General Electric Company

Ge Precision Healthcare LLC

Xiaoli Zhao

Ajeetkumar Gaddipati

Dawei Gui

Zhiqiang Li

Shaorong Chang

Anthony Tienhuan Vu

Anton Max Linz

Bryan James Mock

Frederick Joseph Frigo

Stephen Joseph Garnier

Donglai Huo

Philip James Beatty

Richard Scott Hinks

Florian Wiesinger

Yongchuan Lai

Jean Helen Brittain

Dashen Chu

Reed Frederick Busse

James Hartman Holmes

Hongbin Wang

Weiwei Zhang

Wei Sun

Hua Li

Ling Sun

Hao Shen

Ken-Pin Hwang

Pengfei Lu

Ty A Cashen

Kang Wang

Zhentian Xie

Zhu Li

Lisha Nie

R Scott Hinks

Haonan Wang

Howard Andrew Rowley

Agus Priatna

Ty Allen Cashen

Zhenghui Zhang

Rolf Schulte

A method for generating an image of an object with a magnetic resonance imaging (MM) system is presented. The method includes first performing a calibration scan of the object. The calibration scan is performed with a zero echo time (ZTE) radial sampling scheme to obtain calibration k-spaces for surface coil elements and a body coil of the MRI system. The calibration scan is performed in such a manner that the endpoints of calibration k-space lines in each calibration k-space follow a spiral path. A plurality of calibration parameters are then obtained from the plurality of calibration k-spaces. A second scan of the object is then performed to acquire the MR image data. The image of the object is then generated based on the plurality of calibration parameters and the MR image data.

Silent calibration for magnetic resonance imaging

Methods and systems are provided for predicting Bfield maps from magnetic resonance calibration images using deep neural networks. In an exemplary embodiment a method for magnetic resonance imaging comprises, acquiring a magnetic resonance (MR) calibration image of an anatomical region, mapping the MR calibration image to a transmit field map (Bfield map) with a trained deep neural network, acquiring a diagnostic MR image of the anatomical region, and correcting inhomogeneities of a transmit field in the diagnostic MR image with the Bfield map. Further, methods and systems are provided for collecting and processing training data, as well as utilizing the training data to train a deep learning network to predict Bfield maps from MR calibration images.

Systems and methods for predicting Bmaps from magnetic resonance calibration images

A system and method for reducing MRI-generated acoustic noise is disclosed. A system control of an MRI apparatus causes a plurality of gradient coils and an RF coil assembly in the MRI apparatus to generate pulse sequences that each cause an echo train to form and acquire blades of k-space data of the subject of interest from the pulse sequences, with the blades being rotated about a section of k-space compared to every other blade. The system control also causes the plurality of gradient coils to generate gradient pulses in each pulse sequence having an optimized gradient waveform that reduces an acoustic noise level generated thereby and causes the RF coil assembly to generate a 180 degree prep pulse subsequent to generation of an RF excitation pulse and prior to generation of a first RF refocusing pulse, the 180 degree prep pulse minimizing echo spacing in the echo train.

System and method for reducing acoustic noise level in MR imaging

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for correcting a uniformity of a magnetic resonance image, the method including: acquiring a first uniformity enhancement image by a phased-array uniformity enhancement method; and dividing the first uniformity enhancement image by a receiving sensitivity distribution value of a body coil in a magnetic resonance imaging device, so as to acquire a second uniformity enhancement image. The method further includes: dividing the second uniformity enhancement image by a spatial signal distribution value resulting from a field strength distribution of a transmitting radio-frequency field, so as to acquire a third uniformity enhancement image.

Method and apparatus for correcting uniformity of a magnetic resonance image

In one example, a method for acquiring a medical image includes activating a body radiofrequency (RF) coil in a body coil receive mode to obtain body calibration information of a subject. The method further includes, while the body RF coil is in the body coil receive mode, activating a surface RF coil in a surface coil receive mode to obtain surface calibration information of the subject, and correcting a reconstructed image with an intensity correction filter determined from the body calibration information and surface calibration information.

Systems and methods for an interleaved RF coil acquisition scheme

A controller that is operatively connected with a magnet assembly, which defines a target volume; and an image processor, which is configured to obtain calibration data from the controller; map Btransmit intensity from the magnet assembly to the target volume, based on the calibration data; calculate a Btransmit shading correction based at least on the map of Btransmit intensity and on pulse sequence parameters; obtain k-space data of an imaging subject within the target volume from the controller operating the magnet assembly based on the pulse sequence parameters; develop an MR image from the k-space data; and apply the Btransmit shading correction to the MR image.

Method and apparatus for using B1 map to correct intensity of magnetic resonance images

In an embodiment, a method includes performing a magnetic resonance (MR) data acquisition sequence including the acquisition of a plurality of blades of k-space data rotated about a section of k-space. The k-space data is representative of gyromagnetic material within a subject of interest, and each blade includes a plurality of encode lines defining a width of the respective blade. The acquisition of each blade includes receiving MR signal from echoes in two or more separate echo trains to fill at least a portion of the plurality of encode lines, and the echo trains are separated by an excitation pulse.

Multiple excitation blade acquisition for motion correction in magnetic resonance imaging

A method includes the acts of acquiring a blade of k-space calibration data; acquiring a set of T1-weighted k-space imaging data, the set of T1-weighted k-space imaging data having blades of undersampled k-space data rotated about a section of k-space. Each blade of undersampled k-space data includes first data points having acquired data and second data points that are missing data. The method also includes generating a set of reconstruction weights for the blades of undersampled k-space data using the blade of k-space calibration data; synthesizing k-space data for at least a portion of the second data points using the set of reconstruction weights; and generating a T1-weighted image using the T1-weighted k-space imaging data and the synthesized k-space data.

Motion correction in accelerated T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

A computer readable storage medium has stored thereon a computer program having instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to apply a first plurality of RF pulses during a first TR interval of an MR pulse sequence to generate a first echo train. A plurality of echoes of the first echo train are split into a plurality of echo pairs. Within a first echo space, first and second gradient pulses are applied during respective first and second generated echoes, and respective first and second sets of k-space data are acquired that correspond to respective first and second blades of k-space data in the same k-space. The first and second blades have orientations at different angles from one another. The instructions further cause the computer to reconstruct an image based on the acquired first and second sets of k-space data.

System and method for split-echo split-blade data collection for propeller magnetic resonance imaging

An apparatus and method of MR imaging is disclosed. The apparatus and method comprises segmenting acquisition of an echo train into separate odd and even acquisition blades in k-space, wherein the odd and even acquisition blades extend orthogonally through a common reference point in a central region of k-space. A segment of MR data is acquired using a quadratic phase modulation scheme, wherein a first set of MR echo signals occurring after odd-numbered RF refocusing pulses are stored in the odd acquisition blade, and a second set of MR echo signals occurring after even-numbered RF refocusing pulses are stored in the even acquisition blade. This acquisition and segmentation is repeated until a sufficient number of blades are acquired to fill k-space. Finally, an image is reconstructed from the acquisition blades.

Apparatus and method for acquisition and reconstruction of non-CPMG propeller sequences

A system and method of MR imaging is disclosed that includes reconstruction of MR images with uniform or homogeneous fat suppression. An imaging process is performed using partial asymmetric acquisitions in conjunction with zero-filling of k-space for dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging. Data acquisition is carried out in a relatively short period of time which reduces scan time, reduces the likelihood of subject discomfort and motion-induced artifacts, and increases patient throughput.

System and method for MR data acquisition with uniform fat suppression

Disclosed herein is a method for defining a localized excitation volume within a localizer image, comprising: choosing a region of interest within the localizer image, prescribing at least one imaging slab, and defining a localized excitation volume contained within the region of interest and encompasses a portion of the at least one imaging slab. Further disclosed herein is a method for measuring an accurate center frequency, comprising: prescribing a region of interest within a localizer image, prescribing at least one imaging slab bisecting the region of interest, defining a localized excitation volume that is substantially contained within the region of interest and encompassing a portion of the imaging slab, exciting the localized excitation volume, and calculating a center frequency peak for the localized excitation volume in spectral domain after a fast Fourier transform (FFT) process.

Method for localized excitation for accurate center frequency measurements with MRI

The present invention provides an apparatus and method of phase correction whereby changes in phase characteristics are measured during data acquisition and, accordingly, phase correction parameters that are applied during image reconstruction are updated in real-time. This adaptive and dynamic phase correction reduces variability in image fidelity during the course of long MR scans, such as EPI scans, and provides consistent artifact reduction during the course of an MR scan.

Method and apparatus of echo planar imaging with real-time determination of phase correction coefficients

A pulse sequence for time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) includes a fatsat segment, a magnetization transfer segment, and a spatial saturation segment that are applied by an MR apparatus to acquire MR data for image reconstruction with improved image quality. The pulse sequence is constructed such that at the beginning of each iteration of the inner loop of a 3D acquisition, a fatsat pulse is applied. After the fatsat pulse, MR data is acquired in a series of imaging segments with well-suppressed fat signal. Effective fat suppression is achieved by sampling central k-space data first, before signal from fat relaxes back to a pre-saturation level. Each imaging segment is immediately preceded by one of a MT pulse or a spatial saturation pulse and immediately followed by the other one of the MT pulse or the spatial saturation pulse.

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New Berlin, WI, United States of America

Xiaoli Zhao