Other

Cornell Research Foundation Inc.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

General Electric Company

University of Michigan

Emergency Containment Systems

Prince, Martin R.

Martin R Prince

Yi Jing Wang

James F M Meaney

Richard Watts

Michael S Feld

Carter Kittrell

Ramin D Zabih

Gary B Hayes

Junhwan Kim

Jeff Bezanson

Jill M Tobin

Hale Ersoy

Frank G Pytryga

Thomas K Foo

Thomas L Chenevert

Pascal Spincemaille

James F Meaney

James Fm Meaney

A thigh compression device and technique to control, time, delay and/or prevent excessive early venous enhancement relative to arterial enhancement and thereby improve and/or enhance MRA images, including peripheral MRA images, is disclosed. In one embodiment, the present invention uses a curved strip of material which is longer on the superior edge and shorter along the inferior edge. When wrapped around the conical shape of the thigh of a subject, for example, a human, the thigh compression device more uniformly conforms to and/or fits around the thigh, providing more even/uniform compression as well as reducing, minimizing and/or eliminating significant movement of the thigh compression device towards the knees of the subject. A snug fit on the thighs may also enable the thigh compression device to be inflated with less fluid, which is faster and less cumbersome for the operator.

Tourniquet for magnetic resonance angiography, and method of using same

Described is a robust electrocardiogram (ECG) ordering technique of k-space for breath hold contrast enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) that acquires the central part of k-space in a motion-free portion of diastole and fills in from the periphery of k-space at all other times. To make maximal use of the contrast enhancement, data is acquired continuously even when the ECG signal is lost. The ECG signal is monitored in real time. The ECG ordering technique allows a flexible acquisition matrix and is robust against ECG signal imperfections. The ECG ordering technique allows thoracic and pulmonary magnetic resonance angiography with a higher resolution when compared to the conventional gated sequence.

Cardiac motion artifact suppression using ECG ordering

There are many inventions described herein as well as many aspects and embodiments of those inventions. A thigh compression device and technique to control, time, delay and/or prevent excessive early venous enhancement relative to arterial enhancement and thereby improve and/or enhance MRA images, including peripheral MRA images. In one embodiment, the present invention uses a curved strip of material which is longer on the superior edge and shorter along the inferior edge. When wrapped around the conical or conal-like shape of the thigh of a subject (for example, a human), the thigh compression device more uniformly conforms to and/or fits around the thigh, providing more even/uniform compression as well as reducing, minimizing and/or eliminating significant movement of the thigh compression device towards the knees of the subject. Notably, a snug fit on the thighs may also enable the thigh compression device to be inflated with less fluid (for example, air) which is faster and less cumbersome for the operator.

Systems and methods for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography in which both arterial-phase image data and post-contrast image data is collected.

Method and apparatus for magnetic resonance imaging of arteries using a magnetic resonance contrast agent

Technique and apparatus for acquiring anatomic information used in diagnosing and characterizing abdominal aortic aneurismal disease and the like. This technique provides anatomic information, in the form of images, using a combination of a plurality of magnetic resonance angiography sequences, including a spin-echo and four contrast enhanced (e.g., gadolinium) magnetic resonance angiography sequences. The anatomic images may be used in, for example, pre-operative, operative and post-operative evaluation of aortic pathology, including aneurysms, atherosclerosis, and occlusive disease of branch vessels such as the renal arteries. The gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography provides sufficient anatomic detail to detect aneurysms and all relevant major branch vessel abnormalities seen at angiography operation. This technique and apparatus allows for imaging the aorta at a fraction of the cost of conventional aortography and without the risks of arterial catheterization or iodinated contrast.

Method and apparatus for imaging abdominal aorta and aortic aneurysms

The present invention is a method and apparatus for providing preferential enhancement of an artery of interest relative to adjacent veins and background tissue. The method and apparatus adapts the timing of a maximum or substantially elevated rate of infusion to correlate with the collection of image data corresponding to the center of k-space. The technique and apparatus temporally correlates the timing of a maximum or substantially elevated rate of infusion and the mapping of k-space according to the location of the artery of interest, the size of the artery of interest, the physical condition of the patient, the time delay due to the configuration of the contrast agent delivery system, and/or the type of pulse sequence employed by the imaging apparatus. Adapting the timing of a maximum or substantially elevated rate of infusion to correlate with the collection of image data corresponding to the center of k-space provides a period of a maximum or substantially elevated contrast concentration in the artery of interest relative to adjacent veins during collection of at least a portion of the image data corresponding to the center of k-space.

Method and apparatus for administration of contrast agents for use in magnetic resonance arteriography

In time-resolved contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography, a measure quantifying image quality provides a basis for generating a linear filtered composite image by facilitating selection of a mask and an arterial phase image for subtraction. Filtering of individual pixels of a temporal series of images provides enhanced contrast in a single image by allowing the temporal behavior of the pixel intensity to denote representation as an artery, vein or background tissue. Motion artifacts are suppressed by re-registering sequential images, adjusting weighting before averaging and subtraction and filtering the Fourier data to eliminate data corrupted by motion or other phenomena.

System and method for generating composite substraction images for magnetic resonance imaging

The present invention is a technique of, and system for, imaging vascular anatomy over distance considerably greater than the maximum practical field of view of a magnetic resonance imaging system while using substantially one contrast agent injection. The technique and system of the present invention acquires image data of a plurality of image volumes which are representative of different portions of the patient's body. The image data of each image volume includes image data which is representative of the center of k-space. The acquisition of image data which is representative of the center of k-space is correlated with a concentration of contrast agent in the artery(ies) residing in the image volume being substantially greater than the concentration of contrast agent in veins and background tissue adjacent to the artery(ies). This provides preferential enhancement of arteries relative to adjacent veins and background tissue for each acquisition, wherein each acquisition is representative of a different portion of the arterial system (e.g., abdominal aorta, femoral, popliteal, and tibial arteries).

Method of multi-region contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance arteriography

The present invention is a technique and apparatus for providing preferential enhancement of an artery of interest relative to adjacent veins and background tissue by correlating the collection of a predetermined portion of data (for example, image data which is representative of the central portion of k-space) of a magnetic resonance contrast image during the arterial phase of the magnetic resonance contrast enhancement.

The present invention is a technique and apparatus for acquiring anatomic information used in diagnosing and characterizing abdominal aortic aneurismal disease and the like. This technique provides anatomic information, in the form of images, using a combination of a plurality of magnetic resonance angiography sequences, including a spin-echo and four contrast enhanced (e.g., gadolinium) magnetic resonance angiography sequences. The anatomic images may be used in, for example, pre-operative, operative and post-operative evaluation of aortic pathology, including aneurysms, atherosclerosis, and occlusive disease of branch vessels such as the renal arteries. The gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography provides sufficient anatomic detail to detect aneurysms and all relevant major branch vessel abnormalities seen at angiography operation. This technique and apparatus allows for imaging the aorta at a fraction of the cost of conventional aortography and without the risks of arterial catheterization or iodinated contrast.

System and method for generating composite subtraction images for magnetic resonance imaging

Method and apparatus for magnetic resonance arteriography using contrast agents

Method for imaging an artery using a magnetic resonance contrast agent

Current bolus chase magnetic resonance angiography is limited by the imaging time for each station. Tailoring the density of k-space sampling along the anterior-posterior direction of the coronal station allows a substantial decrease in scan time that leads to greater contrast bolus sharing among stations and consequently a significant improvement in image quality. Fast arterial-venous transit in the carotid arteries requires accurate, reliable timing of the acquisition to the bolus transit to maximize arterial signal and minimize venous artifacts. The rising edge of the bolus is not utilized in conventional elliptical-centric view ordering because the critical k-space center must be acquired with full arterial enhancement. The invention provides a recessed elliptical-centric view ordering scheme is introduced in which the k-space center is acquired a few seconds following scan initiation. The recessed view ordering is shown to be more robust to timing errors in a patient studies.

Method and apparatus for anatomically tailored k-space sampling and recessed elliptical view ordering for bolus-enhanced 3D MR angiography

A magnetic resonance imaging system is disclosed to perform an imaging pulse sequence that acquires data to generate an image of at least a portion of the patient. The magnetic resonance imaging system comprises an acoustic transducer to irradiate an anatomic structure in the patient using ultrasonic energy. A receiver, in response to ultrasonic energy, generates echo signals. Using the echo signals, a signal analyzer generates a plurality of gating signals, including a first gating signal in response to a first period of motion of the anatomic structure and the second gating signal in response to a second period of motion of the structure. The magnetic resonance imaging system, in response to the first gating signal, acquires data from the center of k-space, and, in response to the second gating signal, acquires the periphery of k-space.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Martin R Prince