# US 10,310,040 B2 · Method and magnetic resonance apparatus for simultaneous multi-contrast turbo spin echo imaging > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,310,040 B2 - Document ID: US10310040B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/221,635 - Filed: 2016-07-28 - Published: 2018-02-01 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-28 - Assignees: Siemens Healthcare GmbH - Applicants: Siemens Healthcare GmbH - Inventors: Himanshu Bhat; Pedro Miguel Itriago Leon; Mario Zeller - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10310040B2 ## CPC - G01R 33/5602: {by filtering or weighting based on different relaxation times within the sample, e.g. T1 weighting using an inversion pulse} - G01R 33/4835: {of multiple slices} - G01R 33/5617: {using RF refocusing, e.g. RARE} - G01R 33/5611: {Parallel magnetic resonance imaging, e.g. sensitivity encoding [SENSE], simultaneous acquisition of spatial harmonics [SMASH], unaliasing by Fourier encoding of the overlaps using the temporal dimension [UNFOLD], k-t-broad-use linear acquisition speed-up technique [k-t-BLAST], k-t-SENSE (structural details of arrays of sub-coils G01R33/3415)} - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract In a magnetic resonance apparatus and method for acquiring magnetic resonance data, a magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner executes a turbo spin echo (TSE) data acquisition sequence with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) imaging wherein nuclear spins in two different slices of an examination subject are simultaneously excited so as to produce respective echo trains. The magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner is operated with the SMS imaging configured so that magnetic resonance signals from the respective slices have a different contrast, with the SMS being configured to allow evolution of magnetization of the nuclear spins for the second contrast while magnetic resonance signals with the first contrast are being detected. The respective magnetic resonance signals from the two different slices are detected and entered into an electronic memory organized as k-space, as k-space data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for acquiring magnetic resonance data, comprising: operating a magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to execute a turbo spin echo (TSE) data acquisition sequence with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) imaging wherein nuclear spins in two different slices of an examination subject are simultaneously excited so as to produce respective interleaved echo trains; operating said magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner with said SMS imaging configured so that magnetic resonance signals from the respective slices have a different contrast, with said SMS imaging being configured to cause evolution of magnetization of the nuclear spins for a second contrast of the different contrasts while magnetic resonance signals with a first contrast of the different contrasts are being detected; detecting the respective magnetic resonance signals from the two different slices and entering the detected signals into an electronic memory organized as k-space, as k-space data; and from a computer having access to said memory, making the k-space data electronically available as a data file. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising using a T1-FLAIR protocol as said TSE protocol. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising providing said data file to an image reconstruction computer and, in said image reconstruction computer, generating a T2 weighted image and a FLAIR-T1 weighted image from said k-space data, as said different contrasts. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method as claimed in claim 3 comprising sorting said k-space later to produce said T1 FLAIR weighted image as a centric T1 FLAIR weighted image and to produce said T2 weighted image as a reversed centric T2 weighted image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A method as claimed in claim 4 comprising sorting said k-space data to produce said T1 FLAIR weighted image as said centric T1 FLAIR weighted image and to produce said T2 weighted image as said reversed centric T2 weighted image, for respectively different matrix sizes of said k-space data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising sorting said k-space data to produce a further image with a further weighting. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising sorting said k-space data to fill a centric proton-density weighted matrix, and generating said image with said further weighting as a proton density weighted image. ### Claim 8 A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising: a magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner; a control computer configured to operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to execute a turbo spin echo (TSE) data acquisition sequence with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) imaging wherein nuclear spins in two different slices of an examination subject are simultaneously excited so as to produce respective interleaved echo trains; said control computer being configured to operate said magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner with said SMS imaging configured so that magnetic resonance signals from the respective slices have a different contrast, with said SMS imaging being configured to cause evolution of magnetization of the nuclear spins for a second contrast of the different contrasts while magnetic resonance signals with a first contrast of the different contrasts are being detected; said control computer being configured to operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to detect the respective magnetic resonance signals from the two different slices and to enter the detected signals into an electronic memory organized as k-space, as k-space data; and said control computer being configured to access said memory to make the k-space data electronically available as a data file. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A magnetic resonance apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said control computer is configured to operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to use a T1-FLAIR protocol as said TSE protocol. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A magnetic resonance apparatus as claimed in claim 9 comprising an image reconstruction computer provided with data files, said image reconstruction computer being configured to generate a T2 weighted image and a FLAIR-T1 weighted image from said k-space data, as said different contrasts. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A magnetic resonance apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said image reconstruction computer is configured to sort said k-space later to produce said T1 FLAIR weighted image as a centric T1 FLAIR weighted image and to produce said T2 weighted image as a reversed centric T2 weighted image. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A magnetic resonance apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said mage reconstruction computer is configured to sort said k-space data to produce said T1 FLAIR weighted image as said centric T1 FLAIR weighted image and to produce said T2 weighted image as said reversed centric T2 weighted image, for respectively different matrix sizes of said k-space data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) A magnetic resonance apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said mage reconstruction computer is configured to sort said k-space data to produce a further image with a further weighting. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) A magnetic resonance apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said mage reconstruction computer is configured to sort said k-space data to fill a centric proton-density weighted matrix, and generating said image with said further weighting as a proton density weighted image. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) A magnetic resonance apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said control computer is configured to operate said magnetic resonance data acquisition unit by radiating, in said SMS imaging, an inversion pulse that acts on only one of the simultaneously excited slices. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising operating said magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner in said SMS imaging by radiating an inversion pulse that acts on only one of the simultaneously excited slices.