Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

The General Hospital Corporation

Martin Harder

Dominik Paul

Thorsten Feiweier

Heiko Meyer

Katrin Wohlfarth

Dorin Comaniciu

Andreas Schmidt

Yefeng Zheng

Xiang Sean Zhou

Andreas Greiser

Thomas Beck

Berthold Kiefer

Stephan Kannengiesser

Swen Campagna

Franz Schmitt

Himanshu Bhat

Stephan Zink

Yiqiang Zhan

Tobias Kober

Oliver Schreck

Andre De Oliveira

Daniel Rinck

Peter Heubes

Anders M Dale

George William Ferguson

Peter Gall

Keith Aaron Heberlein

Cecile Mohr

Shu Liao

Andre Van Der Kouwe

Martin Herget

Stephan Kannengießer

Wilfried Landschuetz

Matthew Tisdall

Andre Jan Willem Van Der Kouwe

Mike Müller

Niels Oesingmann

Hans-Peter Hollenbach

Wilfried Landschütz

Raphael Schwarz

John Kirsch

Alexander Schwing

Rainer Kaim

Gerhard Seng

Christian Köglmeier

Ines Nimsky

In a method and system for automatically positioning a region of interest of a patient for a medical imaging examination in an isocenter of a medical imaging apparatus, the region of interest of the patient is brought into a patient receiving region of the medical imaging examination for a position-determination measurement, a position-determination measurement is performed to capture position-determination image data, the position-determination image data is analyzed to determine a position of the region of interest of the patient from the position-determination image data, and the patient is automatically positioned such that the position of the region of interest of the patient coincides with the position of the isocenter of the medical imaging apparatus.

Method and system for automatically positioning a region of interest of a patient for a medical imaging examination

A method includes determining a position of a local coil, a coil position, and a position of a body part of a patient, a body part position. Spacing between the coil position and the body part position is determined. An optimized MR sequence is determined. Based on the determined spacing between the coil position and the body part position, it is checked that in a subsequent MR examination of the patient, a predetermined loading threshold value (e.g., an SAR value) is not exceeded. The optimization of the MR sequence thus takes place under the boundary condition that the loading threshold value is not exceeded.

Determining a load-optimized MR sequence

A flexible magnetic resonance coil apparatus, an applicator, and a method for arranging a magnetic resonance coil apparatus on an object under examination are provided. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus includes at least one coil element and at least one carrier structure. The at least one carrier structure is configured to adapt its geometric shape.

Magnetic resonance coil apparatus with an adjustable carrier structure

A method for automatically updating planning of measurement volumes as a function of object motion during MRI examination of an object in which the planning images a specific subject/object anatomy by MRI, includes defining an object reference pose and a reference coordinate system for the reference pose at a time during MRI examination, with the reference coordinate system being used for planning the measurement volumes. During examination, information is obtained about an object pose change between a current object pose at the time and the reference pose. For each subsequent scan or single acquisition of imaging data during examination, pose change information is used for calculating a new coordinate system for the current pose and updating the planning of measurement volumes as a function of the new coordinate system so the imaged object anatomy remains the same throughout the scans or acquisitions of imaging data irrespective of object motion.

Method for motion correction in magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus

The embodiments relate to a local coil for an imaging magnetic resonance tomography system. The local coil includes at least one displacement facility for a displacement of at least part of the local coil along at least axes running, in particular, in the axial patient direction.

Displaceable local coil

A method for MRI inter-scan motion correction includes performing (i) an anatomical localizer scan of a region of interest (ROI) to identify anatomical landmarks defining orientation of a surrounding field-of-view (FOV); (ii) an inter-scan motion reference scan of the ROI to acquire a reference inter-scan dataset indicating a reference navigator location in the ROI; and (iii) scans of the ROI to acquire k-space data. Prior to one or more of the scans, a motion correction process is performed that includes (a) performing an inter-scan motion tracking scan to acquire a tracking inter-scan dataset indicating an updated reference navigator location; (b) determining an estimation of inter-scan patient motion based on a comparison between the reference inter-scan and tracking inter-scan datasets; and (c) updating the FOV relative to the landmarks based on that estimation. Images of the ROI may be generated using the k-space data acquired with each of the scans.

MR-based navigators for inter-scan and intra-scan motion correction

Disclosed herein is a framework for facilitating automatic planning for medical imaging. In accordance with one aspect, the framework receives first image data of a subject. One or more imaging parameters may then be derived using a geometric model and at least one reference anatomical primitive detected in the first image data. The geometric model defines a geometric relationship between the detected reference anatomical primitive and the one or more imaging parameters. The one or more imaging parameters may be presented, via a user interface, for use in acquisition, reconstruction or processing of second image data of the subject.

Automatic planning for medical imaging

A method for an image data acquisition with a magnetic resonance device that has a display unit includes acquisition of at least one overview measurement with at least one image data set, evaluation of the at least one image data set, generation of information of a slice geometry, graphical presentation of the information of the slice geometry along at least one slice plane, and acquisition of image data regarding a medical and/or diagnostic question and/or examination.

Method for an image data acquisition

In a magnetic resonance method and apparatus wherein the magnetic resonance device has a movable patient bed, in a first overview measurement, a first image data record of a patient is acquired, and patient information and/or information of a treatment region of a patient is/are determined from the acquired first image data record. In a second overview measurement, dependent on the patient information and/or on the positioning information of the treatment region of the first image data record, a second image data record is acquired. In a planning step a layer planning for the image data acquisition is implemented from the acquired second image data record. Image data for a medical and/or diagnostic issue and/or examination are recorded. The first image data record of the first overview measurement is recorded with a lower spatial resolution than a spatial resolution of the second image data record of the second overview measurement.

Method and magnetic resonance apparatus for image data acquisition

In a method and apparatus to generate a magnetic resonance (MR) image in a volume of interest of an examination subject, the magnetization is excited in an additional volume in the subject by at least one RF pulse, in order to achieve a desired magnetization in the volume of interest. The additional excitation volume differs at least partially from the volume of interest. For this purpose, at least one MR overview image of the examination subject is analyzed automatically to determine a position of at least one anatomical structure of the examination subject, from which the volume of interest is automatically determined. The additional excitation volume is automatically determined using the position of the at least one anatomical structure. The MR image in the volume of interest is acquired with excitation of the magnetization in the automatically determined additional excitation volume.

Method and apparatus to generate magnetic resonance images

In a method to create magnetic resonance (MR) images of a predetermined volume segment within an examination subject by operation of an MR system with continuous table displacement, at least one slice with a respective, predetermined thickness is defined, and for each slice, a partial region of the slice is selected, the respective partial region being bounded in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the corresponding slice, and measurement signals are acquired from the slice, the acquired measurement signals originating from only the respective partial region of the slice.

Method and magnetic resonance system to generate magnetic resonance images

Systems and methods for visualization of medical image data with localized enhancement. In one implementation, image data of a structure of interest is resampled within a predetermined plane to generate at least one background image of the structure of interest. In addition, at least one local image is reconstructed to visually enhance at least one local region of interest associated with the structure of interest. The local image and the background image are then combined to generate a composite image.

Visualization of medical image data with localized enhancement

A method and apparatus for detecting multiple anatomical landmarks in a 3D volume. A first anatomical landmark is detected in a 3D volume using marginal space learning (MSL). Locations of remaining anatomical landmarks are estimated in the 3D volume based on the detected first anatomical landmark using a learned geometric model relating the anatomical landmarks. Each of the remaining anatomical landmarks is then detected using MSL in a portion of the 3D volume constrained based on the estimated location of each remaining landmark. This method can be used to detect the anatomical landmarks of the crista galli (CG), tip of the occipital bone (OB), anterior of the corpus callosum (ACC), and posterior of the corpus callosum (PCC) in a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volume.

Method and system for anatomic landmark detection using constrained marginal space learning and geometric inference

A medical examination apparatus for acquisition of slice images of an examination subject, such as a magnetic resonance apparatus, has a control device for controlling the image acquisition procedure having at least one associated monitor on which graphic elements serving for adjustment of the image acquisition modalities can be displayed. The graphic elements can be positioned by the user via an input unit with regard to the image simultaneously displayed on the monitor. The control device controls the image acquisition procedure dependent on the position and type of the graphic elements. Some of the displayed graphic elements can be coupled to one another as needed in terms of their positional relationship so that, given a position change of a selected graphic element, all graphic elements coupled therewith can mutually be moved with retention of their positional relationship with one another.

Medical examination apparatus for acquiring slice images of a subject

In a method and a magnetic resonance system for determining the position and/or orientation of the image plane of slice image exposures of a vessel region in a contrast agent bolus examination, in particular in the region of the aorta bifurcation or the aorta arch, wherein the image plane traverses the vessel region in the longitudinal section, initially a group of slice image exposures disposed essentially orthogonal to the vessel is automatically acquired from different planes of the vessel region lying parallel to one another, and the image regions showing the vessel region are automatically determined within the orthogonal slice image exposures in an image-processing device, and using the determined image regions the spatial position of the vessel region is determined. The position and/or orientation of the image plane disposed essentially orthogonal to the planes of the slice image exposures and traversing the vessel region in the longitudinal section is determined automatically using the position information, such that the image plane lies in the center of the vessel region.

Magnetic resonance method and apparatus for determining the position and/or orientation of the image plane of slice image exposures of a vessel region in a contrast agent bolus examination

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Nürnberg, Germany

Martin Harder