University of Hawai'i

The Queen's Medical Center

The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.

Uwm Research Foundation, Inc.

Kineticor, Inc.

Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg

Thomas Michael Ernst

Brian Stewart Randall Armstrong

Thomas Edmund Prieto

Jeffrey N Yu

Maxim Zaitsev

Oliver Speck

Michael Herbst

Brian Keating

Aditya Singh

Julian Maclaren

Benjamin Anton Zahneisen

Ilia Kadachevitch

Crispin Lovell-Smith

This invention relates to a system that adaptively compensates for subject motion in real-time in an imaging system. An object orientation marker (), preferably a retro-grate reflector (RGR), is placed on the head or other body organ of interest of a patient (P) during a scan, such as an MRI scan. The marker () makes it possible to measure the six degrees of freedom (x, y, and z-translations, and pitch, yaw, and roll), or 'pose', required to track motion of the organ of interest. A detector, preferably a camera (), observes the marker () and continuously extracts its pose. The pose from the camera () is sent to the scanner () via an RGR processing computer () and a scanner control and processing computer (), allowing for continuous correction of scan planes and position (in real-time) for motion of the patient (P). This invention also provides for internal calibration and for co-registration over time of the scanner's and tracking system's reference frames to compensate for drift and other inaccuracies that may arise over time.

Motion tracking system for real time adaptive imaging and spectroscopy

Systems, methods, and devices for intra-scan motion correction to compensate not only from one line or acquisition step to the next, but also within each acquisition step or line in k-space. The systems, methods, and devices for intra-scan motion correction can comprise updating geometry parameters, phase, read, and/or other encoding gradients, applying a correction gradient block, and/or correcting residual errors in orientation, pose, and/or gradient/phase.

Methods, systems, and devices for intra-scan motion correction

The systems, methods, and devices described herein generally relate to achieving accurate and robust motion correction by detecting and accounting for false movements in motion correction systems used in conjunction with medical imaging and/or therapeutic systems. In other words, in some embodiments of the systems, methods, and devices described herein can be configured to detect false movements for motion correction during a medical imaging scan and/or therapeutic procedure, and thereby ensure that such false movements are not accounted for in the motion correction process. Upon detection of false movements, the imaging or therapeutic system can be configured to transiently suppress and/or subsequently repeat acquisitions.

Systems, devices, and methods for detecting false movements for motion correction during a medical imaging scan

The disclosure herein provides methods, systems, and devices for tracking motion of a patient or object of interest during biomedical imaging and for compensating for that motion in the biomedical imaging scanner and/or the resulting images to reduce or eliminate motion artifacts. In an embodiment, a motion tracking system is configured to overlay tracking data over biomedical imaging data in order to display the tracking data along with its associated image data. In an embodiment, a motion tracking system is configured to overlay tracking data over biomedical imaging data in order to display the tracking data along with its associated image data. In an embodiment, one or more detectors are configured to detect images of a patient, and a detector processing interface is configured to analyze the images to estimate motion or movement of the patient and to generate tracking data describing the patient's motion. The detector processing interface is configured to send the tracking data to a scanner controller to enable adjustment of scanning parameters in real-time in response to the patient's motion.

Motion tracking system for real time adaptive motion compensation in biomedical imaging

The disclosure herein provides methods, systems, and devices for removing prospective motion correction from medical imaging scans. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for removing motion correction from biomedical imaging scan data comprises tracking, by a computer system, motion of an object being scanned; generating, by the computer system, motion tracking data; adjusting, by the computer system, a biomedical imaging scanner, using the motion tracking data, to compensate in real time for object motion, such that raw image data generated by the scanner can be reconstructed into motion-corrected images; inverting, by the computer system, the motion tracking data; and applying, by the computer system, the inverted motion tracking data to the raw image data to generate de-corrected image data representative of what the scanner would produce had the scanner not compensated for motion, wherein the de-corrected image data can be reconstructed into de-corrected images, wherein the computer system comprises an electronic memory and a computer processor.

Systems, methods, and devices for removing prospective motion correction from medical imaging scans

A device and a method for calibrating the coordinate system of imaging systems having a tracking system prior or during image data acquisition, e.g. by way of magnetic resonance tomography.

Device and method for calibrating tracking systems in imaging systems

This invention relates to a system that adaptively compensates for subject motion in real-time in an imaging system. An object orientation marker, preferably a retro-grate reflector (RGR), is placed on an organ of interest of a patient during a scan, such as an MRI scan. The marker allows measuring the six degrees of freedom or 'pose' required to track motion of the organ of interest. A detector, preferably a camera, observes the marker and continuously extracts its pose. The pose from the camera is sent to the scanner via an RGR processing computer and a scanner control and processing computer, allowing for continuous correction of scan planes and position (in real-time) for motion of the patient. This invention also provides for internal calibration and for co-registration over time of the scanner's and tracking system's reference frames to compensate for drift and other inaccuracies that may arise over time.

Current MRI technologies require subjects to remain largely motionless for achieving high quality magnetic resonance (MR) scans, typically for 5-10 minutes at a time. However, lying absolutely still inside the tight MR imager (MRI) tunnel is a difficult task, especially for children, very sick patients, or the mentally ill. Even motion ranging less than 1 mm or 1 degree can corrupt a scan. This invention involves a system that adaptively compensates for subject motion in real-time. An object orientation marker, preferably a retro-grate reflector (RGR), is placed on a patients' head or other body organ of interest during MRI. The RGR makes it possible to measure the six degrees of freedom (x, y, and z-translations, and pitch, yaw, and roll), or 'pose', required to track the organ of interest. A camera-based tracking system observes the marker and continuously extracts its pose. The pose from the tracking system is sent to the MR scanner via an interface, allowing for continuous correction of scan planes and position in real-time. The RGR-based motion correction system has significant advantages over other approaches, including faster tracking speed, better stability, automatic calibration, lack of interference with the MR measurement process, improved ease of use, and long-term stability. RGR-based motion tracking can also be used to correct for motion from awake animals, or in conjunction with other in vivo imaging techniques, such as computer tomography, positron emission tomography (PET), etc.

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Honolulu, HI, United States of America

Thomas Michael Ernst