MRI protocol for segmentation of an image detail using images acquired at two different magnetic field strengths

A magnetic resonance imaging method comprising:

• with a 3D multi-echo single-shot turbo spin echo parallel imaging sequence, acquiring magnetic resonance signals at a lower magnetic field strength with a set of imaging parameters that cause an image quality of a diagnostic magnetic resonance image to be similar to an image quality of magnetic resonance training images acquired at a higher main magnetic field strength, wherein:
• a repetition time TR of the parallel imaging sequence is in the range of 2000-3000 ms,
• an echo time is in the range of 200-250 ms,
• an echo train length has 150-170 echoes, and echo spacing per shot is in the range of 4.4/720 ms to 5.2/880 ms, and
• wherein the parallel imaging acquisition sequence has a sampling reduction factor in a range of 1.3-1.5 in a first phase-encoding direction and a sampling reduction factor in a range of 1.8-2.2 in a second phase-encoding direction;
• reconstructing the diagnostic magnetic image from the magnetic resonance signals at the lower main magnetic field strength;
• segmenting a predetermined image detail of the diagnostic magnetic resonance image;
• accessing a set of magnetic resonance training images;
• registering the diagnostic magnetic resonance image to one or more of the magnetic resonance training images;
• wherein the one or more magnetic resonance training images include an image detail corresponding to the predetermined image detail of the diagnostic magnetic resonance image.

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

• a training image atlas which stores a plurality of training images generated at a higher magnetic field strength, the training images being annotated to indicate one or more predetermined image details;
• one or more processors configured to:
• control a magnetic resonance imaging system to perform a parallel imaging acquisition sequence at a lower magnetic field strength to acquire magnetic resonance signals, the parallel imaging acquisition sequence having a sampling reduction factor in the range of 1.3-1.5 in a first phase-encoding direction and a sampling reduction factor in the range of 1.8-2.2 in a second phase-encoding direction,
• reconstruct the magnetic resonance signals acquired at the lower magnetic field strength into a diagnostic magnetic resonance image,
• segment a predetermined image detail of the diagnostic magnetic resonance image,
• registering the diagnostic magnetic resonance image to one or more of the magnetic resonance training images,
• register the segmented image detail of the diagnostic magnetic resonance image and the corresponding segmented detail of one or more of the magnetic resonance training images,
• control a display device to display the diagnostic image with the segmented detail registered to the corresponding portion of the one or more training images.