Magnetic particle imaging device, magnetic particle imaging method, and storage medium storing magnetic particle imaging program

A magnetic particle imaging method to be executed by a magnetic particle imaging device for generating a magnetic nanoparticle image indicating spatial distribution of magnetic nanoparticles in an image capture target as a subject, the magnetic particle imaging device including a linear zero magnetic field generation coil to generate a linear zero magnetic field region in the subject and to move the linear zero magnetic field region in a predetermined direction, an excitation magnetic field application coil to apply an AC excitation magnetic field to a magnetic field region including the linear zero magnetic field region, and a detector to detect a magnetization change of magnetic nanoparticles caused by the excitation magnetic field, wherein

• the magnetic particle imaging method when generating the magnetic nanoparticle image includes:
• making the linear zero magnetic field generation coil form the linear zero magnetic field region in the image capture target and scan, rotate, or scan and rotate the linear zero magnetic field region;
• making the excitation magnetic field application coil apply the excitation magnetic field;
• making the detector detect the magnetization change;
• generating projection data of the magnetization change based on a position of the linear zero magnetic field region in a scanning direction of the linear zero magnetic field region and an angle of the linear zero magnetic field region in a rotation direction of the linear zero magnetic field region;
• generating corrected projection data by performing sensitivity correction on the projection data by using a system function previously acquired for each piece of projection data, wherein the system function is a deconvolution coefficient;
• and
• generating the magnetic nanoparticle image based on the corrected projection data, and
• the magnetic particle imaging method when generating the system function includes:
• making the linear zero magnetic field generation coil form the linear zero magnetic field region in a structure as the subject including the magnetic nanoparticles at a predetermined particle concentration and having a predetermined size and scan, rotate, or scan and rotate the linear zero magnetic field region;
• making the excitation magnetic field application coil apply the excitation magnetic field to a magnetic field region including the linear zero magnetic field region in the structure;
• making the detector detect the magnetization change in the structure;
• and
• generating the system function in regard to each piece of projection data based on the magnetization change in the structure,
• wherein when generating the system function, generating the system function representing detection sensitivity at each of combinations of the position and the angle and stores a system function set including a plurality of the system functions in a storage device, and
• wherein when generating the magnetic nanoparticle image, generating the corrected projection data by selecting the system function from the storage device, estimating a system function other than the selected system function by executing interpolation by using the selected system function, and performing the sensitivity correction on the projection data by using the selected system function and the estimated system function.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing magnetic particle imaging program to be executed by a magnetic particle imaging device for generating a magnetic nanoparticle image indicating spatial distribution of magnetic nanoparticles in an image capture target as a subject, the magnetic particle imaging device including a linear zero magnetic field generation coil to generate a linear zero magnetic field region in the subject and to move the linear zero magnetic field region in a predetermined direction, an excitation magnetic field application coil to apply an AC excitation magnetic field to a magnetic field region including the linear zero magnetic field region, and a detector to detect a magnetization change of magnetic nanoparticles caused by the excitation magnetic field, wherein

• when generating the magnetic nanoparticle image, the magnetic particle imaging program causes the magnetic particle imaging device to execute:
• making the linear zero magnetic field generation coil form the linear zero magnetic field region in the image capture target and scan, rotate, or scan and rotate the linear zero magnetic field region;
• making the excitation magnetic field application coil apply the excitation magnetic field;
• making the detector detect the magnetization change;
• generating projection data of the magnetization change based on a position of the linear zero magnetic field region in a scanning direction of the linear zero magnetic field region and an angle of the linear zero magnetic field region in a rotation direction of the linear zero magnetic field region;
• generating corrected projection data by performing sensitivity correction on the projection data by using a system function previously acquired for each piece of projection data, wherein the system function is a deconvolution coefficient;
• and
• generating the magnetic nanoparticle image based on the corrected projection data, and
• when generating the system function, the magnetic particle imaging program causes the magnetic particle imaging device to execute:
• making the linear zero magnetic field generation coil form the linear zero magnetic field region in a structure as the subject including the magnetic nanoparticles at a predetermined particle concentration and having a predetermined size and scan, rotate, or scan and rotate the linear zero magnetic field region;
• making the excitation magnetic field application coil apply the excitation magnetic field to a magnetic field region including the linear zero magnetic field region in the structure;
• making the detector detect the magnetization change in the structure;
• and
• generating the system function in regard to each piece of projection data based on the magnetization change in the structure,
• wherein when generating the system function, generating the system function representing detection sensitivity at each of combinations of the position and the angle and stores a system function set including a plurality of the system functions in a storage device, and
• wherein when generating the magnetic nanoparticle image, generating the corrected projection data by selecting the system function from the storage device, estimating a system function other than the selected system function by executing interpolation by using the selected system function, and performing the sensitivity correction on the projection data by using the selected system function and the estimated system function.