The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.

University of Massachusetts

Mitchell Albert

Arvind K Venkatesh

Dilip Balamore

Charles F Ward, Iii

Shaokuan Zheng

A system and method for recording magnetic resonance images with reduced relaxation-related artifacts. The system and method improve the conventional methods for acquiring magnetic resonance images of in vivo tissue by augmenting the procedures for eliminating artifacts caused by motion with procedures for eliminating artifacts caused by spin of the magnetic resonance-active nuclei in the specimen of interest. One procedure to eliminate such spin inhomogeneities is to require a delay defined by the time N*T, where N is a numerical value greater than or equal to 5 and Tis the characteristic time constant for decay of spins back to the equilibrium longitudinal state. Another procedure uses a value of N less than 5.

Relaxation-corrected ECG-triggering and navigator-gating technique

A method of imaging using magnetic resonance includes administering hyperpolarized noble gas to a subject in a region to be imaged, applying a magnetic field of a magnitude between about 0.0001 Tesla and about 0.1 Tesla to the subject at least in the region of the subject to be imaged, detecting a spatial distribution of magnetic resonance signals of the hyperpolarized noble gas in the subject, and producing a representation of the spatial distribution.

Low-field MRI

The present invention uses a ventilator and a series of valves to deliver a special gas into a patient. The present invention finds use in the field of MRI imaging. Attached to the tube extending from the ventilator to the patient is attached a first valve. This valve alternately connects the patient to the ventilator then to a supply of the special gas. Between the first valve and the supply of gas is a second valve, which controls the pressure between the first valve and the second valve caused by the special gas. The supply of special gas is connected to the second valve. A flow regulator controls the rate at which the special gas enters the patient. A computer is also attached to the ventilator and valves to synchronize the opening and closing of the valves and the operation of the ventilator with the patient's respiratory cycles.

Growing community of inventors

Boston, MA, United States of America

Mitchell Albert