University of Illinois

Cedars-sinai Medical Center

Behzad Sharif

Debiao Li

Daniel S Berman

Yoram Bresler

Jianing Pang

Nitin Aggarwal

C Noel Bairey Merz

Yoem Bresler

In some embodiments, the present application discloses systems and methods for cardiac MRI that allow for continuous un-interrupted acquisition without any ECG/cardiac gating or synchronization that achieves the required image contrast for imaging perfusion defects. The invention also teaches an accelerated image reconstruction technique that is tailored to the data acquisition scheme and minimizes or eliminates dark-rim image artifacts. The invention further enables concurrent imaging of perfusion and myocardial wall motion (cardiac function), which can eliminate the need for separate assessment of cardiac function (hence shortening exam time), and/or provide complementary diagnostic information in CAD patients.

Systems and methods for myocardial perfusion MRI without the need for ECG gating and additional systems and methods for improved cardiac imaging

The present invention teaches systems and methods for a simple cardiac MRI approach that (1) continuously acquires data; (2) covers the entire heart with high isotropic resolution within a few minutes; and (3) requires no physiological gating and minimal user intervention. Applications of the inventive systems and methods include, but are in no way limited to cardiac cine, myocardial perfusion, coronary MRA, delayed enhancement imaging, myocardial T1-weighted imaging for fibrosis imaging, and myocardial T2-weighted imaging for edema imaging.

Method and system for 'push-button' comprehensive cardiac MR examination using continuous self-gated 3D radial imaging

The invention is a new computational method for the formation of magnetic resonance (MR) images. The method utilizes the data acquired by the multiple receiver channels available as parallel imaging hardware on standard MRI scanners to: (i) automatically identify a set of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems (e.g., MIMO filter banks) that act as interpolation kernels for acquired MR data sets (that can be subsampled with respect to the Nyquist criterion) without requiring a separate calibration scan; and (ii) use the identified MIMO systems to synthesize MR data sets that can in turn be used to produce high quality images, thereby enabling high quality imaging with fewer data samples than current methods (or equivalently provide higher image quality with the same number of data samples). A unique feature of the present invention is its ability to account for aliasing effects and minimize the associated image distortion by optimally adapting the said MIMO interpolation (image reconstruction) kernels. This ability to image with a reduced number of data samples accelerates the imaging process; hence, overcoming the main shortcoming of MRI compared to other medical imaging modalities.

Auto-calibrating parallel MRI technique with distortion-optimal image reconstruction

A method for acquiring magnetic resonance (MR) data from a dynamic object in which a k-space sampling schedule are produced. The k-space sampling table is produced using a spatio-temporal model of the beating heart, time sequential sampling theory and a known number of parallel receive channels (coils). The imaging pulse sequence is repeated to play out the phase encodings in the order listed in the k-space sampling schedule and the k-space data sets acquired through the parallel receive channels are combined and used to reconstruct a sequence of images. The method is an improved process for dynamic MRI, designed to overcome the limitations of current MRI systems in imaging dynamic phenomena and produces highly accurate motion movies of the structure, function, perfusion and viability of various anatomical regions in MRI subjects such as the beating heart, flow of contrast agents in blood vessels, brain excitation, or joint movement.

Growing community of inventors

Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Behzad Sharif