Apparatus and method for electrical properties tomography using magnetic resonance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10206574-B2
Application number	US-201615186759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2016
Priority date	Jun 18, 2015
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus and method for imaging electrical properties of brain tissues including conductivity and permittivity using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals. Electrical properties images for conductivity and permittivity of brain tissues may be obtained with high spatial resolution and high accuracy, without using a derivative which significantly amplifies noise in an MRI image, by calculating water content based on a ratio of MRI signals, calculating electrical properties from the calculated water content, and acquiring an electrical properties image for the calculated electrical properties.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for electrical properties tomography using magnetic resonance, the apparatus comprising:
a radiofrequency (RF) pulse application unit configured to apply two RF pulses at intervals of different repetition times;
an image signal acquisition unit configured to acquire two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals through the applied RF pulses;
a water content calculator configured to create a water content model from the correlation between an image ratio and water content for the acquired two MRI signals and to calculate water content of a brain tissue from the created water content model; and
an electrical properties image capture unit configured to create an electrical property model from the correlation between water content and electrical properties, calculate the electrical properties from the calculated water content using the created electrical property model, and acquire an electrical properties images to calculate the electrical properties.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the water content calculator derives a water content modeling function from correlating water content and the image ratio values of brain tissues of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), white matter and gray matter, and calculates the water content using the derived modeling function.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical properties image capture unit derives an electrical property modeling function from the correlation between the water content and the electrical properties from water content and spin-lattice relaxation time for brain tissues of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), white matter and gray matter.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the electrical properties image capture unit acquires the electrical properties image using the derived electrical property modeling function.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image signal acquisition unit acquires the two MRI signals from two spin echo signals generated by the applied RF pulses when an echo time TE passes.

6. A method for electrical properties tomography using magnetic resonance, the method comprising:
applying two radiofrequency (RF) pulses at intervals of different repetition times;
acquiring two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals through the applied RF pulses;
creating a water content model from the correlation between an image ratio and water content for the acquired two MRI signals and calculating water content of a brain tissue from the created water content model; and
creating an electrical property model from the correlation between water content and electrical properties, calculating the electrical properties from the calculated water content using the created electrical property model, and acquiring electrical properties images to calculate the electrical properties.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the calculating of the water content comprises:
deriving a water content modeling function from correlating water content and the image ratio values of brain tissues of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), white matter and gray matter, and calculating the water content using the derived modeling function.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the acquiring of the electrical properties image comprises:
deriving an electrical property modeling function from the correlation between the water content and the electrical properties from water content and spin-lattice relaxation time for brain tissues of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), white matter and gray matter.

9. A computer readable recording medium for recording a program for executing the method according to any one of claims 6 to 8 .

Assignees

• Univ Industry Cooperation Group Kyung Hee Univ
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Soo Yeol
• Michel Eric

Classifications

• G01R33/54

  Signal processing systems, e.g. using pulse sequences {; Generation or control of pulse sequences; Operator console} · CPC title

• G01R33/50

  based on the determination of relaxation times {, e.g. T1 measurement by IR sequences; T2 measurement by multiple-echo sequences} · CPC title

• A61B2576/026

  for the brain · CPC title

• A61B5/4875

  Hydration status, fluid retention of the body · CPC title

• G16H30/40

  for processing medical images, e.g. editing · CPC title