Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Seimens Healthineers Ag

Siemens Healthineers Ag

Thomas Kluge

Oliver Heid

Mathias Nittka

Markus Vester

David Grodzki

Peter Speier

Alto Stemmer

Stephan Kannengiesser

Josef Pfeuffer

Gregor Koerzdoerfer

Gregor Körzdörfer

Rainer Kaim

Ulrich Hagen

Timothy Hughes

Svetlana Gossmann-Levchuk

The disclosure relates to techniques for executing a measurement sequence in an MRI system, wherein a plurality of measurement subsequences are to be executed within the measurement sequence, each measurement subsequence comprising measurement blocks to be interleaved on a time scale of the MRI system. For each measurement subsequence a respective time value defines when the next measurement block is to be executed on a global time scale by the MRI system. The measurement subsequences are stored in a container ordered according to their respective time values, and the first measurement subsequence is accessed from the subsequence list for execution by the MRI system in run-time.

Interleaved execution of MRI measurement sequences

Determining parameter values in image points of an examination object in an MR system by an MRF technique. Comparison signal waveforms, established using predetermined recording parameters, and each assigned to predetermined values of the parameters to be determined, are loaded. An image point time series of the examination object is acquired with an MRF recording method such that the acquired image point time series are comparable with the loaded comparison signal waveforms. A signal comparison of a section of the respective signal waveform of the acquired one image point time series is carried out with a corresponding section of loaded comparison signal waveforms to establish similarity values. The values of the parameters to be determined on the basis of the most similar comparison signal waveforms determined are determined, and then stored or output.

Magnetic resonance fingerprinting method

A proposal is provided for setting scan parameters comprising at least one value range scan parameter and at least two state scan parameters of a scan sequence of a magnetic resonance protocol for a magnetic resonance examination. A user is supported in the selection of the state scan parameters to be set by a computing unit that checks whether the selection of state scan parameters to be set made by the user comprises a permissible combination of settings and/or states. If an impermissible combination of settings and/or states is present, the computing unit ascertains at least one proposal with a permissible combination of settings and/or states for the state scan parameters to be set.

Method for providing a proposal for setting scan parameters and a computing unit for providing a setting aid

In a method and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus having a scanner that for acquires a magnetic resonance dataset, a magnetic resonance sequence is provided to a computer and is converted in the computer into a digital sequence execution signal that includes a target gradient waveform in the form of a time-discrete target gradient signal the computer calculates a pre-GIRF gradient signal by applying a digital pre-emphasis filter to the target gradient signal. The computer transmits the pre-GIRF gradient signal to the magnetic resonance system scanner and) the scanner executes the digital sequence execution signal containing the pre-GIRF gradient signal in order to acquire magnetic resonance raw data.

Method and magnetic resonance apparatus for acquiring a magnetic resonance dataset with correction of gradient impulse response functions

In order to execute a low-artifact magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) scan, a preferred order of N k-space trajectories of a sampling pattern is determined in a computer, along which in each case an undersampled scan data set is to be scanned, such that artifacts are avoided in parameter maps created from the scan data sets in an MRF scan. The order in which the N k-space trajectories are to be sampled one after the other is varied, so at least two different orders are produced. According to the orders that result due to this variation, determined test signal characteristics are compared with each other and/or with ideal signal characteristics with respect to their artifact behavior. A preferred order is determined from the resulting orders by taking into account the results of the comparison.

Method and apparatus for low-artifact magnetic resonance fingerprinting scan

In a magnetic resonance installation and a corresponding method, a scan sequence is determined based on a representation in k-space of a pulse response of a gradient system of the magnetic resonance installation.

Method and magnetic resonance apparatus for determining a scan sequence based on a representation of a pulse response in k-space of the gradient system

A magnetic resonance sequence model that is a formal description of a measurement sequence is used to automate measurement sequence programming. The sequence model allows a system-independent specification of the measurement sequence for execution in a magnetic resonance scanner. The sequence model is as formal as possible; it is limited to the minimum required information for description of a measurement sequence without limiting the flexibility in the sequence programming. A method for formal description of the measurement sequence describes the measurement sequence by a number of parameters to be parameterized. The parameterization of the measurement sequence can ensue automatically from the formalized description of the measurement sequence, except for a set of parameters that are still be determined. For automatic generation of an executable measurement sequence, the method determines the parameters to be determined using a solver, under consideration of boundary conditions, so that a consistent set of parameters is created that completely describes the measurement sequence. This complete description of parameter values of the measurement sequence is then be translated automatically into a programming language that can be directly executed in the magnetic resonance scanner.

Method and device for automated generation of a formal description of a magnetic resonance system measurement sequence, using a sequence model

In a method for producing a time raster-adapted measurement sequence that can be executed directly in the time raster of a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner, for a measurement sequence composed of a series of time slices that in their entirety represent the measurement sequence, the predetermined time slices are not necessarily of a suitable length in order to be directly translated into the time raster of the MR scanner. The method according to the invention produces this conversion automatically and additionally ensures that global properties of the measurement sequence are maintained. The method simplifies the programming of measurement sequences for MR. Moreover, the method is a requirement for the direct use of timing values determined by a solver. The method can be executed by a computerized device and can be implemented in the form of programming instructions encoded in a computer-readable medium.

Method and device to generate a measurement sequence for operating a magnetic resonance system that is adapted to the time raster of the system

In a method and a device for optimization of a combined system for the acquisition of magnetic resonance tomographic measurement data and an image reconstruction process, the image reconstruction process is already executed during the acquisition of the measurement data, by the calculation process being deconstructed into calculation packets, and rules are defined that establish which requirements must be met for the execution of the respective calculation packet. The calculation process is reorganized into a workflow structure based on the calculation packets and the rules. The calculation process is controlled using the generated workflow structure synchronized to the acquisition process. The rules entirely describe the calculation process, i.e. inclusive of all calculation packets and their logical dependencies. The stability of the calculation process is thus entirely independent of the chronological order of the measurement data acquisition.

Method and device for controlling image data acquisition and image reconstruction

In an MRT method and apparatus with oversampling in at least one phase coding direction of a first region of interest to be visualized, an overview slice image is acquired across the entire subject to be examined in a selected slice, a marking input of the first image region of interest to be measured is detected in the overview slice image, and the first image region is expanded in at least one phase coding direction, dependent on the geometry of the first image region, the overview slice image, as well as the relative position of both image regions relative to one another, such that an expanded, oversampled second image region is obtained that completely contains the first image region and is foldover-free in this first image region.

Optimized method for prevention of foldover artifacts in magnetic resonance tomography

In a method for altering a protocol in a magnetic resonance apparatus a first parameter for the protocol and a second parameter for the protocol are displayed in a user interface display presentation. In this display presentation, a range of values for the first parameter is shown, including designation of a first sub-range within the range wherein selection of a value for the first parameter does not modify the second parameter, and designation of a second sub-range wherein selection of a value for the first parameter causes modification of the second parameter. If a value for the first parameter is selected in the second sub-range, the display presentation automatically shows how the value selected for the first parameter will modify the second parameter. The user is given an option, via the user interface to confirm selection of the value for the first parameter, or to reject it.

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Hirschaid, Germany

Thomas Kluge