Determination of a magnetic resonance imaging pulse sequence protocol classification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9523750-B2
Application number	US-201214002206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2012
Priority date	Mar 1, 2011
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A medical imaging device ( 300 ) includes a magnetic resonance imaging system ( 302 ) and a memory ( 334 ) containing machine executable instructions ( 370, 372, 374, 376, 378, 380, 382, 384, 386 ) for execution by a processor ( 328 ). Execution of the instructions causes the processor to receive ( 100, 204 ) a pulse sequence protocol ( 340 ). Execution of the instructions further causes the processor to determine ( 102, 206 ) a pulse sequence type classification ( 342 ) descriptive of the pulse sequence protocol. Execution of the instructions further cause the processor to determine ( 104, 208 ) a magnetic resonance contrast classification ( 344 ). The choice of the magnetic resonance contrast classification depends upon the pulse sequence type classification. Execution of the instructions further causes the processor to determine ( 106, 210 ) a pulse sequence protocol classification ( 346 ). The pulse sequence protocol classification is determined by the pulse sequence type classification and the magnetic resonance contrast classification.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A medical imaging device comprising:
a magnetic resonance imaging system for acquiring magnetic resonance data;
a processor for controlling the medical imaging device;
a memory containing machine executable instructions for execution by the processor, wherein execution of the instructions controls the processor to:
receive an initial pulse sequence protocol, wherein the initial pulse sequence protocol comprises device protocol parameters and instructions which control the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire the magnetic resonance data;
determine an initial pulse sequence classification of the initial pulse sequence protocol;
receive modifications to the initial pulse sequence protocol;
modify the initial pulse sequence protocol with the received modifications to determine a modified pulse sequence protocol;
determine a modified pulse sequence classification of the modified pulse sequence protocol;
determine a magnetic resonance contrast classification based on the modified pulse sequence classification;
determine a modified pulse sequence protocol classification based on the modified pulse sequence classification and the determined magnetic resonance contrast classification;
determine corrective modifications to the modified pulse sequence protocol when the modified pulse sequence protocol classification is changed from the initial pulse sequence protocol classification to the modified pulse sequence classification, wherein the determined corrective modifications identify further modifications to the modified pulse sequence protocol which will return the modified pulse sequence protocol classification to the initial pulse sequence protocol classification; and
control a display to display a correction message on the display, wherein the correction message is descriptive of the determined corrective modifications.

2. The medical imaging device of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions further controls the processor to:
display the initial pulse sequence protocol on a graphical user interface such that manipulation of the graphical user interface with a human interface device allows modification of the initial pulse sequence protocol, wherein the modifications are at least partially received from the human interface device;
display allowed modifications on the graphical user interface, wherein the allowed modifications are descriptive of modifications which will return the pulse sequence protocol classification back to the initial pulse sequence protocol classification.

3. The medical imaging device of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions further controls the processor to:
acquire the magnetic resonance data using the magnetic resonance imaging system in accordance with the pulse sequence protocol; and
reconstruct a magnetic resonance image from the magnetic resonance data.

4. The medical imaging device of claim 3 , wherein execution of the instruction further controls the processor to control the display to display a warning message when the modified pulse sequence protocol classification is not identical with the initial pulse sequence protocol classification.

5. The medical imaging device of claim 3 , wherein execution of the instructions further controls the processor to append a pulse sequence protocol classification tag to the magnetic resonance image.

6. The medical imaging device of claim 5 , wherein execution of the instructions further controls the processor to determine a set of magnetic resonance images, wherein the determined set of magnetic resonance images each have an appended pulse sequence protocol tag indicating the pulse sequence protocol.

7. The medical imaging device of claim 6 , wherein execution of the instructions further controls the processor to segment the magnetic resonance image and the set of magnetic resonance images.

8. The medical imaging device of claim 7 , wherein execution of the instructions further controls the processor to identify an anatomical structure in the segmented magnetic resonance image and the segmented set of magnetic resonance images.

9. The medical imaging device of claim 5 , wherein execution of the instructions further controls the processor to:
access an image database containing magnetic resonance images; and
calculate a class-specific parameter statistic descriptive of the database, wherein the class is defined by any one of the following: a pulse sequence classification, a magnetic resonance contrast classification, a pulse sequence protocol classification, and combinations thereof, wherein the parameter is an image feature descriptive of the magnetic resonance images.

10. The medical imaging device of claim 3 , wherein the pulse sequence classification comprises one or more of the following: scan type, imaging sequence, scan mode, fast imaging mode, shot mode, diffusion mode, dynamic mode, phase contrast mode, parallel imaging mode, and fat suppression.

11. The medical imaging device of claim 3 , wherein the magnetic resonance contrast classification comprises one or more of the following: echo time, repetition time, inversion delay, flip angle, diffusion b-value, and voxel size.

12. A method of operating a medical imaging device, wherein the medical image device comprises a magnetic resonance imaging system for acquiring magnetic resonance data, wherein the method comprises:
with one or more processors, retrieving an initial pulse sequence protocol from a memory, wherein the initial pulse sequence protocol comprises device protocol parameters and instructions which control the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire the magnetic resonance data;
with the one or more processors, determining an initial pulse sequence classification of the initial pulse sequence protocol;
with the one or more processors, determining an initial magnetic resonance contrast classification based on the initial determined pulse sequence classification;
with the one or more processors, determining an initial pulse sequence protocol classification based on the initial pulse sequence classification and the determined initial magnetic resonance contrast classification;
receiving modifications to the initial pulse sequence protocol from a user input device to create a modified pulse sequence protocol,
with the one or more processors, determining a modified pulse sequence classification of the modified pulse sequence protocol;
with the one or more processors, determining a modified magnetic resonance contrast classification based on the modified pulse sequence classification;
with the one or more processors, determining a modified pulse sequence protocol classification based on the modified pulse sequence classification and the modified magnetic resonance contrast classification;
with the one or more processors, comparing the initial pulse sequence protocol classification and the modified pulse sequence protocol classification;
with the one or more processors, in response to the modified pulse sequence protocol classification differing from the initial pulse sequence protocol classification, determining modifications to the modified pulse sequence protocol which cause the initial pulse sequence protocol classification and the modified pulse sequence protocol classification to match and controlling a display to display the modifications to the initial pulse sequence protocol;
with the one or more processors, in response to the modified pulse sequence protocol classification matching the initial pulse sequence protocol classification, controlling a magnetic resonance imager to acquire magnetic resonance data; and
with the one or more processors, reconstructing

Assignees

• Senegas Julien
• Remmele Stefanie
• Lee Michael
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Senegas Julien
• Remmele Stefanie
• Lee Michael

Classifications

• G06F19/321

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01R33/54 Primary

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

• G06F19/34

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F11/327

  Alarm or error message display · CPC title

• G06F19/3406

  Physics · mapped topic