Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Canon Medical Systems Corporation

University of California

Mitsue Miyazaki

Xiangzhi Zhou

Yoshimori Kassai

Satoshi Sugiura

Tsutomu Hoshino

Cheng Ouyang

Aiming Lu

Yuichi Yamashita

Shigehide Kuhara

Hiroshi Takai

Shinichi Kitane

Fumitoshi Kojima

Hitoshi Kanazawa

Keiichiro Ishi

Katsumi Nakamura

Christine Chung

Akiyoshi Yamamoto

Hidenori Takeshima

Andrew James Wheaton

Masatoshi Hanawa

Nobuyasu Ichinose

Vadim Malis

Yihang Zhou

Leping Zha

Won Bae

In one embodiment, an MRI apparatus includes: a scanner that includes a static magnetic field magnet, a gradient coil, and a WB coil; and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to: cause the scanner to image, under a first imaging method, a tissue including a perfusion route of body fluid that removes waste products of the object the body fluid including neurofluid; generate an anatomical image of the tissue from first data acquired by imaging under the first imaging method; cause the scanner to image perfusion behavior of the body fluid in real time under a second imaging method using non-contrast perfusion imaging; generate a perfusion image indicating the perfusion behavior of the body fluid from second data acquired by imaging under the second imaging method; and generate a fused image by combining the anatomical image and the perfusion image.

MRI apparatus

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes sequence controlling circuitry and processing circuitry. The sequence controlling circuitry acquires a first piece of data by executing a first pulse sequence having a first Echo Time (TE) value, to acquire a second piece of data by executing a second pulse sequence having a second TE value different from the first TE value, and to acquire a third piece of data by executing a third pulse sequence having a third TE value different from the first and the second TE values. The processing circuitry extracts a signal related to water, a signal related to a first fat, and a signal related to a second fat, on the basis of the first piece of data, the second piece of data, and the third piece of data.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance imaging method

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes sequence controlling circuitry and processing circuitry. The sequence controlling circuitry executes (i) a first pulse sequence in which a spatially selective Inversion recovery (IR) pulse and a spatially non-selective IR pulse are applied, and (ii) a second pulse sequence in which the spatially non-selective IR pulse is applied without applying the spatially selective IR pulse, while varying the first TI period, with respect to a plurality of first TI periods. The sequence controlling circuitry executes (iii) the third pulse sequence in which the spatially selective IR pulse and the spatially non-selective IR pulse are applied, and (iv) the fourth pulse sequence in which the spatially non-selective IR pulse is applied without applying the spatially selective IR pulse. The processing circuitry generates a magnetic resonance image of an imaged region based on data obtained from the third pulse sequence and the fourth pulse sequence.

An MR image especially useful for computer-guided diagnostics uses at least one programmed computer to acquire an MR-image of T1 values for a patient volume containing at least one predetermined tissue type having a respectively corresponding predetermined range of expected T1 values. A color-coded T1-image is generated from the MR-image by (a) assigning a first color or spectrum of colors to those pixels having a T1 value falling within a predetermined range of expected T1 values and (b) assigning a second color or spectrum of colors to those pixels having a T1 value falling outside a predetermined range of expected T1 values. The color-coded T1-image is then displayed for use in computer-aided diagnosis of patient tissue.

MRI T1 image-guided tissue diagnostics

In one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes: a scanner that includes a static magnetic field magnet configured to generate a static magnetic field, a gradient coil configured to generate a gradient magnetic field, and a WB (Whole Body) coil configured to apply an RF pulse to an object; and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to: set (i) a pulse sequence in which a sequence element is repeated, the sequence element including at least an inversion pulse and (ii) a data acquisition sequence executed after a delay time from the inversion pulse; and cause the scanner to execute the pulse sequence by using virtual gating.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes sequence controlling circuitry and processing circuitry. The sequence controlling circuitry is configured to execute (i) a first pulse sequence in which a spatially selective Inversion recovery (IR) pulse and a spatially non-selective IR pulse are applied, and subsequently an acquisition is performed and (ii) a second pulse sequence in which the spatially non-selective IR pulse is applied without applying the spatially selective IR pulse, and subsequently an acquisition is performed, while varying the first TI period, with respect to a plurality of first TI periods. The processing circuitry is configured to calculate a second TI period to be used in a third pulse sequence and a fourth pulse sequence, based on data obtained from the first pulse sequence and the second pulse sequence. The sequence controlling circuitry executes (iii) the third pulse sequence in which the spatially selective IR pulse and the spatially non-selective IR pulse are applied, and subsequently an acquisition is performed and (iv) the fourth pulse sequence in which the spatially non-selective IR pulse is applied without applying the spatially selective IR pulse, and subsequently an acquisition is performed. The processing circuitry generates a magnetic resonance image of an imaged region based on data obtained from the third pulse sequence and the fourth pulse sequence.

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes sequence controlling circuitry and processing circuitry. The sequence controlling circuitry is configured to execute a first pulse sequence including application of a Magnetization Transfer (MT) pulse and to subsequently execute a second pulse sequence including application of an MT pulse after an action that causes a change in a physiological state of a patient. The processing circuitry is configured to generate a first Z-spectrum based on data obtained by executing the first pulse sequence, to generate a second Z-spectrum based on data obtained by executing the second pulse sequence, and to generate data by performing an analysis based on the first Z-spectrum and the second Z-spectrum.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, image processing apparatus, and image processing method

An image processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry generates an image by performing an analysis based on a Z-spectrum generated based on data obtained by executing a pulse sequence including application of a Magnetization Transfer (MT) pulse and causes a display to display the generated image by dividing the image into a plurality of segments.

Image processing apparatus, magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, and image processing method

Devices and methods are provided for analyzing images from a magnetic resonance (MR) system. The device includes at least one hardware processor coupled with a storage system accessible to the at least one hardware processor. The device further includes a display in communication with the at least one hardware processor. The device receives a plurality of non-contrast MR images in a region of interest (ROI). The device obtains blood flow signals from the plurality of non-contrast MR images. The device identifies an abnormal segment by analyzing the blood flow signals. The device displays the non-contrast MR images by a highlighted segment in at least one of the non-contrast MR images to indicate the abnormal segment on the display.

System and method for non-contrast myocardium diagnosis support

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes sequence controlling circuitry and processing circuitry. The sequence controlling circuit executes, while a k-space is divided into a plurality of segments, a pulse sequence by which a tag pulse is applied and subsequently acquisition is performed. The processing circuit generates an image based on the pulse sequence executed by the sequence controlling circuit. The pulse sequence is a pulse sequence by which the acquisition is repeatedly performed at the center of the k-space. The sequence controlling circuit executes the pulse sequence, while changing the range to which the tag pulse is applied, for each of the plurality of segments.

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes sequence control circuitry and processing circuitry. The sequence control circuitry executes a first pulse sequence and a second pulse sequence, the first pulse sequence including a first spoiler pulse serving as a dephasing gradient pulse of a first amount, the second pulse sequence including a second spoiler pulse serving as a dephasing gradient pulse of a second amount being different from the first amount or the second pulse sequence not including a spoiler pulse serving as a dephasing gradient pulse. The processing circuitry performs a subtraction operation between a first data obtained from the first pulse sequence and a second data obtained from the second pulse sequence, thereby generating an image.

In one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes memory circuitry configured to store a predetermined program; and processing circuitry configured, by executing the predetermined program, to set an FSE type pulse sequence in which an excitation pulse is followed by a plurality of refocusing pulses, the plurality of the refocusing being divided into at least a first pulse group subsequent to the excitation pulse and a second pulse group subsequent to the first pulse group, the first pulse group including refocusing pulses having a predetermined high flip angle, and the second pulse group including refocusing pulses having flip angles decreased from the predetermined high flip angle toward a flip angle of zero, and generate an image of an object from respective MR signals corresponding to the plurality of refocusing pulses acquired by applying the fast spin echo type pulse sequence to the object.

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes sequence controlling circuitry and processing circuitry. The sequence controlling circuitry performs a first acquisition and a second acquisition, the first acquisition including executing a preparation module corresponding to a first Echo Time (TE) value and subsequently performing an acquisition sequence, the second acquisition including executing the preparation module corresponding to a second TE value different from the first TE value and subsequently performing the acquisition sequence, the acquisition sequence being a pulse sequence including applying an RF excitation pulse in presence of a gradient magnetic field, and subsequently applying an RF re-focusing pulse in presence of another gradient magnetic field having an opposite polarity to that of the gradient magnetic field. The processing circuitry extracts at least one of a signal related to a first fat and a signal related to a second fat.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment includes a sequence controller and a data processor. The sequence controller executes a pulse sequence using a combination of multiple types of labeling methods to acquire magnetic resonance signals. The data processor generates multiple types of labeled images based on the magnetic resonance signals.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and image processing apparatus

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes sequence control circuitry and processing circuitry. The sequence control circuitry performs first data acquisition in a full k-space and performs a plurality of second data acquisition in partial k-spaces, each of the partial k-spaces being smaller than the entirety of the full k-space. The processing circuitry generates an image, based on data acquired from the first data acquisition and a plurality of pieces of data acquired from the plurality of second data acquisition.

Growing community of inventors

Mount Prospect, IL, United States of America

Mitsue Miyazaki