Method and apparatus for generating a magnetic resonance data record

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11099250-B2
Application number	US-201816213110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2018
Priority date	Dec 7, 2017
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

In a method and apparatus for generating a magnetic resonance data record, at least two excitation cycles are executed, wherein, in each excitation cycle, at least one magnetic resonance signal is recorded, using different phases with a first radio-frequency pulse in two consecutive excitation cycles, with at least one dephasing gradient being applied in an excitation cycle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for generating a magnetic resonance (MR) data record, comprising:
from a computer, providing controls signals to an MR data acquisition scanner so as to operate the data acquisition scanner to execute at least two excitation cycles by emitting a radio-frequency excitation pulse in each of said excitation cycles in order to produce, in each excitation cycle, at least one MR signal that is recorded in each excitation cycle;
from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to cause said MR data acquisition scanner to emit said RF excitation pulse respectively in at least two consecutive excitation cycles with said RF excitation pulse having a different phase in the two consecutive excitation cycles;
from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to activate at least one dephasing gradient in an excitation cycle; and
entering the recorded MR signals into a memory as raw MR data, and making the raw MR data available in electronic form from the computer, as a data file for further processing thereof.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to apply said at least one dephasing gradient immediately following the RF excitation pulse in a respective excitation cycle.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to give said RF excitation pulse a flip angle in a range between 80° and 110°.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to combine said RF excitation pulse and said at least one dephasing gradient to form a preparation module.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein said preparation module is a saturation module.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to give said at least one dephasing gradient in said at least two consecutive excitation cycles a different gradient moment in the respective excitation cycles of said at least two consecutive excitation cycles.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to activate said at least one dephasing gradient with a repeated sequence of respective gradient moments from excitation cycle-to- excitation cycle in said at least two consecutive excitation cycles.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6 comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to activate the respective dephasing gradients with respective gradient moments that include a smallest gradient moment and a strongest gradient moment, with said smallest gradient moment being at least half as large as said strongest gradient moment.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to give said RF excitation pulse a phase increment based on a formula, between said at least two consecutive excitation cycles.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals to acquire MR signals from a plurality of slices of a subject, with, in one excitation cycle, only a gradient moment of said at least one dephasing gradient being changed.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said RF excitation pulse is a first RF excitation pulse and comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals to also emit at least one second RF pulse in each excitation cycle.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said dephasing gradient is a first dephasing gradient and comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to also activate a second dephasing gradient in each excitation cycle.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said RF excitation pulse is a first RF excitation pulse and said dephasing gradient is a first dephasing gradient and comprising, from said computer, operating said MR data acquisition scanner so as to also emit, in each excitation cycle, at least one second RF excitation pulse and to activate a second dephasing gradient.

14. A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said storage medium being loaded into a computer of a magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus comprising an MR data acquisition scanner, and said programming instructions causing said computer to:
provide controls signals to said MR data acquisition scanner so as to operate the data acquisition scanner to execute at least two excitation cycles by emitting a radio-frequency excitation pulse in each of said excitation cycles in order to produce, in each excitation cycle, at least one MR signal that is recorded in each excitation cycle;
operate said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to cause said MR data acquisition scanner to emit said RF excitation pulse respectively in at least two consecutive excitation cycles with said RF excitation pulse having a different phase in the two consecutive excitation cycles;
operate said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to activate at least one dephasing gradient in an excitation cycle; and
enter the recorded MR signals into a memory as raw MR data, and make the raw MR data available in electronic form from the computer, as a data file for further processing thereof.

15. A magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus comprising:
an MR data acquisition scanner; and
a computer configured to:
provide controls signals to said MR data acquisition scanner so as to operate the data acquisition scanner to execute at least two excitation cycles by emitting a radio-frequency excitation pulse in each of said excitation cycles in order to produce, in each excitation cycle, at least one MR signal that is recorded in each excitation cycle;
operate said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to cause said MR data acquisition scanner to emit said RF excitation pulse respectively in at least two consecutive excitation cycles with said RF excitation pulse having a different phase in the two consecutive excitation cycles;
operate said MR data acquisition scanner with said control signals so as to activate at least one dephasing gradient in an excitation cycle; and
enter the recorded MR signals into a memory as raw MR data, and make the raw MR data available in electronic form from the computer, as a data file for further processing thereof.

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Inventors

• Paul Dominik
• Carinci Flavio
• Splitthoff Daniel Nico

Classifications

• G01R33/4838

  using spatially selective suppression or saturation of MR signals · CPC title

• G01R33/565

  Correction of image distortions, e.g. due to magnetic field inhomogeneities · CPC title

• G01R33/485

  based on chemical shift information {[CSI] or spectroscopic imaging, e.g. to acquire the spatial distributions of metabolites} · CPC title

• G01R33/4835

  of multiple slices · CPC title

• G01R33/543 Primary

  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