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US 10,649,055 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging
AssigneeSiemens Healthcare GmbH
InventorsPedro Miguel Itriago Leon, Mario Zeller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion-encoded gradient pulses with an amplitude and a duration are activated. The amplitude and the duration of the gradient pulses are varied for various excitations of nuclear magnetization. The echo time for the various excitations of nuclear magnetization can be changed.
Claims17
A method for diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, comprising:
- operating a magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to activate a first radio frequency (RF) excitation pulse that excites magnetization of nuclear spins in an examination region of a subject;
- operating said magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to activate first diffusion-coding gradient pulses that act on the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the first RF excitation pulse, said first diffusion-coding gradient pulses having a first amplitude and a first duration;
- operating the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to acquire first magnetic resonance data produced by the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the first RF excitation pulse during a first echo time produced by said first RF excitation pulse;
- operating the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to radiate said first RF excitation pulse and a second RF excitation pulse that excites magnetization of nuclear spins in said examination region;
- operating the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to activate second diffusion-coding gradient pulses that act on the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the second RF excitation pulse, said second diffusion-coding gradient pulses having a second amplitude that differs from the first amplitude and a second duration that differs from the first duration;
- operating the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to acquire second magnetic resonance data produced by the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the second RF excitation pulse during a second echo time produced by said second RF excitation pulse, said second echo time differing from said first echo time;
- and
- in a computer, reconstructing a diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance image from said first magnetic resonance data and said second magnetic resonance data, and making said diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance image available from the computer in electronic form as a data file,
- wherein operating said magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner includes radiating said first radio frequency excitation pulse and said second radio frequency excitation pulse so as to each excite said magnetization of nuclear spins simultaneously in a set of a plurality of slices of said examination region, and
- wherein said first magnetic resonance data and said second magnetic resonance data are acquired simultaneously from the set of said plurality of slices of said examination region.
7 more elements
A magnetic resonance apparatus comprising:
- a magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner;
- a computer configured to operate said magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to activate a first radio frequency (RF) excitation pulse that excites magnetization of nuclear spins in an examination region of a subject;
- said computer configured to operate said magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to activate first diffusion-coding gradient pulses that act on the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the first excitation pulse, said first diffusion-coding gradient pulses having a first amplitude and a first duration;
- said computer configured to operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to acquire first magnetic resonance data produced by the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the first RF excitation pulse during a first echo time produced by said first RF excitation pulse;
- said computer configured to operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to radiate a second RF excitation pulse that excites magnetization of nuclear spins in said examination region during a second echo time produced by said second RF excitation pulse, said second echo time differing from said first echo time;
- said computer configured to operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to activate second diffusion-coding gradient pulses that act on the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the second RF excitation pulse, said second diffusion-coding gradient pulses having a second amplitude that differs from the first amplitude and a second duration that differs from the first duration;
- said computer configured to operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to acquire second magnetic resonance data produced by the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the second RF excitation pulse;
- and
- said computer being configured to reconstruct a diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance image from said first magnetic resonance data and said second magnetic resonance data, and to make said diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance image available from the computer in electronic form as a data file,
- wherein operating said magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner includes radiating said first radio frequency excitation pulse and said second radio frequency excitation pulse so as to each excite said magnetization of nuclear spins simultaneously in a set of a plurality of slices of said examination region, and
- wherein said first magnetic resonance data and said second magnetic resonance data are acquired simultaneously from the set of said plurality of slices of said examination region.
8 more elements
A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said storage medium being loaded into a computer system of a magnetic resonance apparatus that comprises a magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner, and said programming instructions causing said computer system to:
- operate a magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to activate a first radio frequency (RF) excitation pulse that excites magnetization of nuclear spins in an examination region of a subject;
- operate said magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to activate first diffusion-coding gradient pulses that act on the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the first excitation pulse, said first diffusion-coding gradient pulses having a first amplitude and a first duration;
- operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to acquire first magnetic resonance data produced by the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the first RF excitation pulse during a first echo time produced by said first RF excitation pulse;
- operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to radiate a second RF excitation pulse that excites magnetization of nuclear spins in said examination region;
- operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to activate second diffusion-coding gradient pulses that act on the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the second RF excitation pulse, said second diffusion-coding gradient pulses having a second amplitude that differs from the first amplitude and a second duration that differs from the first duration;
- operate the magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner to acquire second magnetic resonance data produced by the magnetization of nuclear spins excited by the second RF excitation pulse during a second echo time produced by said second RF excitation pulse, said second echo time differing from said first echo time;
- and
- reconstruct a diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance image from said first magnetic resonance data and said second magnetic resonance data, and make said diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance image available from the computer in electronic form as a data file,
- wherein operating said magnetic resonance data acquisition scanner includes radiating said first radio frequency excitation pulse and said second radio frequency excitation pulse so as to each excite said magnetization of nuclear spins simultaneously in a set of a plurality of slices of said examination region, and
- wherein said first magnetic resonance data and said second magnetic resonance data are acquired simultaneously from the set of said plurality of slices of said examination region.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.