Patent classifications
G01R33/56316
Dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging with flow encoding
A method for providing magnetic resonance imaging with dynamic contrast and 4D flow of a volume of an object in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is provided. Contrast agent is provided to the volume of the object. Magnetic resonance excitation from the MRI system is applied to the volume of the object. The MRI system reads out a subsample of less than 10% of spatially resolved data and velocity encoded data with respect to time. The readout subsample is used to determine both dynamic contrast and 4D flow.
CARTESIAN SAMPLING FOR DYNAMIC MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)
A variable density Cartesian sampling method that allows retrospective adjustment of temporal resolution, providing added flexibility for real-time applications where optimal temporal resolution may not be known in advance. The methods provide for a computationally efficient sampling methods where a first step includes producing a uniformly random sampling pattern using a golden ratio on a grid, and the second step is applying a nonlinear stretching operation to create a variable density sampling pattern. Diagnostic quality images may be recovered at different temporal resolutions.
MRI apparatus
In one embodiment, an MRI apparatus includes a memory storing a predetermined program and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured, by executing the predetermined program, to generate a first image having a first phase affected by susceptibility, generate a second image having a second phase affected by both of the susceptibility and flow, and distinguish difference in susceptibility or flow for a pixel of a third image by using the first phase and the second phase or by using a value calculated from the first phase and a value calculated from the first phase, the third image having regions which are substantially same in contrast.
Methods and systems for reconstructing magnetic resonance images
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for MRI with respect to vessels and bleedings. The method may include exciting a region of interest by applying an RF pulse, wherein the region of interest includes a vessel region and a bleeding region. The method may further include acquiring a plurality of echo signals related to the region of interest. The method may further include generating one or more magnitude images based on the plurality of echo signals, generating a first image with respect to the vessel region based on the one or more magnitude images, generating one or more phase images based on the plurality of echo signals, and generating a second image with respect to a distribution of susceptibility of the bleeding region based on the one or more phase images.
Method for performing an angiographic measurement and creating an angiogram
A method is for performing an angiographic measurement and creating an angiogram of a body region of a patient in a magnetic-resonance system and a magnetic-resonance system for operating such a method. In an embodiment, the method includes acquisition of a body region; division of the angiographic measurement into partial angiographic measurements; displaying the measurement start times, the measurement duration and the measurement end times of the partial angiographic measurements; changing the measuring time points; definition of sequence parameters of the partial angiographic measurements based on the changed measurement start times and/or measurement end times such that the partial angiographic measurement is performable between the associated measurement start time and measurement end time; provision of the sequence parameters of the control unit of the magnetic-resonance system; performance of the partial angiographic measurements; and creation of the angiogram using the partial angiographic measurements performed.
Linear phase-corrected local averaging of MR image data
In a method for filtering magnetic resonance (MR) image data, complex MR image data is acquired from a region to be imaged, and a sliding window averaging is applied to the complex MR image data to generate filtered MR image data. For each window position of the sliding window averaging: a phase variation of the complex MR image data of individual image points of a sliding window is estimated with a model using a linear phase progression, and filtered complex MR image data is generated based on the estimated phase variation of the complex MR image data. The generation of the filtered complex MR image data uses an average formation of the complex MR image data of the individual image points of the sliding window.
Automated cardiac volume segmentation
Systems and methods for automated segmentation of anatomical structures, such as the human heart. The systems and methods employ convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to autonomously segment various parts of an anatomical structure represented by image data, such as 3D MRI data. The convolutional neural network utilizes two paths, a contracting path which includes convolution/pooling layers, and an expanding path which includes upsampling/convolution layers. The loss function used to validate the CNN model may specifically account for missing data, which allows for use of a larger training set. The CNN model may utilize multi-dimensional kernels (e.g., 2D, 3D, 4D, 6D), and may include various channels which encode spatial data, time data, flow data, etc. The systems and methods of the present disclosure also utilize CNNs to provide automated detection and display of landmarks in images of anatomical structures.
EXAMINING BLOOD FLOW PATTERNS IN THE BLOOD VESSELS OF A PATIENT USING PHASE CONTRAST MRI
The invention relates to a technique for examining blood flow patterns in the blood vessels of a patient (1), the technique having the following features: collecting raw data from a time- and space-resolved MRI phase contrast measurement of the cardiovascular system of a patient or parts thereof (1), or reading such data or data determined therefrom via an input interface (3), and calculating at least one primary variable which quantifies the blood flow pattern; carrying out multi-plane reconstructions on the basis of at least one calculated primary variable along a defined path (9) which reproduces the course of a blood vessel of the patient (1) to obtain a local distribution of the at least one primary variable in the vessel cross-section; and calculating and outputting at least one secondary variable which quantifies the blood flow pattern as a function of the position along the course of the vessel on the basis of the at least one primary variable after carrying out the multi-plane reconstructions.
System and method for semi-projective quantitative flow imaging using accelerated arterial spin-labeled cine MRI
A system and method for controlling a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system to create magnetic resonance (MR) cine angiograms of a subject. The method includes controlling the MRI system to acquire MR data from the subject by performing at least one cine acquisition pulse sequence having a plurality of acquisition RF pulse modules applied at constant intervals throughout a cardiac cycle, and at least one labeling pulse sequence including a first and a second /2 module and a labeling RF pulse module for labeling a region of inflowing arterial flow through a vessel of interest. The method further includes reconstructing the MR data to form a series of cine frames that form a cine angiogram, subtracting at least one cine frame from other cine frames reconstructed from the MR data, and displaying the MR cine angiogram of the vessel of interest.
Fuel Injection Pump
A fuel injection pump for a diesel engine, including: a control rack an in a rack chamber formed between a pump head and a pump housing, and configured to adjust a fuel injection amount; a transmission shaft rotatably supported by a transmission shaft hole formed in the pump housing; and a lubricating oil passage formed in the pump housing, and configured to pressure-feed lubricating oil between the transmission shaft and the transmission shaft hole. The transmission shaft has an oil passage therein through which passage the lubricating oil pressure-fed to the lubricating oil passage partially passes, a first opening of the oil passage is communicated with the lubricating oil passage, and a second opening of the oil passage is formed on the outer circumferential surface of an upper portion of the transmission shaft, nearby the control rack.