University of Utah Research Foundation

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Ihc Hospitals, Inc.

The United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

Siemens Healthineers Ag

Ihc Health Services

Dennis Lee Parker

Evgueni Kholmovski

John A Roberts

Henrik Odeen

Allison Payne

Sunil Goraksha Patil

Andrew Lafayette Alexander

Bradley Drake Bolster, Jr

Jason K Mendes

Brian E Chapman

Jindrich Henry Kopecek

Zheng-Rong Lu

Edward V R DiBella

Duane D Blatter

Eun-Kee Jeong

J Rock Hadley

Bryant Svedin

Kim Seong-Eun Choi

Jordan Hulet

Himanshu Bhat

Kenneth Craig Goodrich

Nassir F Marrouche

Lorne Wyatt Hofstetter

Yiping Du

Elizabeth H Hammond

Ruixia Zhou

John Roberts

Rock J Hadley

Robb P Merrill

Glen R Morrell

Emilee Minalga

John Rock Hadley

Junyu Guo

Bhat Himanshu

Laura Lighty

Eugene G Kholmovski

Ling Zhang

Aaron J Burnett

Payne Allison

A method for performing magnetic resonance-guided thermal therapy includes selecting a first set of sampling characteristics for acquiring a first set of slabs covering a first anatomical region of interest. Additionally, a second set of sampling characteristics is selected for acquiring a second set of slabs covering a second anatomical region of interest. This second set of sampling characteristics is distinct from the first set of sampling characteristics. An interleaved acquisition of the first set of slabs and the second set of slabs may then be performed using the first set of sampling characteristics and the second set of sampling characteristics.

Simultaneous multi-slab thermometry during MR-guided thermal therapy

A method for mapping shear wave velocity in biological tissues includes using an ultrasound transducer to generate mechanical excitations at a plurality of locations in a region of interest. An MRI system is used to capture a phase image of each mechanical excitation, wherein motion encoding gradients (MEGs) of the MRI system encode a propagating shear wavefront caused by the mechanical excitation. A plurality of shear wave velocity maps is generated based on the phase images, wherein each shear wave velocity map depicts velocity between adjacent propagating shear wavefronts. The shear wave speed values are combined to generate a composite shear wave velocity map of the region of interest.

Mapping shear wave velocity and shear modulus in biological tissues

A method, system and article of manufacture is disclosed. The method includes providing a spatial navigator outside of a thermal therapy region; receiving a plurality of analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) readouts from an MRI device at a plurality of time points, wherein the ADC readouts comprise a first ADC readout acquired at a first time point, and one or more additional ADC readouts acquired at subsequent time points; processing the ADC readouts to obtain a frequency of the spatial navigator at each of the time points; obtaining a main magnetic field (B) drift of the MRI device based on the frequency of the spatial navigator at a particular time point and the frequency of the spatial navigator at the first time point; and obtaining the temperature change at the particular time point based on the Bdrift.

Temperature measurement in thermal therapy

An MRI system uses a Cartesian-radial hybrid k-space trajectory to capture three-dimensional k-space data and reconstruct an image of an area of interest of a subject. The MRI system performs a series of k-space acquisitions to collect the data. A first k-space acquisition includes acquiring a two-dimensional EPI projection in a first plane parallel to a frequency-encoding direction and acquiring additional two-dimensional EPI projections in planes that are radially shifted about a center axis parallel to the frequency-encoding direction with respect to the first plane, until a selected number of projections are acquired. Each subsequent k-space acquisition includes acquiring an additional set of two-dimensional EPI projections in all of the planes in which an EPI projection was acquired during the first k-space acquisition, each additional set of EPI projections being shifted along a respective plane in a direction perpendicular to the frequency-encoding direction.

Cartesian-radial hybrid k-space trajectory for volumetric imaging

A computer implemented method for measuring Tin an anatomical region of interest during a dynamic procedure includes acquiring a reference MR image of the anatomical region of interest using a first flip angle. A first set of dynamic MR images of the anatomical region of interest are acquired using a second flip angle. The reference MR image and the first set are used to calculate a reference Tvalue for tissue in the anatomical region of interest. During an intervention where the Tvalue may change, a second set of dynamic MR images of the anatomical region of interest is acquired using the second flip angle. The reference MR image and the second set are used to calculate an estimated Tvalue. The reference Tvalue, the estimated Tvalue, and the first and second flip angles may then be used to correct the estimated Tvalue.

Simultaneous proton resonance frequency shift thermometry and Tmeasurements using a single reference variable flip angle Tmethod

A therapeutic ultrasound breast treatment device () is disclosed. The device () can include a receptacle () to receive a breast of a patient therein. The device () can also include an ultrasound transducer assembly disposed proximate the receptacle and oriented to direct a high intensity ultrasound transmission through an opening () of the receptacle () toward the breast. The device () can include a liner () disposed in the receptacle () to contain an ultrasound coupling fluid about the breast. The liner () can have an extension portion that extends through the opening () to form a seal with the ultrasound transducer assembly to prevent leakage of the ultrasound coupling fluid. A focus location of the ultrasound transmission can be adjustable and the device () can include a plurality of RF tracking coils to determine the focus location of the ultrasound transmission to facilitate adjustment of the focus location in an MRI environment.

Therapeutic ultrasound breast treatment

A method for producing an image of a subject using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system includes acquiring a series of echo signals by sampling k-space along radial lines that each pass through the center of k-space. Each projection of the radial lines is divided into multiple echoes and successive projections are spaced by a predetermined angular distance. The series of echo signals are reconstructed into a plurality of images, wherein each image corresponds to a distinct echo signal.

Multi-echo pseudo-golden angle stack of stars thermometry with high spatial and temporal resolution using k-space weighted image contrast

Systems and methods which generate a sequence of images using turbo spin echo magnetic resonance imaging which are retrospectively correlated with periodic motion occurring within a subject being imaged are described. In one embodiment, k-space measurements (or the measurements from which images are formed) are captured during, and correlated with, different phases in a cardiac cycle of the subject. With this sequence, the images that are produced are able to show, and/or compensate for, motion correlated with the cardiac cycle of the subject.

Retrospectively correlated turbo spin echo imaging

Methods and apparatus for operating an MRI system is provided. The disclosure provides a diffusion-prepared driven-equilibrium preparation for an imaging volume and acquiring 3-dimensional k-space data from said prepared volume by a plurality of echoplanar readouts of stimulated echoes. An excitation radio-frequency signal and first and second inversion RF signals are provided to define a field-of-view (FOV).

Systems and methods for magnetic resonance imaging

Systems, devices and methods provide an RF coil which produces a field having linear phase variation across an imaging volume. In one embodiment, a coil comprises multiple microstrip elements configured to have an increased effective electrical length. This increase in electrical length allows for a larger linear phase shifts over the length of the microstrip element which in turn increases linear phase variation capabilities. This may be accomplished by increasing the effective dielectric properties of the microstrip element. Increasing the effective dielectric may be accomplished by utilizing distributed capacitors along the length of a microstrip element (e.g. lumped element capacitors), by altering the materials used to fabricate the microstrip element, etc. Additionally, increasing the effective dielectric may be accomplished using a combination of these means. Embodiments may further enable linear phase variation along the imaging volume at high frequencies, such as frequencies utilized for 3 T and above MRI devices.

Linear phase microstrip radio frequency transmit coils

A method of treating hypertension in a mammal is described, including: by focused sound energy, heating at least one nerve at a surface of a renal artery in a mammal; during the heating and by magnetic resonance imaging, repeatedly determining thermal levels in each of first and second volumetric zones of a region that includes at least a portion of the surface, the second zone being adjacent to the first zone; after determining that an indicium of a thermal level in the first zone exceeds a first threshold, and upon determining that an indicium of a thermal level in the second zone exceeds a second threshold, ceasing the heating of the at least one nerve for at least three months; and as a result of the heating, lowering a blood pressure in the mammal.

Image-guided renal nerve ablation

A self-navigating technique designed to detect motion in segmented sequences is disclosed. Certain embodiments compare a plurality of segments containing adjacent sets of k-space lines and produce an aliased error function which corresponds to a correlation of the segments. A global shift of the aliased error function may indicate the presence of in-plane rigid-body translation while other types of motion are evident in the dispersion or breadth of the error function. Some embodiments may then replace motion corrupted data with reacquired data. Further, some embodiments may correct or remove corrupted data retrospectively.

Intrinsic detection of motion in segmented sequences

Methods and systems in a parallel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system utilize sensitivity-encoded MRI data acquired from multiple receiver coils together with spatially dependent receiver coil sensitivities to generate MRI images. The acquired MRI data forms a reduced MRI data set that is undersampled in at least a phase-encoding direction in a frequency domain. The acquired MRI data and auto-calibration signal data are used to determine reconstruction coefficients for each receiver coil using a weighted or a robust least squares method. The reconstruction coefficients vary spatially with respect to at least the spatial coordinate that is orthogonal to the undersampled, phase-encoding direction(s) (e.g., a frequency encoding direction). Values for unacquired MRI data are determined by linearly combining the reconstruction coefficients with the acquired MRI data within neighborhoods in the frequency domain that depend on imaging geometry, coil sensitivity characteristics, and the undersampling factor of the acquired MRI data. An MRI image is determined from the reconstructed unacquired data and the acquired MRI data.

Systems and methods for image reconstruction of sensitivity encoded MRI data

Growing community of inventors

Centerville, UT, United States of America

Dennis Lee Parker