Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance imaging method

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

• a pre-scanning unit that performs a pre-scan that collects a plurality of reference blood flow images by varying at least one of (a) a transmitting phase of a transmitted exciting pulse, (b) a transmitting phase of a refocusing pulse, (c) a shift amount of the relative phase difference between the transmitted exciting phase and the refocusing pulse, and (d) an intensity of a gradient pulse in a readout direction;
• an imaging condition setting unit configured to set an imaging condition using (a) the transmitting phase of the transmitted exciting pulse, (b) the transmitting phase of the refocusing pulse, (c) the shift amount of the relative phase difference between the transmitted exciting phase and the refocusing pulse, and (d) the intensity of a gradient pulse in a readout direction that are used for an image selected from the plurality of the reference blood flow images;
• said capturing condition setting unit is configured to perform the setting such that (i) intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from a vein in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the object are equal to each other, and (ii) the difference between intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from an artery in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the object increases;
• and
• a blood flow image capturing unit that creates a blood flow image of the object by performing an imaging scan on the basis of the imaging condition set by the imaging condition setting unit.

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, comprising:

• a storage unit that stores at least one of (a) a transmitting phase of a transmitted exciting pulse, (b) a transmitting phase of a refocusing pulse, (c) a shift amount of the relative phase difference between the transmitted exciting phase and the refocusing pulse, and (d) an intensity of a gradient pulse in a readout direction so as to be associated with at least one of an imaging condition and a blood flow velocity;
• an imaging condition determining unit configured to determine on the basis of the at least one of (a) the transmitting phase of the transmitted exciting pulse, (b) the transmitting phase of the refocusing pulse, (c) the shift amount, and (d) the intensity of the gradient pulse that are stored in the storage unit, determines the at least one of (a) the transmitting phase of the transmitted exciting pulse, (b) the transmitting phase of the refocusing pulse, (c) the shift amount of the relative phase difference between the transmitted exciting phase and the refocusing pulse, and (d) the intensity of the gradient pulse in the readout direction corresponding to the blood flow velocity of the object as an imaging condition;
• said capturing condition determining unit is configured to perform the determining such that (i) intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from a vein in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the object are equal to each other, and (ii) the difference between intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from an artery in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the object increases;
• an imaging unit that performs a three-dimensional imaging scan for obtaining a multi-phase MRA image by synchronizing a signal representing a heart phase collected by a time phase detecting unit on the basis of the imaging condition determined by the imaging condition determining unit;
• and
• a data processing unit that obtains a differential image by differentiating the multi-phase MRA image obtained by the three-dimensional imaging scan.

A magnetic resonance imaging method comprising:

• acquiring a flow velocity of the blood flow of an object;
• setting, on the basis of the acquired flow velocity of the blood flow, at least one of (a) a transmitting phase of a transmitted exciting pulse, (b) a transmitting phase of a refocusing pulse, (c) a shift amount of the relative phase difference between the transmitted exciting phase and the refocusing pulse, and (d) an intensity of a gradient pulse in a readout direction as an imaging condition such that (i) intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from a vein in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the object are equal to each other and (ii) the difference between intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from an artery in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the object increases;
• and
• creating a blood flow image of the object by performing an imaging scan on the basis of the set imaging condition.

A magnetic resonance imaging method comprising:

• performing a pre-scan that collects a plurality of reference blood flow images by varying at least one of (a) a transmitting phase of a transmitted exciting pulse, (b) a transmitting phase of a refocusing pulse, (c) a shift amount of the relative phase difference between the transmitted exciting phase and the refocusing pulse, and (d) an intensity of a gradient pulse in a readout direction such that (i) intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from a vein in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the object are equal to each other, and (ii) the difference between intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from an artery in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the objects increases;
• setting an imaging condition using (a) the transmitting phase of the transmitted exciting pulse, (b) the transmitting phase of the refocusing pulse, (c)the shift amount of the relative phase difference between the transmitted exciting phase and the refocusing pulse, and (d) the intensity of a gradient pulse in a readout direction that are used for an image selected from the plurality of the reference blood flow images such that (i) intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from a vein in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the objects are equal to each other and (ii) the difference between intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from an after in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the objects increases;
• and
• creating a blood flow image of the object by performing an imaging scan on the basis of the imaging condition set by the imaging condition setting unit.

A magnetic resonance imaging method comprising:

• storing at least one of (a) a transmitting phase of a transmitted exciting pulse, (b) a transmitting phase of a refocusing pulse, (c) a shift amount of the relative phase difference between the transmitted exciting phase and the refocusing pulse, and (d) an intensity of a gradient pulse in a readout direction so as to be associated with at least one of an imaging condition and a blood flow velocity;
• determining, on the basis of the at least one of (a) the transmitting phase of the transmitted exciting pulse, (b) the transmitting phase of the refocusing pulse, (c) the shift amount, and (d) the intensity of the gradient pulse that are stored in the storage unit, the at least one of (a) the transmitting phase of the transmitted exciting pulse, (b) the transmitting phase of the refocusing pulse, (c) the shift amount of the relative phase difference between the transmitted exciting phase and the refocusing pulse, and (d) the intensity of the gradient pulse in the readout direction corresponding to the blood flow velocity of the object as an imaging condition such that (i) intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from a vein in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the objects are equal to each other and (ii) the difference between intensities of magnetic resonance signals generated from an artery in a diastole and a systole of the cardiac muscle of the objects increases;
• performing a three-dimensional imaging scan for obtaining a multi-phase MRA image by synchronizing a signal representing a heart phase collected by a time phase detecting unit on the basis of the determined imaging condition;
• and
• acquiring a differential image by differentiating the multi-phase MRA image obtained by the three-dimensional imaging scan.