In various embodiments, the invention teaches systems and methods for magnetic resonance imaging. In some embodiments, the invention teaches systems and methods for determining the source of pain in intervertebral discs by measuring one or more physiological biomarkers associated with disc pain and/or disc degeneration.

The present disclosure relates to an MRI system and a method and device for determining a waveform of oblique scanning. Specifically, provided are a magnetic resonance imaging system, a method and device for determining a gradient waveform of oblique scanning, and a computer-readable storage medium. The method includes: generating an initial physical axis gradient waveform on a physical axis, the physical axis including a first physical axis, a second physical axis, and a third physical axis, wherein gradient waveforms on the three physical axes have the same inflection time; converting the initial physical axis gradient waveform into a logical axis gradient waveform, an inflection point of the logical axis gradient waveform being the same as the inflection time of the initial physical axis gradient waveform; re-converting the logical axis gradient waveform into a physical axis gradient waveform; and using, during the oblique scanning of magnetic resonance imaging, the converted physical axis gradient waveform to drive a gradient amplifier.

In a method for automatic control of an examination sequence in magnetic resonance (MR) system during recording of MR signals in an examination segment of a person being examined, which has two tissue components with two different MR resonant frequencies, an examination sequence for examination of the examination segment is determined. Further, whether the examination sequence includes an imaging sequence in which one of the two tissue components is to be suppressed and for which at least two different suppression options exist to reduce the one of the two tissue components during the recording of the MR signals is determined. In response to the determination that the examination sequencing included the imaging sequence, the method can include determining a sequence parameter of the examination for the imaging sequence; and selecting one of the at least two suppression options as a function of the sequence parameter determined for the imaging sequence.

A method for 3D oscillating-gradient prepared gradient spin-echo imaging and a device. The imaging method comprises the following steps: first, using a global saturation module to destroy previous residual transverse magnetization; second, embedding a pair of trapezoidal cosine oscillating gradients into a 90°.sub.x-180°.sub.y-90°.sub.−x radiofrequency pulse by a diffusion encoding module, to separate diffusion encoding from signal acquisition; then, using a fat saturation module to suppress a fat signal; finally, acquiring a signal by means of gradient spin-echo readout, and correcting phase errors among multiple excitations by multiplexed sensitivity-encoding reconstruction. Compared with a 2D plane echo-based oscillating gradient diffusion sequence used on a 3T clinical system, a 3D oscillating-gradient prepared gradient spin-echo sequence effectively reduces the imaging time, improves the signal to noise ratio, and is beneficial to clinical transformation of time-dependent diffusion MRI technology

A system and method comprises execution of a segmented magnetic resonance imaging pulse sequence, the pulse sequence including a plurality of shots, each of the plurality of shots including an inversion recovery preparation pulse and acquiring a respective segment of k-space lines, wherein each shot comprises a different inversion time between a peak of the inversion recovery pulse and a midpoint of the acquisition of the respective segment of k-space lines, and reconstruction of an image based on the acquired respective segments of k-space lines. In some aspects, the k-space lines acquired by each shot are consecutive in a phase encoding direction of k-space and each shot acquires the segments of k-space lines acquired by prior shots in the sequence, and a time delay between the inversion recovery preparation pulse and acquisition of a first segment for each shot is equal. In other aspects, each shot acquires its respective segment using interleaved reordering and the time delay between the inversion recovery preparation pulse and acquisition of the respective segment for each shot is different.

Systems and methods are provided for processing a set of multiple serially acquired magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) free induction decay (FID) frames from a multi-frame MRS acquisition series from a region of interest (ROI) in a subject, and for providing a post-processed MRS spectrum. Processing parameters are dynamically varied while measuring results to determine the optimal post-processed results. Spectral regions opposite water from chemical regions of interest are evaluated and used in at least one processing operation. Frequency shift error is estimated via spectral correlation between free induction decay (FID) frames and a reference spectrum. Multiple groups of FID frames within the acquired set are identified to different phases corresponding with a phase step cycle of the acquisition. Baseline correction is also performed via rank order filter (ROF) estimate and a polynomial fit. Sections of the ROF may be excluded from the polynomial fit, such as for example sections determined to be associated with relevant spectral peaks.

Systems and methods are provided for processing a set of multiple serially acquired magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) free induction decay (FID) frames from a multi-frame MRS acquisition series from a region of interest (ROI) in a subject, and for providing a post-processed MRS spectrum. Processing parameters are dynamically varied while measuring results to determine the optimal post-processed results. Spectral regions opposite water from chemical regions of interest are evaluated and used in at least one processing operation. Frequency shift error is estimated via spectral correlation between free induction decay (FID) frames and a reference spectrum. Multiple groups of FID frames within the acquired set are identified to different phases corresponding with a phase step cycle of the acquisition. Baseline correction is also performed via rank order filter (ROF) estimate and a polynomial fit. Sections of the ROF may be excluded from the polynomial fit, such as for example sections determined to be associated with relevant spectral peaks.

A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system includes a transmit radio frequency (RF) coil assembly comprising multiple capacitor banks each coupled to at least one diode that is characterized by a high breakdown voltage such that when the transmit RF coil assembly applies at least one slice-selecting RF pulse to a portion of a subject placed in the magnet to select a particular slice for MR imaging, the capacitor banks are selectively adjusted to improve an RF transmission characteristics of the RF coil assembly in transmitting the at least one slice-selecting RF pulse. The MR imaging system may further include a receive radio frequency (RF) coil assembly configured to, in response to at least the slice-selecting RF pulse, receive at least one response radio frequency (RF) pulse emitted from the selected slice of the portion of the subject; a housing; a main magnet; gradient coils; and a control unit.

A method is provided for the saturation-prepared recording of MR image data. The method includes establishment of at least two measurement slices in an examination volume of an examination object, wherein the examination volume has adjacent slices which each adjoin at least one of the at least two measurement slices; output of a saturation module including at least one saturation pulse for saturating a magnetization of the adjacent slices; output of an excitation pulse for exciting a magnetization of at least one of the at least two measurement slices; readout of an MR signal of the examination volume; reconstruction of the MR image data from the at least two measurement slices based on the MR signal; and provision of the MR image data. The disclosure further relates to a magnetic resonance system and a computer program product.

Methods, computer-readable storage devices, and systems are described for reducing movement of a patient undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan by aligning MRI data, the method implemented on a Framewise Integrated Real-time MRI Monitoring (“FIRMM”) computing device including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device. Aspects of the method comprise receiving a data frame from the MRI system, aligning the received data frame to a preceding data frame, calculating motion of a body part between the received data frame and the preceding data frame, calculating total frame displacement, and excluding data frames with a cutoff above a pre-identified threshold of the total frame displacement.