Methods of achieving phase contrast in magnetic resonance imaging and a related apparatus
AssigneeBTG International Limited
InventorsThomas William Tennant Redpath, Fergus Iain McKiddie, Rosemary Carmen Dymond
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method of obtaining phase information in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and employing this information to produce an enhanced image. In the past, magnetic resonance imagers have obtained data which contains phase as well as magnitude information. Often the phase information has been discarded in order to avoid image artifacts, which are usually attributable to motion. The present invention employs a technique in which this phase information is used in order to improve image quality, in an analogous method to that used in optical microscopy.
Claims17
A method of Magnetic Resonance Imaging an object, comprising:
- exciting magnetic resonance in the object;
- acquiring magnetic resonance response signals in the form of an acquired complex data set containing magnitude and phase information;
- adjusting the acquired data set, in complex form, by adding a complex constant to the acquired data set to generate an adjusted complex data set also containing magnitude and phase information;
- and
- generating an image data set in dependence on magnitude values derived from the adjusted data set,
- wherein the adjusting the acquired data set is such as to enhance contrast between two regions of interest in the image data set in dependence on the relative phases for the two regions.
An apparatus for Magnetic Resonance Imaging an object, comprising:
- a magnetic resonance exciting assembly constructed and arranged to excite magnetic resonance in the object;
- a magnetic resonance response detector constructed and arranged to detect signals in the form of an acquired complex data set containing magnitude and phase information;
- an adder adapted to add a complex constant to the acquired data set to generate an adjusted complex data set also containing magnitude and phase information;
- and
- an image data processor constructed and arranged to generate an image data set from the adjusted data set.
A method of Magnetic Resonance Imaging an object, comprising:
- exciting magnetic resonance in the object;
- acquiring magnetic resonance response signals in the form of an acquired complex data set containing magnitude and phase information;
- adjusting the acquired data set, in complex form, by one of setting half of the points in the acquired data set to zero and reversing the phase of half of the points in the acquired data set to generate an adjusted complex data set also containing magnitude and phase information;
- Fourier transforming the adjusted data set;
- and
- generating an image data set in dependence on values derived from the Fourier transformed adjusted data set;
- wherein the adjusting the acquired data set is such as to enhance contrast between two regions of interest in the image data set in dependence on the relative phases for the two regions.
An apparatus for Magnetic Resonance Imaging an object, comprising:
- a magnetic resonance exciting assembly constructed and arranged to excite magnetic resonance in the object;
- a magnetic resonance response detector constructed and arranged to detect signals in the form of an acquired complex data set containing magnitude and phase information;
- a data adjuster adapted to adjust at least one of half of the points in the acquired data set to zero and reverse the phase of half of the points in the acquired data set to generate an adjusted complex data set also containing magnitude and phase information;
- a Fourier transformer constructed and arranged to Fourier transform the adjusted data set;
- and
- an image data processor constructed and arranged to generate an image data set from the Fourier transformed adjusted data set.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.