Patent classifications
G01R33/246
Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, RF coil, and magnetic resonance imaging method
An MRI apparatus according to an embodiment includes a whole body RF coil accommodated in a gantry. The whole body RF coil includes a first element unit used for transmission of a radio frequency magnetic field; and a second element unit used for reception of a magnetic resonance signal produced from a subject having been applied with the radio frequency magnetic field. The first element unit is a birdcage-type RF coil having two end rings and a plurality of rungs spaced apart from each other along the circumferential direction of the end rings. The second element unit is a microstrip antenna.
Method for controlling an MR apparatus
In a method for control, input magnetic field map data is received. In this case, the input magnetic field map data for at least one magnetic field type in each case describes a magnetic field map for a state that an examination object is in at an initial location in the MR apparatus. In this case, the estimated magnetic field map data for at least one magnetic field type in each case describes at least one magnetic field map for in each case a state that the examination object is in at an alternative location that is different compared to the initial location. Control data is determined by the system control unit, using the estimated magnetic field map data or using the input magnetic field map data and the estimated magnetic field map data. The control data is suitable for controlling the MR apparatus.
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ESTIMATING TRANSMIT ATTENUATION FOR A MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCAN
Various methods and systems are provided for correcting transmit attenuation of an amplifier of a transmit radio frequency (RF) coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. In one example, a method includes setting a reference value of transmit attenuation for an amplifier of a transmit radio frequency (RF) coil, acquiring a three-dimensional B.sub.1 field map with the transmit attenuation set at the reference value, determining a plurality of mean flip angles for a plurality of slice locations in a pre-scan imaging volume from the B.sub.1 field map, determining a transmit attenuation correction value for each of the slice locations based on a prescribed flip angle and the mean flip angle determined for the respective slice location, correcting the reference value of transmit attenuation with the transmit attenuation correction value at each of the slice locations to obtain a final value of transmit attenuation for each of the slice locations, and performing an MRI scan with the transmit attenuation set at the value.
High-Resolution Magnetographic Camera Based On Optically-Pumped Magnetometer
Various embodiments of the present technology relate generally to the field of imaging the spatial distribution of magnetic field of biologic and non-biologic materials that may change over time and more particularly to the apparatus and methods for making such a static or dynamic spatial imaging of magnetic field distributions. Some embodiments provide for apparatus and methods for a novel magnetographic camera which enables a unique ability to determine the spatial distribution of magnetic field in a biological or non-biological sample with high spatial and temporal resolutions and high sensitivity. The use of these embodiments will greatly expand the applications of OPM-based cameras in medicine, science and industry.
Methods and systems for estimating transmit attenuation for a magnetic resonance imaging scan
Various methods and systems are provided for correcting transmit attenuation of an amplifier of a transmit radio frequency (RF) coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. In one example, a method includes setting a reference value of transmit attenuation for an amplifier of a transmit radio frequency (RF) coil, acquiring a two-dimensional B.sub.1 field map with the transmit attenuation set at the reference value, determining a mean flip angle from the B.sub.1 field map, determining a transmit attenuation correction value based on a prescribed flip angle and the mean flip angle, correcting the reference value of transmit attenuation with the transmit attenuation correction value to obtain a final value of transmit attenuation, and performing an MRI scan with the transmit attenuation set at the value.
Method and apparatus for processing magnetic resonance data
A method of processing magnetic resonance (MR) data of a sample under investigation, includes the steps of providing the MR data being collected with an MRI scanner apparatus, and subjecting the MR data to a multi-parameter nonlinear regression procedure being based on a non-linear MR model and employing a set of input parameters, wherein the regression procedure results in creating a parameter map of model parameters of the sample, wherein the input parameters (initial values and possibly boundaries) of the regression procedure are estimated by a machine learning based estimation procedure applied to the MR data. The machine learning based estimation procedure preferably includes at least one of at least one neural network and a support vector machine. Furthermore, an MRI scanner apparatus is described.
Method and magnetic resonance apparatus correction of multiple distortion effects during magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance (MR) data are acquired from a volume segment of an examination object and an MR image composed of multiple image pixels is reconstructed therefrom. For a magnetic field assumed to have been generated by the scanner, a summed field deviation is calculated, from which a respective displacement vector is calculated for each image pixel. A signal portion is assigned to each image pixel that has been displaced with the respective displacement vector from the respective image pixel. The summed field deviation is the sum of deviations caused by at least two of: non-linearities in gradient coils, Maxwell fields, field inhomogeneities independent of the gradients, and dynamic field disturbances.
Radio-Frequency Field Inhomogeneity Correction in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
A method and device for radio-frequency field inhomogeneity correction in magnetic resonance imaging. The method includes: obtaining a first MR image by scanning a target tissue using a first pulse sequence; obtaining a B.sub.1.sup.+ field map of the target tissue; obtaining a B.sub.1.sup.−: field map of the target tissue based on the first MR image and the B.sub.1.sup.+ field map; and performing B1 field inhomogeneity correction on a second MR image of the target tissue based on the B.sub.1.sup.+ field map and the B.sub.1.sup.− field map, where the second MR image is an MR image obtained after scanning of the target tissue using any imaging protocol and any pulse sequence.
METHOD FOR CARRYING OUT POST-PROCESSING ON SAMPLES OF A WASAB1 ACQUISITION SEQUENCE
The invention relates to a method for carrying out post-processing on a first set of samples measuring the magnitude of a WASAB1 signal delivered by a magnetic-resonance medical-imaging apparatus. Such a method comprises a step of detecting the samples of a first set Z, for which samples the respective polarities of the values of the measured signal are known, and of constructing a second set Y of “polarised” samples. Such a method further comprises a step of fitting a determined model to said second set Y, the two parameters of the determined model describing the static magnetic field B0 and excitation magnetic field B1 of the magnetic-resonance medical-imaging apparatus, respectively, and of producing an estimation of the parameters B0 and B1 of the model. Such a method relates to any magnetic-resonance-imaging application in which a correction for inhomogeneities in the fields B0 and B1 is required.
B1+ MAPPING NEAR METALLIC HARDWARE
A method can include obtaining a scaling factor for a location proximate a metallic object by optimizing a function of an acquired dataset and a simulated dataset. The simulated dataset can include a first signal from a first pulse having a first excitation flip angle and a first refocusing flip angle. The simulated dataset can include a second signal from a second pulse having a second excitation flip angle and a second refocusing flip angle.