Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.V.

Johannes Martinus Peeters

Miha Fuderer

Elwin De Weerdt

Adrianus Joseph Willibrordus Duijndam

Gabriele Marianne Beck

Michel Paul Jurriaan Jurrissen

Thomas Hendrik Rozijn

Guillaume Rudolf Petrus Thelissen

Shuo Zhang

Suthambhara Nagaraj

Franciscus Johannes Maria Benschop

Franciscus J M Benschop

Steven Koppelman

Chennakeshava Krishna

Michel P J Jurrissen

Adrianus J W Duijndam

Disclosed herein is a medical system () comprising a memory () storing machine executable instructions () and an image segmentation algorithm (). The image segmentation algorithm is configured for outputting one or more predetermined anatomical regions within initial magnetic resonance imaging data () descriptive of a predetermined field of view () of a subject (). The medical system further comprises a computational system (), wherein execution of the machine executable instructions causes the computational system to: receive () the initial magnetic resonance imaging data (); receive () the image segmentation comprising the one or more anatomical regions within the magnetic resonance imaging data in response to inputting the initial magnetic resonance imaging data into the image segmentation algorithm; select () at least one of the one or more anatomical regions as a selected image portion () using a predetermined criterion; and reduce () image intensity within the selected image portion to provide intensity corrected magnetic resonance imaging data.

Image intensity correction in magnetic resonance imaging

The invention relates to a method of MR imaging of an object (). It is an object of the invention to enable MR imaging using a 3D radial or spiral acquisition scheme providing an enhanced image quality in the presence of motion. The method comprises the steps of: —generating MR signals by subjecting the object () to an imaging sequence comprising RF pulses and switched magnetic field gradients; —acquiring the MR signals using a 3D radial or spiral acquisition scheme with oversampling of a central portion () of k-space; —detecting motion-induced displacements (d) and/or deformations of the object () during the acquisition of the MR signals and assigning each of the acquired MR signals to a motion state; —reconstructing an MR image from the MR signals weighted in the central portion () of k-space, wherein a stronger weighting (W,) is applied to MR signals acquired in more frequent motion states, while a weaker weighting (W,) is applied to MR signals acquired in less frequent motion states. Moreover, the invention relates to a MR device () and to a computer program for a MR device ().

MR imaging using a 3D radial or spiral acquisition with soft motion gating

A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging technique enables parallel imaging in combination with fat suppression at an increased image quality, notably in combination with EPI. The method includes acquiring reference MR signal data from the object in a pre-scan and acquiring imaging MR signal data from the object in parallel via one or more receiving coils having different spatial sensitivity profiles. The MR signal data are acquired with sub-sampling of k-space and with spectral fat suppression and an MR image is reconstructed from the imaging MR signal data. Sub-sampling artefacts are eliminated using sensitivity maps indicating the spatial sensitivity profiles of the two or more RF receiving coils. A Bmap is derived from the reference MR signal data and the spatial dependence of the effectivity of the spectral fat suppression is determined using the Bo map. In the image reconstruction step, signal contributions from water and fat are separated using regularisation taking the spatial dependence of the effectivity of the spectral fat suppression into account.

Parallel MR imaging with spectral fat suppression

A method of MR imaging includes acquiring reference MR signal data from the object (); deriving a Bmap from the reference MR signal data; adapting sensitivity maps according to the Bmap, which sensitivity maps indicate spatial sensitivity profiles of one or more RF receiving coils (), to correct for geometric distortions of the sensitivity maps; acquiring imaging MR signal data from the object () via the one or more receiving coils () with sub-sampling of k-space; and reconstructing a MR image from the imaging MR signal data. Sub-sampling artifacts are eliminated using the adapted sensitivity maps. The reference MR signal data are acquired using a multi-point Dixon technique. A water image and a fat image are reconstructed from the imaging MR signal data using separate water and fat sensitivity maps. The water and fat images are preferably reconstructed using regularized SENSE.

[object Object]

A magnetic resonance imaging system () includes a denoising unit (), and a reconstruction unit (). The denoising unit () denoises a partial image and provides a spatially localized measure of a denoising effectivity. The reconstruction unit () iteratively reconstructs an output image from the received MR data processed with a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and in subsequent iterations includes the denoised partial image and the spatially localized measure of the denoising effectivity.

Iterative sense denoising with feedback

The invention relates to a method of MR imaging of at least a portion of a body () of a patient placed in an examination volume of an MR device (). The object of the invention is to provide an improved, i.e. faster, parallel imaging technique. The invention proposes to acquire a survey signal data set () at a low image resolution, which survey signal data set () includes MR signals received in parallel or successively via a volume RF coil () and via a set of array RF coils (). Spatial sensitivity profiles () of the array RF coils () are determined from the low resolution data. As a next step, a reference scan is performed in which a reference signal data set () is acquired at intermediate resolution solely via the array RF coils (). The spatial sensitivity profiles () of the array RF coils () are determined from the data acquired at intermediate resolution and from the spatial sensitivity profiles () determined before at low resolution. Finally, a diagnostic scan is performed, in which a diagnostic signal data set () is acquired in parallel via the array RF coils () at high resolution. The diagnostic signal data set () may be acquired in a sub-sampled fashion. A diagnostic MR image () is then reconstructed from the diagnostic signal data set () and from the spatial sensitivity profiles () determined at the intermediate resolution, for example by using the SENSE or SMASH algorithm.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Johannes Martinus Peeters