Magnetic resonance fingerprinting method for recordings with a contrast agent

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11573281-B2
Application number	US-201917287464-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2019
Priority date	Oct 25, 2018
Publication date	Feb 7, 2023
Grant date	Feb 7, 2023

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for determining different states of a contrast agent in different types of tissue can involve generating a magnetic resonance waveform for the contrast agent in an examination region that includes multiple tissue types. The contrast agent may have different relaxation-shortening effects in each different tissue type. The generated waveform may be compared to database waveforms to determine the concentration of the contrast agent in each tissue type in the examination region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a magnetic resonance fingerprint database comprising a plurality of predicted magnetic resonance waveforms for a contrast agent in a first tissue type and a second tissue type, wherein the contrast agent has a first relaxation-shortening effect in the first tissue type and a second relaxation-shortening effect in the second tissue type;
administering the contact agent to an examination region;
using a magnetic resonance fingerprinting method, acquiring a magnetic resonance waveform for the contrast agent in a volume element of the examination region wherein the volume element of the examination region comprises the first tissue type and the second tissue type;
comparing the acquired magnetic resonance waveform with the plurality of predicted magnetic resonance waveforms in the magnetic resonance fingerprint database;
identifying a predicted waveform of the plurality of predicted magnetic resonance waveforms that corresponds with the acquired magnetic resonance waveform based on the comparison between the acquired magnetic resonance waveform with the plurality of predicted magnetic resonance waveforms;
determining a concentration of the contrast agent in the first tissue type and a concentration of the contrast agent in the second tissue type; and
outputting information associated with the concentration of contrast agent in the first tissue type and information associated with the concentration of the contrast agent in the second tissue type for the volume element.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contrast agent has a different molar relaxivity in the first tissue type than in the second tissue type.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the molar relaxivity in the first tissue type is at least 1.5 times greater than in the second tissue type.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the molar relaxivity at a magnetic field strength of a basic magnetic field of at least 1.5 tesla, preferably of at least 2 tesla, even more preferably of at least 2.5 tesla, even more preferably of at least 3 tesla, most preferably at a magnetic field strength of 0.4 tesla to at least 3 tesla, is in the first tissue type at least 1.5 times greater, preferably at least 2 times greater, even more preferably at least 2.5 times greater, than in the second tissue type.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the molar relaxivity in the first tissue type is at least 2 times greater than in the second tissue type.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the molar relaxivity in the first tissue type is at least at least 2.5 times greater than in the second tissue type.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contrast agent has a higher molar T 1 relaxivity in the first tissue type than in the second tissue type.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contrast agent comprises gadoxetic acid or a salt of gadoxetic acid as contrast-enhancing active substance.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contrast agent comprises Gd-EOB-DTP disodium.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein hepatocytes are the first tissue type.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein healthy liver tissue is the first tissue type and diseased liver tissue is the second tissue type.

12. A system comprising
a receiving unit;
a signal comparison unit;
an output unit; and
a control unit configured to:
cause the receiving unit to receive a magnetic resonance waveform for a contrast agent in a volume element of an examination region, wherein the magnetic resonance waveform was generated using a magnetic fingerprinting method, and wherein the volume element of the examination region comprises a first tissue type and a second tissue type;
cause the receiving unit to receive, from a magnetic resonance fingerprint database, a plurality of predicted magnetic resonance waveforms for the contrast agent in the first tissue type and the second tissue type wherein the contrast agent has a first relaxation-shortening effect in the first tissue type and a second relaxation-shortening effect in the second tissue type;
cause the signal comparison unit to compare the magnetic resonance waveform for the contrast agent in the volume element of the examination region with the plurality of predicted magnetic resonance waveforms received from the magnetic resonance fingerprint database to identify a predicted waveform of the plurality of predicted magnetic resonance waveforms that corresponds with the magnetic resonance waveform generated for the contrast agent in the volume element and to determine a concentration of the contrast agent in the first tissue type and a concentration of the contrast agent in the second tissue type; and
cause the output unit to save and/or output information associated with the concentration of contrast agent in the first tissue type and information associated with the concentration of the contrast agent in the second tissue type for the volume element.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:
receive a magnetic resonance waveform for a contrast agent in a volume element of an examination region, wherein the magnetic resonance waveform was acquired using a magnetic resonance fingerprinting method, and wherein the volume element of the examination region comprises a first tissue type and a second tissue type;
receive a plurality of predicted magnetic resonance waveforms for the contrast agent in the first tissue type and the second tissue type, wherein the contrast agent has a first relaxation-shortening effect in the first tissue type and a second relaxation-shortening effect in the second tissue type;
compare the magnetic resonance waveform for the contrast agent in the volume element of the examination region with the plurality of predicted magnetic resonance waveforms;
identify a predicted waveform of the plurality of predicted magnetic resonance waveforms that corresponds with the magnetic resonance waveform for the contrast agent in the volume element;
determine a concentration of the contrast agent in the first tissue type and a concentration of the contrast agent in the second tissue type; and
output information information associated with the concentration of contrast agent in the first tissue type and information associated with the concentration of the contrast agent in the second tissue type for the volume element.

14. A magnetic resonance fingerprinting method, comprising using a contrast agent, wherein the contrast agent has different states in at least two different tissue types, for determining the different states in an imaged volume element.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the contrast agent comprises gadoxetic acid or a salt of gadoxetic acid.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein hepatocytes are the first tissue type.

17. A magnetic resonance fingerprinting method, comprising using a contrast agent, wherein the contrast agent has different states in at least two different tissue types, the different states in an imaged volume element being recorded simultaneously in one measurement.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the contrast agent comprises gadoxetic acid or a salt of gadoxetic acid.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein hepatocytes are the first tissue type.

Assignees

• Bayer Ag

Inventors

• Schütz Gunnar
• Jost Gregor

Classifications

• A61B5/4244

  liver · CPC title

• A61B5/055

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

• G01R33/5601 Primary

  involving use of a contrast agent for contrast manipulation, e.g. a paramagnetic, super-paramagnetic, ferromagnetic or hyperpolarised contrast agent · CPC title

• G01R33/5608 Primary

  Data processing and visualization specially adapted for MR, e.g. for feature analysis and pattern recognition on the basis of measured MR data, segmentation of measured MR data, edge contour detection on the basis of measured MR data, for enhancing measured MR data in terms of signal-to-noise ratio by means of noise filtering or apodization, for enhancing measured MR data in terms of resolution by means for deblurring, windowing, zero filling, or generation of gray-scaled images, colour-coded images or images displaying vectors instead of pixels (image data processing or generation, in general G06T) · CPC title

• G01R33/561

  by reduction of the scanning time, i.e. fast acquiring systems, e.g. using echo-planar pulse sequences · CPC title