Imaging system and method using learned phase acquisition to acquire images

A method comprising:

• determining one or more of a heart rate of a patient under examination, a cardiac disease state of the patient under examination, or an imaging target portion of cardiac anatomy of the patient under examination;
• calculating an image acquisition time range from a patient population model using the one or more of the heart rate, the cardiac disease state, or the imaging target portion of the cardiac anatomy, the patient population model representing relationships between cardiac motion of plural other patients and one or more of time or cardiac phases of the other patients;
• and
• determining imaging configuration settings for an imaging system to acquire image data of the target cardiac anatomy of the patient under examination during the image acquisition time range that is calculated using the patient population model,
• wherein imaging the target cardiac anatomy of the patient under examination using the imaging configuration settings for the imaging system one or more of:
• generates image data of the target cardiac anatomy having less cardiac motion relative to determining the imaging configuration settings without using the patient population model or
• acquires the image data during a reduced image acquisition time range relative to determining the imaging configuration settings without using the patient population model.

A tangible and non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that direct one or more processors to:

• determine one or more of a heart rate of a patient under examination, a cardiac disease state of the patient under examination, or an imaging target portion of cardiac anatomy of the patient under examination;
• calculate an image acquisition time range from a patient population model using the one or more of the heart rate, the cardiac disease state, or the imaging target portion of the cardiac anatomy, the patient population model representing relationships between cardiac motion of plural other patients and one or more of time or cardiac phases of the other patients;
• and
• determine imaging configuration settings for an imaging system to acquire image data of the target cardiac anatomy of the patient under examination during the image acquisition time range that is calculated using the patient population model,
• wherein imaging the target cardiac anatomy of the patient under examination using the imaging configuration settings for the imaging system one or more of:
• generates image data of the target cardiac anatomy having less cardiac motion relative to determining the imaging configuration settings without using the patient population model or
• acquires the image data over a reduced image acquisition time range relative to determining the imaging configuration settings without using the patient population model.