Determining a load-optimized MR sequence

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11061087-B2
Application number	US-201916516157-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2019
Priority date	Jul 19, 2018
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A method includes determining a position of a local coil, a coil position, and a position of a body part of a patient, a body part position. Spacing between the coil position and the body part position is determined. An optimized MR sequence is determined. Based on the determined spacing between the coil position and the body part position, it is checked that in a subsequent MR examination of the patient, a predetermined loading threshold value (e.g., an SAR value) is not exceeded. The optimization of the MR sequence thus takes place under the boundary condition that the loading threshold value is not exceeded.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining an optimized magnetic resonance (MR) sequence, the method comprising:
determining a local coil position and a body part position, the local coil position being a position of a local coil and the body part position being a position of a body part of a patient;
determining a spacing between the local coil position and the body part position;
determining an optimized MR sequence; and
checking, based on the determined spacing between the local coil position and the body part position, that in a subsequent MR examination of the patient, a predetermined loading threshold value is not exceeded.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined loading threshold value is a specific absorption rate (SAR) value.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the body part is the head of the patient.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the loading threshold value comprises a local loading threshold value for the body part.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the local coil is located in the subsequent MR examination at an isocenter of an MR apparatus.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the local coil position, the body part position, or the local coil position and the body part position comprises determining the local coil position, the body part position, or the local coil position and the body part position with an optical detection unit.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising detecting, by the optical detection unit, the body of the patient over a whole length.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the optical detection unit comprises a camera.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the camera is a three-dimensional (3D) camera.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the local coil position comprises determining the local coil position with a magnetic field sensor.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the magnetic field sensor comprises a Hall-effect sensor.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the magnetic field sensor is arranged on the local coil.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising entering the coil position and the body part position into a coordinate system, in particular, a grid coordinate system.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the coordinate system is a grid coordinate system.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising carrying out the subsequent MR examination with a magnetic resonance apparatus that has a cylindrical patient receiving region around a longitudinal axis,
wherein the spacing between the local coil position and the body position is determined along the longitudinal axis.

16. A magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus for determining an optimized magnetic resonance (MR) sequence, the MR apparatus comprising:
an optical detection unit or a magnetic field sensor configured to determine a local coil position and a body part position, the local coil position being a position of a local coil and the body part position being a position of a body part of a patient; and
a processor configured to:
determine a spacing between the local coil position and the body part position;
determine an optimized MR sequence; and
check, based on the determined spacing between the local coil position and the body part position, that in a subsequent MR examination of the patient, a predetermined loading threshold value is not exceeded.

17. In a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions executable by one or more processors to determine an optimized magnetic resonance (MR) sequence, the instructions comprising:
determining a local coil position and a body part position, the local coil position being a position of a local coil and the body part position being a position of a body part of a patient;
determining a spacing between the local coil position and the body part position;
determining an optimized MR sequence; and
checking, based on the determined spacing between the local coil position and the body part position, that in a subsequent MR examination of the patient, a predetermined loading threshold value is not exceeded.

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Inventors

• Ferguson George William
• Harder Martin
• Rinck Daniel

Classifications

• A61B5/055

  involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging · CPC title

• G01R33/283

  Intercom or optical viewing arrangements, structurally associated with NMR apparatus · CPC title

• G01R33/341

  comprising surface coils · CPC title

• G01R33/34007

  Manufacture of RF coils, e.g. using printed circuit board technology; additional hardware for providing mechanical support to the RF coil assembly or to part thereof, e.g. a support for moving the coil assembly relative to the remainder of the MR system · CPC title

• G01R33/543

  Control of the operation of the MR system, e.g. setting of acquisition parameters prior to or during MR data acquisition, dynamic shimming, use of one or more scout images for scan plane prescription (G01R33/546 takes precedence) · CPC title