image derived from a k-space populated by a respective one of the k-space data sets;

aligning the 3D MR images with respect to each other;

determining one or more motion parameters for the object based upon the aligning;

modifying, using the determined one or more motion parameters, values of at least one of the acquired k-space data sets;

generating a motion-corrected 3D MR image by constructing it from a set of corrected sets of acquired k-space data including the modified values; and

outputting the motion-corrected 3D MR image to a display, a data storage, or to a data transmission port.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having executable computer program instructions recorded thereon, which when executed by at least one processor of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system having an MRI gantry including a static magnetic field coil, gradient magnetic field coils, at least one radio frequency (RF) coil configured to transmit RF signals into an imaging volume and/or to receive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) RF signals from an object located in the imaging volume, causes the at least one processor to generate a diagnostic image having reduced motion artifacts, by performing operations comprising:

acquiring a plurality of k-space data sets, each k-space data set being acquired by traversing a plurality of radial trajectories of locations in three-dimensional (3D) k-space;

generating a plurality of 3D MR images, each 3D MR image derived from a k-space populated by a respective one of the k-space data sets;

aligning the 3D MR images with respect to each other;

determining one or more motion parameters for the object based upon the aligning;

modifying, using the determined one or more motion parameters, values of at least one of the acquired k-space data sets;

generating a motion-corrected 3D MR image by constructing it from a set of corrected sets of acquired k-space data including the modified values; and

outputting the motion-corrected 3D MR image to a display, a data storage, or to a data transmission port.