Comprehensive Cardiovascular Analysis with Volumetric Phase-Contrast MRI

A method of operation in at least one component of a medical imaging system that employs volumetric phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, the method comprising:

• rendering anatomic images via a computer;
• superimposing vector field data on the rendered anatomic images by the computer;
• receiving at least one user input specifying a range of input values via a user interface, the at least one user input is in the form of a signal indicative of a position of a slider icon along a slider bar, the slider icon selectively movable between a start position and an end position;
• and
• controlling an opacity of the superimposed vector field data based at least in part on a value of the superimposed vector field data relative to the received at least one user input, wherein the opacity of the superimposed vector field is controlled to be a first opacity value as a result of the value being below the range of input values, the opacity of the superimposed vector field is controlled to be between the first opacity value and a second opacity value as a result of the value within the range of input values, the opacity of the superimposed vector field is controlled to be the second opacity value greater than the first opacity value as a result of the value being above the range of input values.

A computer that employs volumetric phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, wherein in use the computer:

• renders anatomic images via a computer;
• superimposes vector field data on the rendered anatomic images by the computer;
• receives at least one user input specifying a range of input values via a user interface, the at least one user input is in the form of a signal indicative of a position of a slider icon along a slider bar;
• and
• controls an opacity of the superimposed vector field data based at least in part on a value of the superimposed vector field data relative to the received at least one user input, wherein the opacity of the superimposed vector field is controlled to be a first opacity value as a result of the value being below the range of input values, the opacity of the superimposed vector field is controlled to be between the first opacity value and a second opacity value as a result of the value within the range of input values, the opacity of the superimposed vector field is controlled to be the second opacity value greater than the first opacity value as a result of the value being above the range of input values, a start position of the slider icon corresponding to a minimum opacity of the superimposed vector field data, and an end position of the slider icon corresponding corresponds to a maximum opacity of the superimposed vector field data.

A method of processing volumetric phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to evaluate the physiology of a heart and vessels, the method comprising:

• (a) obtaining the volumetric phase-contrast (MRI) data, wherein the volumetric phase-contrast (MRI) data comprises volumetric anatomic data for a plurality of time points and vector field data for the plurality of time points;
• (b) correcting volumetric phase-error by at least:
• calculating parameters for at least three spatial dimensions of a volumetric phase-error model that is representative of phase-offset error across the plurality of time points, and
• applying the volumetric phase-error model to the volumetric-phase contrast MRI data for each time point of the plurality of time points;
• (c) displaying on a display the corrected volumetric-phase contrast MRI data by superimposing the vector field data on the volumetric anatomic data, the displaying including:
• receiving a first input specifying a first plane for a first time point of the plurality of time points;
• receiving a second input specifying a second plane for a second time point of the plurality of time points;
• generating a set of planes for time points between the first time point and the second time point;
• and
• causing the set of planes to be rendered on the display.