A method of predetermining the time profile of a contrast agent concentration at a vessel position is provided in the context of contrast agent-enhanced MRI of a region of interest only during the initial flooding-in phase of the contrast agent into the vessel situated in the region of interest. The method includes establishing a broadening of a contrast agent bolus profile according to the equation W=W2W1 wherein W1 is a first width of the contrast agent bolus profile at a first vessel position and W2 is a second width of a contrast agent concentration profile at a second vessel position within the region of interest. The broadening is established by determining at least one flow parameter which is dependent on at least one blood flow property of the patient at a third vessel position thereof and which correlates with the broadening of the contrast agent profile.

Various systems and methods for generating images are provided. In some embodiments, the techniques can include acquiring a medical image and an associated motion characterization. The motion characterization can then be used to generate a plurality of gated image data sets, sorted by phase in the motion cycle. A new amplitude-based motion characterization curve is derived from the association of phases with amplitude-based characteristics in the phase gated images. This newly derived amplitude-based motion characterization curve can then be used to re-sort data according to amplitude-based gating techniques known in the field or with data driven optimization techniques.

In one aspect, the present disclosure describes a method for detecting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow of a subject in which magnetic resonance imaging signals of a selected region of interest of the subject's anatomy are acquired. Preferably, the selected region of interest comprises the cerebro-spinal anatomy. A central location of the selected region of interest of the subject's anatomy is determined and used to determine a mean intensity value associated with image pixels of the central location. The mean intensity value is then used to establish interior and exterior outlines of the the selected region of interest of the subject's anatomy so that the CSF flow within the interior and exterior anatomical outlines may be measured or detected.

A system for processing a medical image for personalized brain disease diagnosis and status determination, includes: an image processing unit, which obtains a 3D T1 weighted image, a 2D T2 fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) image, a magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) image, which images only a vessel for checking abnormality of a brain vessel, and a 4D phase-contrast flow image for recognizing a state of a blood flow in a vessel; a complex image analyzing unit, which selects a disease-to-be-diagnosed, sets a brain area according to the selected disease, and analyzes brain tissue and a brain vessel; and a personalized diagnosis and result output unit, which outputs a brain state, a disease-specific risk degree, a risk of disease, and a disease prediction result through a machine learning algorithm by utilizing an age-specific data DB.

An apparatus to jointly measure oxygen utilization and tissue strain includes an imaging system and a computer processor operatively coupled to the imaging system. The computer processor is configured to control the imaging system to perform a pulse sequence on tissue of a subject. The computer processor also acquires oxygen utilization data and strain data responsive to the pulse sequence. The computer processor further determines an amount of strain on the tissue of the subject based at least in part on the strain data and an amount of oxygen utilization of the tissue of the subject based at least in part on the oxygen utilization data.

A computerized information processing method for evaluating blood vessels is provided. The method includes acquiring a series of sequences of measurements, each at different time points in at least one cardiac cycle and at a different point along a blood vessel segment of a subject, generating corresponding profiles, calculating a transfer function for a subsegment between two selected points along a blood flow direction, and based thereon determining the physiological property of the subsegment. The measurements can contain information of blood velocity or blood pressure. A processing device and system implementing the information processing method are also provided. This approach can be used to evaluate arteries or veins and can be applied in screening, diagnosis, or prognosis of a variety of vascular diseases. For example, when combined with MRI scan, this approach can be used for non-invasively diagnosing pulmonary hypertension (PH) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), etc.

A method is disclosed for phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) comprising: acquiring phase contrast 3D spatiotemporal MRI image data; inputing the 3D spatiotemporal MRI image data to a three-dimensional spatiotemporal convolutional neural network to produce a phase unwrapping estimate; generating from the phase unwrapping estimate an integer number of wraps per pixel; and combining the integer number of wraps per pixel with the phase contrast 3D spatiotemporal MRI image data to produce final output.

There is provided a method of processing a cerebrovascular medical image, the method comprising receiving magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) image associated with a cerebrovascular tissue comprising blood vessels and brain tissues other than blood vessels; segmenting MRA image using a prior appearance model for generating first prior appearance features representing a first-order prior appearance model and second appearance features representing a second-order prior appearance model of the cerebrovascular tissue, wherein current appearance model comprises a 3D Markov-Gibbs Random Field (MGRF) having a 2D rotational and translational symmetry such that MGRF model is 2D rotation and translation invariant; segmenting MRA image using current appearance model for generating current appearance features distinguishing blood vessels from other brain tissues; adjusting MRA image using first and second prior appearance features and current appearance futures; and generating an enhanced MRA image based on said adjustment. There is also provided a system for doing the same.

A phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI) system and method employing a Hybrid One- and Two-sided Flow Encoding Only (HOTFEO) acquisition scheme for accurate blood flow and velocity measurements of three-directional-velocity-encoding PC-MRI.

A fuel injection pump for a diesel engine, including: a control rack arranged 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.