Method software and apparatus for acquiring MR-image data pertaining to a moving organ

• US 7,418,288 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2003
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Haselhoff, Eltjo Hans, Springorum, Rudof Theodoor
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur; Eric F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laryea; Lawrence N
• Application Number:
  US10/508,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 600/410, 600/437, 600/413, 600/419, 324/206, 324/309, 324/307, 378/4
• US Class Current: 600/413
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4835 of multiple slices
• 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 method for acquiring MR image data pertaining an organ, moving between a first extreme and a second extreme position such as in motion due to breathing of the patient to be examined. A scout film is registered of the organ concurrently with the registration of a signal that is indicative for the position of such organ. Real-time MR image data are acquired in at least one scan-plane of said organ, and the scan-plane is adjusted depending on the concurrently measured signal estimating the position of said organ. Several scan-planes are employed. For each individual scan-plane of said plurality of scan-planes, its position as a function of time is defined in relation to pre-selected organ-positions is measured with the scout-film. During the acquisition of the real-time MR image data the respective scan-positions are each individually adjusted, each scan-plane position thereby depending on the signal indicative for the position of the organ. In particular the invention is used in cardiac MR-imaging.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring image data pertaining to a moving heart, the method comprising:

in a scout process concurrently;

acquiring MR image data in stacks of scout scan planes between extreme positions of motion during a cardiac cycle and a respiratory cycle, the stack of scout scan planes including a plurality of scout scan planes,

acquiring ECG data,

monitoring a position of a lung/liver transition plane;

in a registration process;

determining a position of a selected portion of the heart in the acquired stacks of scout scan planes,

registering a relationship between cardiac positions in each scout scan plane of the stack of scout scan planes and the ECG data and the lung/liver transition plane,

during a real-time MR imaging process in which image data is acquired in each of a multiplicity of imaging scan planes arranged in a stack;

acquiring the ECG data;

monitoring the position of the lung/liver interface;

in accordance with the determined registered relation between the ECG data and the lung/liver transition plane relative to the cardiac position in each of the scout scan planes in the stack, determining a positional offset corresponding to each of the image scan planes;

adjusting a position of each imaging scan plane in accordance with the corresponding determined positional offset, such that the imaging scan planes in the stack are positionally adjusted differently.

2. A method of acquiring MR image data pertaining to a moving organ, which organ moves between extreme positions, the method comprising:

registering a scout film including a series of stacks of scout scan planes with at least one signal that is indicative of a position of the organ to determine a relationship between the position indicative signal and the organ position in each of the scout scan planes of the scout film;

concurrently monitoring the position indicative signal and acquiring a real-time MR image including a stack of image scan planes, during the real-time image acquisition adjusting a position of each imaging scan plane individually in accordance with the monitored position indicative signal and the determined relationship between the position indicative signal and the organ position in a corresponding scout scan planes of the scout film.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the position indicative signal is responsive to a breathing cycle of a patient whose organ is being imaged.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the position indicative signal is responsive to autonomous motion of the organ being imaged.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the organ is a heart and the position indicative signal is at least one of an ECG signal and a signal indicative of a location of a lung/liver transitional plane.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the organ is a heart and the position indicative signal is based on both an ECG signal and a location of a lung/liver transitional plane.

7. The method according to claim 2, wheerein adjusting the position of each image scan plane includes:

positionally adjusting each imaging scan plane that corresponds to a scout scan plane in accordance with the determined relationship between the position indicative signal and the organ position in the corresponding scout scan planes; and

positionally adjusting each imaging scan plane that is between a pair of scout scan planes by interpolating the determined relationship between the position indicative signal and the organ positions in the corresponding pair of scout scan planes.