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US 12,648,709 B2Granted
Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of the vasculature
AssigneeNortheastern University
InventorsCodi Gharagouzloo, Srinivas Sridhar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A quantitative, ultrashort time to echo, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging technique is provided. The technique can be used to accurately measure contrast agent concentration in the blood, to provide clear, high-definition angiograms, and to measure absolute quantities of cerebral blood volume on a voxel-by-voxel basis.
Claims26
A method comprising:
- determining a volume of blood in a region of interest of a subject, the determining comprising:
- determining, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of the region of interest that comprises first image values captured at a first time point and second image values captured at a second time point, a difference in signal intensity between the first image values and the second image values, the second time point being after introduction of a paramagnetic or superparamagnetic blood pool contrast agent into the region of interest, each of the first image values and the second image values having resulted from a magnetic resonance imaging of at least the region of interest with a repetition time (TR) less than 10 ms and a time to echo (TE) less than 300 μs;
- calculating a blood fraction of the region of interest that is occupied by blood with the paramagnetic or superparamagnetic blood pool contrast agent, wherein the calculating comprises calculating the blood fraction based at least in part on the difference in signal intensity between the first image values and the second image values;
- and
- determining at least one blood quantity value representing the volume of blood in the region of interest based at least in part on the blood fraction calculated for the region of interest.
2 more elements
A system for magnetic resonance imaging of a region of interest of a subject, comprising:
- a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device operative to generate signals for forming a magnetic resonance image of the region of interest, and
- at least one processor;
- and at least one storage medium having encoded thereon executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method comprising:
- operating the MRI device to capture MRI data of at least the region of interest, wherein operating the MRI device comprises operating the MRI device with a repetition time (TR) less than 10 ms and a time to echo (TE) less than 300 μs and wherein operating the MRI device comprises operating the MRI device to capture first image values and second image values, the second time point being after introduction of a paramagnetic or superparamagnetic blood pool contrast agent into the region of interest, each of the first image values and the second image values having resulted from a magnetic resonance imaging of at least the region of interest with a repetition time (TR) less than 10 ms and a time to echo (TE) less than 300 μs;
- determining a volume of blood in the region of interest of the subject, the determining comprising:
- calculating a blood fraction of the region of interest that is occupied by blood with the paramagnetic or superparamagnetic blood pool contrast agent, wherein the calculating comprises calculating the blood fraction based at least in part on a difference in signal intensity between the first image values and the second image values;
- and
- determining at least one blood quantity value representing the volume of blood in the region of interest based at least in part on the blood fraction calculated for the region of interest.
5 more elements
At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method comprising:
- determining a volume of blood in a region of interest of a subject, the determining comprising:
- determining, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of the region of interest that comprises first image values captured at a first time point and second image values captured at a second time point, a difference in signal intensity between the first image values and the second image values, the second time point being after introduction of a paramagnetic or superparamagnetic blood pool contrast agent into the region of interest, each of the first image values and the second image values having resulted from a magnetic resonance imaging of at least the region of interest with a repetition time (TR) less than 10 ms and a time to echo (TE) less than 300 μs;
- calculating a blood fraction of the region of interest that is occupied by blood with the paramagnetic or superparamagnetic blood pool contrast agent, wherein the calculating comprises calculating the blood fraction based at least in part on the difference in signal intensity between the first image values and the second image values;
- and
- determining at least one blood quantity value representing the volume of blood in the region of interest based at least in part on the blood fraction calculated for the region of interest.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.