Disclosed herein are a method and an apparatus for removing ghost artifacts of an echo planner image using a neural network. An image processing method according to an embodiment of the inventive concept includes receiving Fourier space data of an echo planar image, and restoring the echo planar image in which ghost artifacts are removed using a neural network. The receiving of the Fourier space data may include dividing the Fourier space data into the odd-numbered Fourier space data and even-numbered Fourier space data, and the restoring of the echo planar image may include obtaining the odd-numbered Fourier space data and even-numbered Fourier space data with the Fourier space interpolated using the neural network and restoring the echo planar image in which the ghost artifacts are removed based on the odd-numbered Fourier space data and even-numbered Fourier space data with the Fourier space interpolated.

Provided is an image processor including a tissue-segmentation-processing-unit that performs tissue segmentation processing on at least one of a plurality of complex images generated based on a magnetic resonance signal generated from a subject to calculate a tissue-image related to a predetermined specific tissue, a magnetic-susceptibility-image-calculation-unit that calculates a magnetic-susceptibility-image showing magnetic susceptibility of a predetermined tissue included in the complex image from the complex image, an anatomical-standardization-processing-unit that calculates a standard-magnetic-susceptibility-image and a spatially-normalized tissue-image by performing spatially normalization processing on the magnetic-susceptibility-image and the tissue-image and calculates a volume modulated spatially-normalized tissue-image obtained by performing volume modulation on the spatially-normalized tissue-image, a magnetic-susceptibility-calculation-unit that calculates magnetic susceptibility of the specific tissue based on the spatially-normalized -magnetic-susceptibility-image and the spatially-normalized tissue-image, and a diagnostic-index-calculation-unit that calculates a diagnostic index for diagnosing a predetermined disease based on the magnetic susceptibility of the specific tissue and the volume modulated spatially-normalized tissue-image.

A system and method for imaging a subject includes a first imaging pulse sequence having gradient blips along an x-direction and a y-direction to acquire calibration image data from multiple slices. The imaging pulse sequence also includes a plurality of Z-shimming gradient blips coincident in time with the gradient blips along the x- and y-directions and varied within each slice. A plurality of calibration images are reconstructed from the calibration image data and a comparison image is formed by selecting an image from the calibration images corresponding to at least one of the varied Z-shimming gradient blips for each slice to determine a desired value of the Z-shimming gradient blips. The desired values are used to perform a second pulse sequence to acquire clinical image data from the subject. The second pulse sequence is used to acquire clinical images having been compensated for magnetic susceptibility variations within the subject.

A method and system for suppressing metal artifacts in magnetic resonance (MR) images of slices of a patient containing a metallic implant. The method and system can use a Slice Encoding for Metal Artifact Correction (SEMAC) sequence. In the method and system, MR data of each slice is fully sampled in k-space in a reference region located in a center of k-space in a phase-encoding direction and a central section in a slice-selection direction. The MR-data of each slice outside the reference region can be undersampled in k-space. The fully sampled MR data from the reference regions of each slice can be combined to generate a reference data set for reconstructing an MR image of each slice.

A method for magnetic resonance imaging reconstructs images that have reduced under-sampling artifacts from highly accelerated multi-spectral imaging acquisitions. The method includes performing by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus an accelerated multi-spectral imaging (MSI) acquisition within a field of view of the MRI apparatus, where the sampling trajectories of different spectral bins in the acquisition are different; and reconstructing bin images using neural network priors learned from training data as regularization to reduce under-sampling artifacts.

Capturing MR image data of an examination object using an MR apparatus, including: performing a balanced steady-state free precession sequence with phase progress of 180 degrees per repetition time using the MR apparatus; in the balanced steady-state free precession sequence, providing a white-marker gradient in order at least partially to balance a dephasing caused by a magnetic-field-changing object in the examination object; capturing image data of the examination object using the MR apparatus at an echo time; and adjusting a phase development between phase magnetization of a first and second materials, which form an interface in the examination object, in the balanced steady-state free precession sequence using the MR apparatus, wherein due to the adjusting of the phase development before an effect of the white-marker gradient, a co-phasal alignment of a magnetization of the first material and of the second material at the interface is effected at the echo time.

Improved magnetic resonance imaging systems, methods and software are described including a low field strength main magnet, a gradient coil assembly, an RF coil system, and a control system configured for the acquisition and processing of magnetic resonance imaging data from a patient while utilizing a sparse sampling imaging technique.

The present invention relates to a medical apparatus which includes a motion mechanism which has at least one degree of freedom, an actuator configured to drive the motion mechanism and a control unit configured to control the actuator, and which operates in a magnetic field environment of an MRI, the medical apparatus including: a data storage unit in which data related to magnetic susceptibility of the actuator is stored; a calculating unit configured to calculate information related to an influence which the actuator exerts upon the magnetic field environment by calculation based on the magnetic susceptibility; and a communication unit configured to output the information to the MRI. An influence which an apparatus which operates in a strong magnetic field environment exerts upon an MR image can be reduced.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system can include a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, having a plurality of radio frequency (RF) receivers, and a processor. The MRI scanner can perform a full field of view (fFOV) scan on an anatomy area including an implant to acquire first multi-spectral MRI data associated with a plurality of frequency bins. The processor can generate, for each pair of a single RF receiver and a single frequency bin, a respective spectral sensitivity map using at least a portion of the fFOV multi-spectral MRI data. The MRI scanner can perform a reduced FOV (rFOV) scan to acquire second multi-spectral MRI data associated with the plurality of frequency bins. The processor can reconstruct one or more MRI images according to the rFOV using the rFOV multi-spectral MRI data and the spectral sensitivity maps.

One example includes a method for fabricating a compound material. The method includes providing a first discrete material layer having a first thickness dimension. The first discrete material layer includes a first material having a first magnetic susceptibility. The method also includes depositing a second discrete material layer having a second thickness dimension over the first discrete material layer. The second discrete material layer can include a second material having a second magnetic susceptibility. The relative first and second thickness dimensions can be selected to provide a desired magnetic susceptibility of the compound material.