Method and apparatus for automated tracking of non-linear vessel movement using mr imaging
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsManojkumar Saranathan, Christopher Hardy, Thomas Foo
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Abstract
A system and method is disclosed for tracking a moving object using magnetic resonance imaging. The technique includes acquiring a scout image scan having a number of image frames and extracting non-linear motion parameters from the number of image frames of the scout image scan. The technique includes prospectively shifting slice location using the non-linear motion parameters between slice locations while acquiring a series of MR images. The system and method are particularly useful in tracking coronary artery movement during the cardiac cycle to acquire the non-linear components of coronary artery movement during a diastolic portion of the R-R interval.
Claims20
A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of gradient coils positioned about a bore of a magnet;
- an RF transceiver system and an RF switch controlled by a pulse module to transmit RF pulses to an RF coil assembly and receive MR signals therefrom;
- and
- a controller programmed to:
- cause acquisition of a series of scout images;
- determine a motion of an anatomy of interest among more than three of the series of scout images;
- and
- adjust a position of an acquisition slice during MR image acquisition based on the motion of the anatomy of interest.
A method of coronary MR imaging comprising:
- identifying a region of interest (ROI) in a reference scout image;
- cross-correllating positions of the ROI between the reference scout image and each of a series of scout images acquired during an R-R interval;
- determining a number of cross-correllation maps from the cross-correllated positions of the ROI;
- and
- applying the cross-correllation maps to define a number of acquisition slices during MR imaging of the region of interest.
A computer readable storage medium having a set of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:
- measure, from a series of scout image frames, a non-linear motion of an object of interest during one period of a periodic motion thereof;
- and
- prospectively adjust a location of an MR acquisition slice to track the object of interest during imaging.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.