The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 23, 2002
Filed:
Aug. 30, 2000
Stefan O. Schoenberg, Kandel, DE;
Michael Bock, Heidelberg, DE;
Michael V. Knopp, Sandhausen, DE;
Gerhard Laub, Erlangen, DE;
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich, DE;
Abstract
In a 3D magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) method, a region of interest, containing a major pulmonary vessel, is defined in an examination subject, and the subject is injected with a contrast agent bolus and a number of 3D magnetic resonance angiography data sets are obtained from the examination subject before, during and after arrival of the bolus in the region of interest. A slice from each of the data sets is selected which contains the region of interest, and an average region of interest signal as a function of time is determined and stored as a reference time curve. In the respective selected slices, a signal-time curve is identified and each signal-time curve is cross-correlated with the reference time curve. The cross-correlation results are used to form a new three-dimensional data set containing arterial and venous correlation maps. Maximum intensity projections are computed from the arterial and venous correlation maps for producing a visualized image of the pulmonary vasculature in the region of interest, the arteries and veins in the respective maximum intensity projections being clearly distinguishable.