Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Bernd Kuehn

Thorsten Feiweier

Peter Speier

Swen Campagna

Thomas Benner

Daniel Nico Splitthoff

Thorsten Speckner

Dominik Paul

Michael Wullenweber

Thomas Loeffler

Timothy Hughes

Josef Pfeuffer

Johann Sukkau

Wilhelm Horger

Andre De Oliveira

Simon Bauer

Christof Krellmann

Christian Geppert

Katrin Wohlfarth

Stephan Stoecker

Elisabeth Preusche

In a magnetic resonance apparatus and an operating method therefore, a data acquisition sequence for operating the apparatus is repeatedly reviewed in a number of ascertainment passes executed in a processor, each ascertainment pass involving a calculation step, and in each calculation step a determination is made as to other respective values of data elements used in a previous calculation step have changed. If no change has occurred, a re-calculation in the current calculation step is not implemented, thereby reducing the time and computing capacity that are needed to generate a final data acquisition sequence.

Magnetic resonance apparatus and operating method therefor

In a method for operating a medical imaging examination apparatus having multiple subsystems controlled by a control computer in a scan sequence, a control protocol for the scan is provided to the control computer, which determines sequence control data for the control protocol that define different functional subsequences of the scan, with different effective volumes assigned to each functional subsequence. Current ambient conditions of the apparatus are determined that are decisive for the determined relevant sequence control data and associated effective volumes. Control signals for the scan are determined from the sequence control data, the effective volumes and the current ambient conditions determined that optimize the functional subsequences of the scan.

Medical imaging apparatus having multiple subsystems, and operating method therefor

In a method for operating a medical imaging apparatus having subsystems, a control protocol assigned to a scan sequence to be performed is provided to a control computer that determines sequence control data for the control protocol, which define different functional subsequences of the scan sequence. Different effective volumes are assigned to each functional subsequence, and current ambient conditions of the apparatus are determined for the sequence control data and associated effective volumes, for a series of states of physiological processes that occur during the scan sequence. Control signals for the scan sequence are determined from the sequence control data, the effective volumes and the current ambient conditions per observed state, that optimize the functional subsequences of the scan sequence locally. During the scan, at least one current state of the observed physiological processes is determined and the control signals used for the ongoing scan are determined from the stored control signals, dependent on the at least one current state.

In a method for operating a medical imaging apparatus having multiple subsystems, a control protocol assigned to a scan sequence to be performed is provided to a control computer that determines sequence control data for the control protocol, which define different functional subsequences of the scan sequence. Different effective volumes are assigned to each functional subsequence, and current ambient conditions of the apparatus are determined for the sequence control data and associated effective volumes. Control signals for the scan sequence are determined from the sequence control data, the effective volumes and the current ambient conditions that optimize the functional subsequences of the scan sequence locally, at least with regard to a sub-region of the respective effective volumes. During the scan, at least one change of a sub-region of a respective effective volume is determined and the control signals used for the ongoing scan are modified, dependent on the change, to maintain the aforementioned optimization.

In a method for operating a medical imaging examination apparatus having multiple subsystems, current ambient conditions in a scan volume of the apparatus are determined and stored in a global ambient condition parameter set. A control computer starts a scan sequence according to a selected scan protocol, and sequence control data that define different functional sub-sequences for the respective subsystems are provided to the control computer. Different effective volumes are assigned to each functional sub-sequence, and respective current sub-regions in the effective volume associated with the respective sub-sequence are determined, in which a volume optimization is to take place. Control signals for the scan sequence are calculated using the sequence control data, the global ambient condition parameter set, and the determined current sub-regions of the affected volumes, in order to optimize the functional sub-sequences at least with regard to the current sub-region of the assigned effective volume.

In a method for determining time windows in a scan sequence, in which values of setting parameters of a scan can be changed during a current scan without adversely affecting the scan data obtained with the scan, comprising the following a scan sequence is loaded into a control computer, that then determines the time windows in the scan sequence in which values of setting parameters can be changed during a current scan, on the basis of an analysis of useful coherences in the scan sequence. The determined time windows are stored or processed so as to be available to operate an imaging apparatus to execute the scan sequence.

Method and medical imaging apparatus of determining time windows in a scan sequence

In a method to determine a complete parameter of a pulse sequence composed of multiple pulse sequence modules for operating a magnetic resonance examination apparatus parameter information of the pulse sequence modules is stored in a memory in leaves and nodes of a tree structure, and the parameter information stored in the tree structure is evaluated to determine the complete parameter of the pulse sequence.

Method and apparatus to determine a complete parameter of a magnetic resonance pulse sequence

In a method and a magnetic resonance (MR) system, a marked area is determined that demarcates a predetermined volume segment of the subject relative to the regions adjacent thereto. Nuclei in the predetermined volume segment are excited, or nuclei in a region adjacent thereto are saturated with an RF excitation pulse at the same time a magnetic field gradient is activated. The center frequency of a frequency range of the RF excitation pulse and the direction of the magnetic field gradient are adjusted dependent on resonant frequencies of substances present within the predetermined volume segment in order, starting from the predetermined volume segment to shift an actual excitation volume segment excited by the RF excitation pulse toward the marked area, or to shift a saturation volume saturated by the RF excitation pulse away from the marked area. MR data are then acquired from the predetermined volume segment.

Method and magnetic resonance system to acquire MR data in a predetermined volume segment of an examination subject

In a method and apparatus for automatic magnetic resonance imaging of a patient, an MR overall image is composed from several MR partial images. An MR overview image is received by a process that determines several scanning ranges based on the MR overview image. The MR scanning ranges are characterized by a length along a first direction. For all MR scanning ranges: the length along the first direction is set equal to the length of the longest MR scanning range in the first direction.

Magnetic resonance imaging method and apparatus

In a method and apparatus for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, a magnetization of nuclear spins in a subject is prepared in multiple preparation modules of an acquisition sequence. MR signals are acquired with at least one imaging module of the sequence. Spoiler gradient fields are generated in the multiple preparation modules in order to affect a transverse magnetization of the spins. The spoiler gradient fields that are applied in at least two different preparation modules are spatially varied along different directions. Spoiler gradient moments of the spoiler gradient fields are selected so that, for at least one of three orthogonal spatial directions, a weighted sum of the spoiler gradient moments that are applied along this spatial direction satisfies a threshold condition.

Method and apparatus for magnetic resonance imaging

In a method to configure at least one partial range of a pulse sequence for operating a magnetic resonance device, the pulse sequence is composed of at least two different program units, and information and/or at least one parameter is exchanged between the individual program units by a computerized mediator unit.

Method to configure at least a partial range of a pulse sequence of a magnetic resonance device

In a method for image generation by magnetic resonance with suppression of a spectral component of the magnetic resonance signal during the signal acquisition, k-space is sampled in sub-sections, an excitation pulse for excitation of the spectral component to be suppressed is radiated at a point in time TI before acquisition of each sub-section of k-space, and different TI values are selected for the respective sub-sections.

3D MR imaging with fat suppression

In a magnetic resonance method and apparatus for acquisition of measurement data from a subject, k-space to be scanned into an inner region and an outer region, and the inner region is divided into inner segments that differ in terms of their distance from a k-space center and the outer region is divided into outer segments that differ in terms of their distance from a k-space center. First k-space data are acquired for the inner region, wherein k-space lines of the inner region are divided into first groups such that k-space lines from different inner segments are associated in each of the first groups, and the first groups are successively scanned. Second k-space data are acquired for the outer region, wherein k-space lines of the outer region are divided into second groups such that k-space lines from different outer segments are associated in each of the second groups, and the second groups are successively scanned.

Method and apparatus for acquisition of magnetic resonance data

In a method and apparatus for improving the vessel/tissue contrast in time-of-flight angiography with a magnetic resonance tomography measurement, a sequence of radiofrequency excitation pulses is generated that each have a flip angle and a temporal spacing in the sequence defined by a repetition time, gradient pulses are generated with gradient coils such that, using an analog-to-digital converter, the magnetic resonance response signals are sampled in the frequency domain (k-space) in a slice referred to as a k-matrix, the k-matrix is sampled such that the respective distances of the measuring points from the center of the k-matrix are continuously increased (or decreased), and the repetition time is varied during the sampling, and/or the flip angle is varied during the sampling.

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Uttenreuth, Germany

Bernd Kuehn