US 2011/0211744 A1Published application

System and method for mr image scan and analysis

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsRobert David Darrow, Thomas kwok-Fah Foo

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Abstract

A system and method for an MRI apparatus includes an MRI system having a computer programmed to initiate a first scan procedure to acquire MR data and locate a feature of interest of the object, initiate a second scan procedure when a feature of interest of the object is located, and determine if an anomaly of the feature of interest exists. The computer is programmed to initiate a third scan procedure to scan the anomaly and reconstruct an image of the located anomaly if the anomaly exists. The first scan procedure includes a scan table motion and scan data acquisition commands. The second scan procedure includes scan table motion and scan data acquisition commands to acquire MR data from the feature of interest. The third scan procedure includes scan table motion and scan data acquisition commands to acquire MR data from the located anomaly.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising:

an MR system having a plurality of gradient coils positioned about a bore of a magnet, and an radio-frequency (RF) transceiver system and an RF switch controlled by a pulse module to transmit RF signals to an RF coil assembly to acquire MR images;
and
a computer programmed to automatically:
(A) initiate a first scan procedure to acquire MR data from an object and locate a feature of interest of the object, wherein the first scan procedure comprises:
a first plurality of scan table motion commands;
and
a first plurality of scan data acquisition commands;
(B) initiate a second scan procedure different than the first scan procedure when a feature of interest of the object is located, wherein the second scan procedure comprises:
a second plurality of scan table motion commands;
and
a second plurality of scan data acquisition commands to acquire MR data from the feature of interest;
(C) determine if an anomaly of the feature of interest exists;
(D) if the anomaly exists, initiate a third scan procedure different than the first and second scan procedures to scan the anomaly, wherein the third scan procedure comprises:
a third plurality of scan table motion commands;
and
a third plurality of scan data acquisition commands to acquire MR data from the located anomaly;
and
(E) reconstruct an image of the located anomaly.

15 more elements

A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to automatically:

reconstruct a first survey image from magnetic resonance (MR) data acquired via an application of a first scan procedure, wherein the first survey image represents a first region in an object;
identify a first feature of interest of the object in the first survey image;
prescribe a first feature scan of the first feature of interest based on the first survey image;
acquire MR data from the first feature of interest via application of the first feature scan;
reconstruct a first feature image based on the MR data acquired via application of the first feature scan;
perform an image analysis of the first feature image, wherein the image analysis is based on the identified first feature of interest;
locate an abnormality of the first feature of interest in the first feature image based on the image analysis;
predict a cause of the abnormality;
and
display the prediction of the cause to a user.

7 more elements

A diagnostic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging method comprising:

automatically scanning an object according to a first scanning protocol, wherein automatically scanning the object according to the first scanning protocol comprises acquiring MR data of the object with at least one MR coil;
automatically locating a feature of interest of the object based on the acquired MR data of the object, wherein automatically locating the feature of interest is free of a user input;
automatically scanning the feature of interest according to a second scanning protocol to acquire MR data of the feature of interest with at least one MR coil;
automatically locating an abnormality of the feature of interest based on the acquired MR data of the feature of interest, wherein automatically locating the abnormality is free of a user input;
automatically scanning the abnormality according to a third scanning protocol to generate at least one MR image of the abnormality;
automatically initiating an image analysis of the at least one MR image, wherein the image analysis is based on the feature of interest;
automatically predicting a cause of the abnormality based on the initiated image analysis, wherein automatically predicting the cause is free of a user input;
and
displaying the prediction of the cause of the abnormality to a user.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/713,745Filed 26 Feb 2010
Published: 1 Sep 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G01R 33/543
Signal processing systems, e.g. using pulse sequences ; Generation or control of pulse sequences; Operator console: control of the operation of…
G06T 7/0012
Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection: biomedical image inspection
G01R 33/56383
Intentional motion of the sample during MR, e.g. moving table imaging: involving motion of the sample as a whole, e.g. multistation MR or MR with…
G06T 2207/10088
Tomographic images: magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]