Acquisition of high-temporal free-breathing MR images
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsManojkumar Saranathan, Thomas K. F. Foo, J. Andrew Derbyshire
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Abstract
A system and method are disclosed to acquire high temporal resolution free-breathing cardiac MR images. The technique includes monitoring heart rate of a patient just prior to image acquisition to acquire a time period of an R—R interval, and using this time period from the heart rate monitoring to prospectively estimate future R—R intervals. The acquisition of MR data can then commence at any point in an R—R interval and extend for the time period recorded. The data acquisition can be segmented and acquired in successive R—R intervals, then combined to create high temporal resolution images.
Claims32
A method of acquiring free-breathing MR images comprising the steps of:
- monitoring heart rate of a subject just prior to image acquisition to acquire a time period of an R—R interval;
- recording the time period from the heart rate monitoring to prospectively estimate future R—R intervals;
- and
- acquiring n sets of MR data, a first MR data acquisition commencing at any point in an R—R interval and extending for the time period recorded.
A computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon for use with an MRI scanner having a computer, the computer program representing a set of instruction that, when executed, causes the computer to:
- receive a time-period signal indicative of an R—R interval representing a cardiac cycle of a patient;
- acquire a first set of partial MR image data during a first acquisition period equal to the R—R interval;
- acquire a second set of partial MR image data during a second acquisition period equal to the R—R interval;
- and
- reconstruct an MR image by combining the first set of partial MR image data with the second set of partial MR image data.
An MRI apparatus to acquire high-temporal resolution images comprising:
- a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system having a plurality of gradient coils positioned about a bore of a magnet to impress a polarizing magnetic field and an 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:
- monitor heart rate of a patient;
- acquire a time period of an R—R interval of the heart rate;
- store the time period of the R—R interval;
- enable the MRI system and begin an MR scan of the patient at an arbitrary time in the R—R interval;
- continue to acquire MR data for a time comparable to the time period stored;
- and
- reconstruct an MR image with the MR data acquired over at least one R—R interval as estimated by the time period stored.
An examination method comprising the steps of:
- subjecting a patient to successively increasing levels of cardiac stress;
- monitoring heart rate;
- once the heart rate is stabilized at a desired stress level, recording a time period of an R—R interval;
- acquiring non-gated MR data using the time period recorded to estimate R—R intervals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.