Systems and methods for contrast imaging

Abstract

The invention relates to systems and methods for contrast imaging. Systems and methods for contrast scans are provided. In one example, a computing device (202) is configured to display a scan interface (400) in a prescription view (401) on a screen (234) and receive user input for a contrast observation slice for tracking arrival of a contrast mass during a contrast scan. The screen (234) is further configured to display a scan button (422) accessible directly from the scan interface (400), the scan button (422) being selectable to initiate a live scan view (500) of the scan interface (400) that enables a live 2D image of the contrast viewing slice to be seen within the scan interface (400). The live scan view (500) includes an angiography tracking display panel (510) displaying an automatic trigger button (512) selectable to enable automatic triggering of post-angiography image acquisition and displaying an angiography intensity map (702) determined from the live 2D images.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to medical imaging. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Background Art

[0002] Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging modality that creates images of the inside of the human body without the use of X-rays or other ionizing radiation. An MRI scan typically consists of a series of radio frequency (RF) excitation pulses and magnetic field gradient pulses that are delivered in a specific sequence at specific timings to prepare for contrast and encode spatial information into signals to produce an image. To enhance certain anatomical features, some MRI scans may include the administration of a contrast agent to the subject being imaged. Summary of the invention

[0003] In one example, a computing device includes a display screen, which is configured to display a scan interface in a prescription view on the screen, and is further configured to receive user input via the scan interface in the prescription view to enable prescription of a contrast observation slice for tracking the arrival of a contrast bolus during a contrast scan, and is further configured to display a scan button on the screen that is directly reachable from the scan interface in the prescription view, wherein the scan button is selectable to initiate a live scan view of the scan interface, the live scan view enables a live 2D image of the contrast observation slice to be seen within the scan interface, the live scan view also includes a contrast tracking display panel, the contrast tracking display panel displays an auto-trigger button, the auto-trigger button is selectable to enable automatic triggering of post-contrast image acquisition and enables a contrast intensity map determined from the live 2D image to be seen within the contrast tracking display panel.

[0004] It should be understood that the above summary is provided to introduce a series of concepts further described in the detailed description in a simplified form. It is not meant to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is uniquely defined by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that address any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The present disclosure will be better understood by reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0006] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an MRI apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0007] Figure 2 Schematically shows Figure 1 An exemplary scanning control device of an MRI apparatus;

[0008] Figure 3 FIG. 1 shows a method for performing an angiography scan according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 A timeline of events implemented by the scanning control device;

[0009] Figure 4 An exemplary scanning interface in a first state during a first phase of a contrast scan is illustrated;

[0010] Figure 5 illustrating a scanning interface in a second state during a second phase of a contrast scan;

[0011] Figure 6 illustrates a scanning interface in a third state during a third phase of a contrast scan;

[0012] Figure 7 illustrates a contrast plot and timer of a scan interface over time during a contrast scan;

[0013] Figure 8 is a high-level flow chart of a method for contrast scanning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B A flow chart illustrating a method for scanning an interface during a contrast scan according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Fig.10 An example of a scan prescription display panel in a first timeline view is shown;

[0016] Fig.11 shows an example of a scan prescription display panel in a second timeline view;

[0017] Fig.12 An example of a scan prescription display panel in a table view is shown;

[0018] Fig.13 An example of a scan prescription display panel in a scan view is shown; and

[0019] Fig.14 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for setting a scanning prescription via a scanning prescription display panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following description relates to a medical imaging workflow, and specifically to a contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) workflow. A contrast-enhanced MR imaging (MRI) scan includes administering a paramagnetic contrast agent, such as a gadolinium-based contrast agent, to an imaging subject in order to enhance contrast of various tissues of the imaging subject. A contrast-enhanced MRI scan requires that imaging be initiated at the onset or peak level of contrast enhancement in a region of interest, such as an artery. A typical workflow for a contrast-enhanced MRI scan includes an estimate of the time for a contrast bolus of contrast agent to travel from an injection site to a region of interest (ROI), and acquisition is initiated by an operator of the MRI system, who is expected to have the correct timing. In order to estimate the time from when the contrast bolus is injected to when the contrast bolus reaches the ROI, a low-resolution live 2D image of the ROI may be displayed, and the operator may trigger the start of a post-contrast acquisition (which may include acquisition to generate a higher-resolution 3D image) based on the contrast intensity of the ROI viewed via the live 2D image. In other examples, the MRI system may track / map the contrast intensity of the ROI over time, and the MRI system or operator may trigger the start of a post-contrast acquisition based on the map reaching a threshold.

[0021] However, each of these methods has disadvantages. For example, some imaging subjects may never exhibit a contrast level high enough to reach a threshold for triggering the start of post-contrast acquisition in the ROI. In addition, relying solely on live 2D images may cause unintentional timing errors (e.g., delays) when triggering post-contrast acquisition due to operator distraction or misinterpretation of contrast levels in live 2D images. Therefore, it may be desirable for the operator of the MRI system to view both the contrast drawing and the live 2D image to make an informed decision, and it may be further desirable for the MRI system to provide a backup timing for automatically triggering the start of post-contrast acquisition to avoid missed scans caused by, for example, unusual contrast dynamics of the imaging subject. With current MRI systems, live 2D images and contrast drawings are not displayed simultaneously, and monitoring both live 2D images and contrast drawings may require the operator to switch between different interfaces or convert between different views, which may further exacerbate the above problems by increasing the cognitive load imposed on the operator and increasing the possibility that the operator may become distracted, which may increase the possibility that the correct timing for initiating contrast scan acquisition will be missed.

[0022] Thus, according to embodiments disclosed herein, a scanning interface may be displayed that gives the operator a real-time live view of the contrast scanning process by allowing the operator of the MRI system to visualize the arrival of the contrast bolus via both live 2D images and automatically generated live contrast mapping displayed simultaneously in one interface in combination with multiple methods of triggering contrast scan acquisition (including operator-initiated triggers and automatic / system-initiated triggers, each of which may include backup triggers based on the time since injection of the contrast bolus). The scanning interface may also allow the scan prescription for the contrast scan to be set up via an easily visualized timeline, as well as allowing the operator to adjust the ROI to trigger post-contrast scans and other parameters. These functions may be presented on a single interface displayed on a display associated with a computing device (e.g., a scan control device), which may provide a user with a specific way to display a limited set of information (e.g., a live 2D image, a contrast drawing, a scan prescription timeline, and / or various user interface controls that can be selected to adjust scan parameters), rather than using conventional user interface methods to display a general index / list on a computer that may require the user to step through multiple menus and / or interfaces of image, drawing, and scan prescription information to find the relevant contrast level information and scan prescription settings. The scanning interface disclosed herein may be advantageous because it avoids the user having to scroll and switch views / interfaces multiple times to find the desired data / function, thereby preventing drilling down multiple layers to obtain the desired data / function (which may be slow, complex, and difficult to learn). The disclosed scanning interface may improve the efficiency of using a computing device by grouping together the scan information that is most relevant to the user, thereby allowing the user to view the most relevant scan information without having to access separate interfaces, menus, or display panels in which contrast level information and scan prescription settings may be displayed. The speed with which a user navigates through the various views and windows may be increased because the disclosed scanning interface enables the user to see contrast levels or scan prescription settings or to activate a function of interest without having to navigate to a separate interface or display panel.

[0023] Figure 1 An exemplary MRI apparatus that can be used to obtain images of an imaging subject during a contrast-enhanced MRI scan is shown in FIG. The MRI apparatus may include a scan control device such as Figure 2 The scanning control device is configured to process data from the MRI device to form an image, command the action of the MRI device (e.g., start contrast scan acquisition), and display a scanning interface to enable a user to monitor the contrast level of the imaged subject during scanning, set scanning prescription parameters, etc. The scanning control device can be configured to process data from the MRI device to form an image, command the action of the MRI device (e.g., start contrast scan acquisition), and display a scanning interface to enable a user to monitor the contrast level of the imaged subject during scanning, set scanning prescription parameters, etc. Figure 3 The timeline shown implements actions as directed by a user to control the MRI device during a contrast scan. Figures 4 to 6As shown, during the process of contrast scanning, the scanning interface can be in various states according to the stage of the contrast scanning. Figure 7 As shown, the scanning interface may include a contrast map and timer that can be updated as the applied contrast bolus moves to the ROI. The scanning control device may implement various methods to facilitate contrast scanning, such as Figure 8 , Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B as well as Fig.14 The method shown.

[0024] The scanning interface may also include a scan prescription display panel, whereby the user may set parameters for performing the contrast scan. Fig.10 and Fig.11 As shown, the scan prescription display panel may include a timeline view, whereby the scan prescription settings (e.g., number of stages, delay time, etc.) may be updated and viewed in a timeline format. Fig.12 As shown, the user can switch between a timeline view and a table view, where the scanned prescription can be viewed and updated via a table format. Fig.13 As shown, once a scan prescription is set, a scan prescription timeline may be displayed on the scan interface to enable the user to visually monitor the current stage of the contrast scan.

[0025] Figure 1 An MRI apparatus 10 (e.g., an MRI system) is illustrated, which includes a static magnetic field magnet unit 12, a gradient coil unit 13, an RF coil unit 14, an RF body coil unit 15 (e.g., a volume coil unit), a transmit / receive (T / R) switch 20, an RF driver unit 22, a gradient coil driver unit 23, a data acquisition unit 24, a controller unit 25, a patient bed or an examination table 26, a data processing unit 31, a scan control device 32, and a display unit 33. In some embodiments, the RF coil unit 14 is a surface coil, which is a local coil that is generally placed near an anatomical structure of interest of a subject 16. Here, the RF body coil unit 15 is a transmission coil that transmits RF signals, and a local surface of the RF coil unit 14 receives MR signals. Therefore, the transmission body coil (e.g., the RF body coil unit 15) and the surface receiving coil (e.g., the RF coil unit 14) are independent but electromagnetically coupled components. The MRI apparatus 10 transmits electromagnetic pulse signals to a subject 16 placed in an imaging space 18 forming a static magnetic field to perform scanning to obtain magnetic resonance signals from the subject 16. One or more images of the subject 16 can be reconstructed based on the magnetic resonance signals thus obtained by the scanning.

[0026] The static magnetic field magnet unit 12 includes, for example, an annular superconducting magnet installed in an annular vacuum container. The magnet defines a cylindrical space around the subject 16 and generates a constant main static magnetic field B0.

[0027] The MRI apparatus 10 also includes a gradient coil unit 13, which forms a gradient magnetic field in an imaging space 18 so as to provide three-dimensional position information for a magnetic resonance signal received by an RF coil array. The gradient coil unit 13 includes three gradient coil systems, each of which generates a gradient magnetic field along one of three spatial axes perpendicular to each other, and generates a gradient field in each of a frequency encoding direction, a phase encoding direction, and a slice selection direction according to an imaging condition. More specifically, the gradient coil unit 13 applies a gradient field in a slice selection direction (or a scanning direction) of the subject 16 to select a slice; and the RF body coil unit 15 or the local RF coil array can transmit an RF pulse to the selected slice of the subject 16. The gradient coil unit 13 also applies a gradient field in a phase encoding direction of the subject 16 to phase encode a magnetic resonance signal from a slice excited by an RF pulse. Then the gradient coil unit 13 applies a gradient field in a frequency encoding direction of the subject 16 to frequency encode a magnetic resonance signal from a slice excited by an RF pulse.

[0028] The RF coil unit 14 is provided, for example, to surround a region to be imaged of the subject 16. In some examples, the RF coil unit 14 may be referred to as a surface coil or a receiving coil. In a static magnetic field space or an imaging space 18 in which a static magnetic field B0 is formed by the static magnetic field magnet unit 12, the RF body coil unit 15 transmits RF pulses as electromagnetic waves to the subject 16 based on a control signal from the controller unit 25, and thereby generates a high-frequency magnetic field B1. This excites the proton spins in the slice to be imaged of the subject 16. The RF coil unit 14 receives the electromagnetic waves generated when the proton spins thus excited in the slice to be imaged of the subject 16 return to alignment with the initial magnetization vector as magnetic resonance signals. In some embodiments, the RF coil unit 14 may transmit RF pulses and receive MR signals. In other embodiments, the RF coil unit 14 may be used only to receive MR signals, and not to transmit RF pulses.

[0029] The RF body coil unit 15 is arranged, for example, to surround an imaging space 18, and generates RF magnetic field pulses orthogonal to the main magnetic field B0 generated by the static magnetic field magnet unit 12 in the imaging space 18 to excite the nucleus. Compared with the RF coil unit 14 that can be disconnected from the MRI device 10 and replaced with another RF coil unit, the RF body coil unit 15 is fixedly attached and connected to the MRI device 10. In addition, although a local coil (such as the RF coil unit 14) can transmit or receive signals only to or from a local area of ​​the subject 16, the RF body coil unit 15 generally has a larger coverage area. For example, the RF body coil unit 15 can be used to transmit or receive signals to the whole body of the subject 16. Using a receive-only local coil and a transmission body coil provides uniform RF excitation and good image uniformity, at the expense of higher RF power deposited in the subject. For a transmit-receive local coil, the local coil provides RF excitation to the region of interest and receives MR signals, thereby reducing the RF power deposited in the subject. It should be understood that the specific use of the RF coil unit 14 and / or the RF body coil unit 15 depends on the imaging application.

[0030] The T / R switch 20 may selectively electrically connect the RF body coil unit 15 to the data acquisition unit 24 when operating in the receive mode, and may selectively electrically connect the RF body coil unit to the RF driver unit 22 when operating in the transmit mode. Similarly, the T / R switch 20 may selectively electrically connect the RF coil unit 14 to the data acquisition unit 24 when the RF coil unit 14 operates in the receive mode, and may selectively electrically connect the RF coil unit to the RF driver unit 22 when the RF coil unit operates in the transmit mode. When both the RF coil unit 14 and the RF body coil unit 15 are used for a single scan, for example, if the RF coil unit 14 is configured to receive MR signals and the RF body coil unit 15 is configured to transmit RF signals, the T / R switch 20 may direct the control signal from the RF driver unit 22 to the RF body coil unit 15 while directing the received MR signal from the RF coil unit 14 to the data acquisition unit 24. The coils of the RF body coil unit 15 may be configured to operate in a transmit-only mode or a transmit-receive mode. The coils of the RF coil unit 14 may be configured to operate in a transmit-receive mode or a receive-only mode.

[0031] The RF driver unit 22 includes a gate modulator (not shown), an RF power amplifier (not shown), and an RF oscillator (not shown), which are used to drive an RF coil (e.g., the RF body coil unit 15) and form a high-frequency magnetic field in the imaging space 18. The RF driver unit 22 modulates the RF signal received from the RF oscillator into a predetermined timing signal with a predetermined envelope based on a control signal from the controller unit 25 and using the gate modulator. The RF signal modulated by the gate modulator is amplified by the RF power amplifier and then output to the RF body coil unit 15.

[0032] The gradient coil driver unit 23 drives the gradient coil unit 13 based on a control signal from the controller unit 25 and thereby generates a gradient magnetic field in the imaging space 18. The gradient coil driver unit 23 includes three driver circuits (not shown) corresponding to three gradient coil systems included in the gradient coil unit 13.

[0033] The data acquisition unit 24 includes a preamplifier (not shown), a phase detector (not shown), and an analog / digital converter (not shown) for acquiring a magnetic resonance signal received by the RF coil unit 14. In the data acquisition unit 24, the phase detector uses the output of the RF oscillator from the RF driver unit 22 as a reference signal, performs phase detection on the magnetic resonance signal received from the RF coil unit 14 and amplified by the preamplifier, and outputs the phase-detected analog magnetic resonance signal to the analog / digital converter to be converted into a digital signal. The digital signal thus obtained is output to the data processing unit 31.

[0034] The MRI apparatus 10 includes a table 26 for placing the subject 16 thereon. By moving the table 26 based on a control signal from the controller unit 25, the subject 16 can be moved inside and outside the imaging space 18.

[0035] The controller unit 25 includes a computer and a recording medium on which a program to be executed by the computer is recorded. The program, when executed by the computer, causes the various parts of the device to perform operations corresponding to a predetermined scan. The recording medium may include, for example, a ROM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, or a non-volatile memory card. The controller unit 25 is connected to the scan control device 32 and processes an operation signal input to the scan control device 32, and also controls the inspection table 26, the RF driver unit 22, the gradient coil driver unit 23, and the data acquisition unit 24 by outputting control signals to them. The controller unit 25 also controls the data processing unit 31 and the display unit 33 based on the operation signal received from the scan control device 32 to obtain a desired image.

[0036] The scan control device 32 includes a user input device such as a touch screen, a keyboard, and a mouse. The operator uses the scan control device 32, for example, to input such data as an imaging scheme and set an area to be executed for an imaging sequence. Data on the imaging scheme and the imaging sequence execution area are output to the controller unit 25.

[0037] The data processing unit 31 includes a computer and a recording medium on which a program to be executed by the computer to perform predetermined data processing is recorded. The data processing unit 31 is connected to the controller unit 25, and performs data processing based on a control signal received from the controller unit 25. The data processing unit 31 is also connected to the data acquisition unit 24, and generates spectrum data by applying various image processing operations to the magnetic resonance signals output from the data acquisition unit 24.

[0038] The display unit 33 includes a display device, and displays an image on a display screen of the display device based on a control signal received from the controller unit 25. The display unit 33 displays, for example, images regarding input items for which an operator inputs operation data from the scan control device 32. The display unit 33 also displays a two-dimensional (2D) slice image or a three-dimensional (3D) image of the subject 16 generated by the data processing unit 31.

[0039] During an MRI scan performed using the MRI device 10, a subject can be positioned in an imaging space 18, and an acquisition scheme can be executed to acquire MR signals of the subject. The acquisition scheme may include a plurality of pulse sequences, wherein, in each pulse sequence, one or more RF pulses emitted via the RF body coil unit 15 are used to prepare contrast, and the gradient coil unit 13 is controlled so as to spatially encode the resulting MR signals. The spatially encoded MR signals received by the RF coil unit 14 are digitized and stored in k-space. Therefore, k-space data or a k-space data set may refer to the original MR signals before being processed into an image. In some examples, the original MR signals may be filled in a line of k-space at each pulse sequence (also referred to as repetition time). In other examples, the original MR signals may be filled in a line of k-space at each echo, wherein more than one echo is generated at each pulse sequence / repetition time. K-space data may also be referred to herein as imaging data or MR data.

[0040] refer to Figure 2, showing a scan control device 202 configured to control scan parameters of an MRI scan. In some embodiments, the scan control device 202 is incorporated into the MRI apparatus 10. For example, the scan control device 202 may be provided in the MRI apparatus 10 as a scan control device 32. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the scan control device 202 is disposed at a device (e.g., an edge device, a server, etc.) that can be communicatively coupled to the MRI apparatus 10 via a wired connection and / or a wireless connection. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the scan control device 202 is disposed at a separate device (e.g., a workstation) that can communicate with a controller unit of the MRI apparatus, for example. The scan control device 202 may be operable / communicatively coupled to a user input device 232 and a display device 234. In some examples, the user input device 232 may be a user input device of the scan control device 32, as explained above. Similarly, the display device 234 may also be the display unit 33 of the MRI apparatus 10.

[0041] The scanning control device 202 includes one or more processors, such as a processor 204, which is configured to execute machine-readable instructions stored in a non-transitory memory 206. The processor 204 can be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor, and the program executed thereon can be configured for parallel processing or distributed processing. In some embodiments, the processor 204 can optionally include separate components distributed on two or more devices, which can be remotely located and / or configured for coordinated processing. In some embodiments, one or more aspects of the processor 204 can be virtualized and executed by a remotely accessible networked computing device configured in a cloud computing configuration.

[0042] The non-transitory memory 206 can store a reconstruction module 208, a scan control module 210, and a scan interface 212. The reconstruction module 208 can be configured to reconstruct an image from the k-space data. In some examples, the reconstruction module 208 can be Figure 1 The data processing unit 31 of the scanning control device 202 is integrated into a single device. However, in other examples, the reconstruction module 208 may be omitted, and the scanning control device 202 may communicate with the data processing unit 31 to obtain an image for display.

[0043] The scan control module 210 may be configured to send commands to the MRI device (e.g., to the controller unit 25) to control various aspects of the scan performed by the MRI device. In some examples, the scan control module 210 may control various aspects of the scan based on user input that may be received via the scan interface 212. For example, the scan interface 212 may include a scan prescription display panel through which a user may set parameters for the scan (e.g., number of stages, delay times between stages). The scan interface 212 may also include various scan control buttons, such as a live scan button that is configured to trigger the acquisition and display of live 2D images (on the scan interface 212) when selected by the user and a start contrast scan button that is configured to trigger the acquisition of post-contrast (e.g., 3D) images when selected. The scan control module 210 may process the acquired live 2D images to measure the contrast level in the ROI, and the scan interface 212 may display a plot of the measured contrast level over time. The following description with respect to Figure 3 Additional details are provided regarding the scan interface 212 and the scan control module 210 , including what is displayed via the scan interface 212 during a contrast scan and actions taken by the scan control module 210 during a contrast scan.

[0044] In some embodiments, non-transitory memory 206 may include components disposed on two or more devices that may be remotely located and / or configured for coordinated processing. In some embodiments, one or more aspects of non-transitory memory 206 may include a remotely accessible networked storage device configured in a cloud computing configuration.

[0045] The user input device 232 may include one or more of a touch screen, keyboard, mouse, trackpad, motion sensing camera, or other device configured to enable a user to interact with and manipulate data within the scan control device 202. In one example, the user input device 232 may enable a user to make selections for scan protocols, adjust scan prescription settings, select or adjust contrast tracking regions, etc., as well as initiate, pause, and adjust scans.

[0046] The display device 234 may include one or more display devices utilizing virtually any type of technology. In some embodiments, the display device 234 may include a computer monitor and may display MR images, including images reconstructed by the reconstruction module 208. The display device 234 may be combined with the processor 204, the non-transitory memory 206, and / or the user input device 232 in the same package, or may be a peripheral display device and may include a monitor, a touch screen, a projector, or other display device known in the art that enables a user to view the MRI images generated by the MRI system and / or interact with various data stored in the non-transitory memory 206.

[0047] It should be understood that Figure 2 The scan control device 202 is shown for purposes of illustration and not limitation. Another suitable image processing system may include more, fewer, or different components.

[0048] Figure 3 It is shown in the use of Figure 2 Scanning control device Figure 1 300 is an exemplary swim lane diagram of actions / events that may occur during a contrast scan of a subject by an MRI device of the present invention. The diagram 300 depicts events / actions over time for multiple aspects of the MRI device depicted along the vertical axis, where time is depicted on the horizontal axis, the events / actions including actions taken by the MRI device (and in particular, the MRI scanner) in channel 302 (specifically, a pulse sequence diagram depicting a pulse sequence implemented by the scanner to facilitate image acquisition (in channel 303)). Figure 3 )) and the image reconstruction module in channel 304 (in Figure 3 3D interface"), operator interaction with the scan interface in channel 306 (labeled "Operator Action"), actions taken by the scan control module in channel 308 ("Scan Control"), display conditions / status of the scan interface in channel 310 ("Scan Interface"), and display conditions / status of a 3D interface configured to display acquired 3D images in channel 312 ("3D Interface"). The image reconstruction module can perform both 2D image reconstruction and 3D image reconstruction, and 2D image reconstruction is performed in Figure 3 The 3D image reconstruction is depicted as a small rectangle in the channel 304, while the 3D image reconstruction is depicted as a larger rectangle positioned immediately below the 2D image reconstruction in the channel 304. Communication between devices / modules (e.g., between the scan control module and the controller unit of the MRI apparatus) is via Figure 3 . The time points of interest are depicted along the horizontal axis. It should be understood that the term "MRI scanner" or "scanner" as used herein may refer to components of an MRI device that are activated to generate and receive MR signals (such as a static magnetic field magnet unit 12, a gradient coil unit 13, an RF coil unit 14, and an RF body coil unit 15), and associated control components (e.g., an RF driver unit 22, a gradient coil driver unit 23, a data acquisition unit 24, and a controller unit 25).

[0049] The contrast scan may start at time T1 in response to the operator's selection of a scan button 314 on the scan interface or a separate interface. The selection of the scan button 314 causes the scan control module to command the scanner to initiate a pre-scan pulse sequence, which may include various subject-specific calibrations of the MRI device. In addition, the selection of the scan button 314 causes the scan interface to be activated. The scan interface may include a viewport for displaying a 2D image, a scan prescription display panel, and various user interface elements that facilitate the selection of contrast observation slices / planes for observing contrast enhancement, trigger ROIs for measuring contrast levels, etc. when initially activated. The slice / plane used to observe contrast enhancement may be referred to as a mass observation plane (BOP). Because imaging has not yet begun, no image is initially displayed in the scan interface. Via the scan prescription display panel, the operator may set parameters for the scan, such as the number of 3D contrast phases, whether to obtain a 3D mask image, delays or pauses in the scan, etc. Optionally, a previous image of the subject may be displayed in the 3D interface.

[0050] After the pre-scan phase, the scanner may perform an initial 2D acquisition at time T2, which may cause a single 2D image to be reconstructed in each of the three scanning planes (e.g., axial, sagittal, and coronal planes). The scan control module may receive the initial 2D image and load the 2D image into the viewport of the scanning interface. The operator may indicate the anatomical structure of interest to be scanned by placing a first box / rectangle above the displayed 2D image. The operator may also indicate the BOP (e.g., an anatomical region for observing the contrast level of the subject) via a second box / rectangle above the displayed 2D image. Once the operator selects / indicates the BOP, the image in the plane may be displayed in the main viewport (referred to as the BOP viewport), and other images (which show orthogonal views) may be displayed in a smaller reference viewport. After the initial 2D acquisition, the scanner may perform 3D mask imaging in the background (e.g., without changing the content displayed via the scanning interface) at time T3, and as the 3D mask image is reconstructed, the 3D mask image may be displayed in the 3D interface. A 3D mask image is an image of the anatomy acquired prior to contrast administration that is used for comparison and to create a subtraction image that layers the pre-contrast and post-contrast images to show the difference.

[0051] While 3D mask imaging is occurring, the operator can interact with the scanning interface to enable or disable automatic triggering and set a trigger ROI. Automatic triggering can include automatic initiation of a post-contrast 3D acquisition (e.g., MR signal acquisition for generating diagnostic images after administration of a contrast bolus) based on automatic measurement of contrast levels in the subject after administration of a contrast bolus. The trigger ROI can be a region of the BOP that is evaluated to automatically measure contrast levels in the subject. For example, Figure 3As shown, the operator may select a user interface button (e.g., auto-trigger button 316) at time T4 to enable auto-trigger monitoring, and a trigger ROI may be placed on the image displayed on the scanning interface. The trigger ROI may be initially placed in a default position, and the operator may move the trigger ROI, adjust the size of the trigger ROI, etc. In addition, it should be understood that the operator may enable or disable auto-triggering at any point prior to the start of post-contrast 3D acquisition.

[0052] After 3D mask imaging is completed, the scanner may pause until the operator initiates a live 2D scan. The operator may initiate a live 2D scan by selecting a live scan button (e.g., a start live scan button 318 of a scanning interface) at time T5. Once the start live scan button 318 is selected, the scanning control module may command the scanner to start a live 2D scan. During a live 2D scan, the scanner may perform the acquisition of MR signals reconstructed into low-resolution 2D images (referred to as live 2D acquisition). Live 2D acquisition may be performed at a relatively high rate, and the 2D image reconstructed from the MR signal may be displayed in real time in the viewport of the scanning interface when the image is reconstructed. In some examples, a 2D image may be displayed at a frame rate of two frames per second, but other frame rates are also possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0053] When live 2D scanning is taking place, the operator can interact with the scanning interface to make various adjustments if necessary. For example, at time T6, the operator can move the BOP plane in a forward or backward direction, for example, via a BOP moving element 320 (e.g., a line and / or arrow placed above a reference image in a reference viewport). If the operator adjusts the BOP plane, the scanning control module notifies the scanner to change the slice being acquired, and the slice of the image displayed in the BOP viewport changes accordingly. In some examples, the operator can move the trigger ROI at time T7 by dragging the trigger ROI 322 displayed on the live 2D image and / or by selecting a trigger mark button and then entering a keystroke (e.g., side arrow, up / down arrow) to move the trigger ROI. In some other examples, the operator can enable or disable SAT for the BOP image at time T8 by selecting a saturation (SAT) button 324 on the scanning interface. Other adjustments are also possible, such as enabling or disabling image subtraction for the BOP image. Because the measurement of contrast level includes a measurement of the baseline, non-contrast pixel brightness in the BOP image at the trigger ROI (e.g., for comparison as brightness increases with contrast uptake), adjusting BOP position, saturation, trigger ROI position / size, or image subtraction requires the acquisition of a new baseline, non-contrast BOP image (e.g., a new 3D mask image).

[0054] Once the operator has set the scan prescription and is satisfied with the BOP position, the automatic trigger settings, and is otherwise ready to begin 3D contrast acquisition, the contrast bolus is injected into the subject. When initiating the injection of contrast agent, the operator selects a monitoring button of the scan interface, such as the monitoring injection button 326, such as at time T9. The selection of the monitoring injection button 326 triggers the scan control module to start a standby timer. In addition, the selection of the monitoring injection button 326 also triggers the scan control module to begin measuring the contrast level in the trigger ROI and generate a plot of the measured contrast level over time. Both the timer and the plot are displayed in the scan interface and are updated at a relatively high rate (e.g., at the frame rate of live 2D imaging). Therefore, the contrast plot can be a live plot including a real-time curve of contrast intensity over time. Live 2D scanning is ongoing, and the live 2D image is displayed in the scan interface. When the contrast bolus reaches the trigger ROI, the brightness of the BOP image at least at the trigger ROI increases, and the contrast bolus becomes visible on the scanning interface, which is visually indicated via both the live 2D image and the contrast mapping.

[0055] The post-contrast scan is initiated in response to any of three possible triggers. If automatic triggering is enabled, the post-contrast scan begins once the measured contrast level reaches a threshold level. Alternatively, for example, if automatic triggering is not enabled, the post-contrast scan may be initiated once the operator selects a contrast scan button of the scanning interface, such as the start contrast scan button 328. In either example, the post-contrast scan may be initiated once the standby timer reaches a threshold duration, if the threshold duration is reached before the measured contrast level reaches the threshold or before the operator selects the start contrast scan button 328. The post-contrast scan may include one or more stages of 3D image acquisition, optionally separated by delays. For example, Figure 3 A post-contrast scan is shown starting at time T10, wherein the post-contrast scan includes two image acquisition phases (3D phase A and 3D phase B), wherein the first phase starts after a delay and the second phase starts after the first phase and an intermediate delay. At least in some examples, the pulse sequence implemented for the post-contrast scan may be different from the pulse sequence implemented to acquire live 2D images. Once the 3D image has been reconstructed, the 3D post-contrast image is displayed via the 3D interface.

[0056] Figure 4 An example of a scanning interface 400 in a prescription view 401 is shown. The scanning interface 400 may be Figure 2 The scanning interface 212 and thus may include the above with respect to Figure 3 The scanning interface 400 may be displayed in the prescription view 401 before live 2D scanning has been started. Figure 4, the scanning interface 400 in the prescription view 401 is shown after the initial 2D image acquisition has occurred and before the live 2D scan has been started (e.g., in Figure 3 The scan interface 400 in the prescription view 401 may be displayed in response to a user selection of the scan tab 402 .

[0057] 2D images from the initial 2D acquisition can be displayed in three viewports of the prescription view 401. A first image 404 is displayed in the first viewport, a second image 406 is displayed in the second viewport, and a third image 408 is displayed in the third viewport. In the example shown, the first image 404 is an axial view, the second image 406 is a sagittal view, and the third image 408 is a coronal view, each of which is reconstructed from k-space data acquired during the initial 2D acquisition. A user (e.g., an operator of an MRI device (e.g., a technician)) can prescribe a field of view (e.g., an anatomical structure of interest) to be scanned in a contrast scan by placing / moving / resizing a first box 410 onto each of the three images. In the example shown herein, the prescribed contrast scan is a liver accelerated volume acquisition (LAVA) scan, and therefore the first box 410 is placed to scan the liver. In addition, the operator can place / move / resize the second frame 412 onto the anatomical feature (e.g., blood vessel) of each of the three images to specify a slice for contrast tracking (also referred to as BOP or contrast observation slice). Based on the placement of the second frame 412, the BOP slice / contrast observation slice is determined. The scanning interface 400 in the prescription view 401 also includes a live scan slice menu 416, which, when selected, causes a live scan slice display panel 418 to be displayed. Via the live scan slice display panel 418, the operator can make adjustments to the live scan slice (e.g., BOP slice), such as frequency and phase FOV and slice thickness.

[0058] The scanning interface 400 in the prescription view 401 also includes a scan prescription display panel 414. The scan prescription display panel 414 may include various user interface elements that may be selected or adjusted in order to set or edit the number of 3D scanning phases and the associated delays for performing the scan prescription for the contrast scan. Figure 4 In the example shown, a timeline view of a scan prescription display panel is shown, where phases and delays are depicted as a function of time. Figures 10 to 14 Further details are provided regarding the scan prescription display panel 414. Once the operator has finished editing the scan prescription, the operator may select a save button 419 which may save the changes made to the scan prescription.

[0059] The scanning interface 400 in the prescription view 401 may also include an instruction panel 420, in which instructions, prompts, etc. for interacting with the scanning interface 400 may be displayed. For example, in the prescription view 401, the instruction panel 420 may indicate to the operator the purpose of the first frame 410, the second frame 412, the live scan slice menu 416, and the scan prescription display panel 414.

[0060] The scanning interface 400 in the prescription view 401 includes additional panels, such as a patient information panel (e.g., including patient identification information such as name and / or patient ID) and a scan plan panel. The scan plan panel may list scans to be performed on the patient, such as a localizer scan, a contrast scan, and / or any other scan (e.g., a screening scan, such as a single-shot fast spin echo), and the listed scans may change in visual appearance to indicate which scans have been performed, which scan is the current scan, and which scans are to be performed. The scan plan panel may also include a scan button 422, which may be an example of a scan button 314. Selection of the scan button 422 may initiate a live scan view of the scanning interface, which is described in more detail below. It should be understood that the scan button 422 may be positioned elsewhere on the scanning interface without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0061] Thus, the prescription view 401 of the scan interface 400 allows the operator to prescribe or place rectangles to indicate to the system which anatomical region is of interest before being shown a live view of the patient's anatomy. Via the prescription view of the scan interface, the operator can also construct a timeline-based series of stages or steps that they want the examination to use, which is called a scan prescription.

[0062] Figure 5A live scanning view 500 of the scanning interface 400 is shown. After the second frame 412 has been placed and thus the BOP has been specified, after the operator has saved (e.g., by selecting the save button 419) any changes made to the scanning prescription via the scanning prescription display panel 414, and after the operator has selected the scanning button 422, the scanning interface 400 may be displayed in the live scanning view 500. The live scanning view 500 may initially show a previously acquired 2D image until the operator initiates a live scan via the start live scanning button 528. For example, when the save button 419 is selected in the prescription view 401, the scanning prescription display panel 414 may be updated to show the scanning view 501 of the scanning prescription, and some of the interface elements (e.g., the save button 419) may be replaced with new interface elements including the start live scanning button 528. Once selected, the start live scanning button 528 may change in visual appearance (e.g., change color) to indicate that the scanning is currently in the live 2D scanning phase. The scanning view 501 may include a timeline that visually indicates any earlier steps of the scanning prescription that are completed (eg, via a check mark) as well as visually indicating the current step of the scanning prescription.

[0063] Thus, the live scan view 500 can be a live real-time scan view in which the displayed image is updated in real time as new images are reconstructed from continuously acquired k-space data. Images are displayed in a main BOP viewport 502, a first reference viewport 504, and a second reference viewport 506. The BOP viewport 502 may include an image of the BOP (e.g., a contrast observation slice), as previously explained, and the reference viewport may include an image in a plane orthogonal to the BOP. For example, the BOP viewport 502 shows a live image in a sagittal plane, the first reference viewport 504 shows an image in a coronal plane, and the second reference viewport 506 shows an image in an axial plane. The BOP viewport 502 may be larger than the reference viewport to emphasize the BOP / contrast observation slice.

[0064] In the live scan view 500, the scan interface 400 also includes a contrast tracking display panel 510, which includes an auto-trigger button 512. Figure 5In the example shown, the operator has switched the auto-trigger button 512 to the on position, thereby enabling auto-triggering. Thus, the trigger ROI 508 has been placed on the image in the BOP viewport 502 and on the image in the reference viewport. The operator can move the trigger ROI 508 by dragging it, which causes the corresponding trigger ROI on the image in the reference viewport to also move. The reference viewport also includes an element 511 (e.g., an arrow) via which the BOP / contrast viewing slice can be adjusted (e.g., if the operator clicks on an arrow pointing to the right, the BOP / contrast viewing slice can be adjusted to a slice to the right of the current slice).

[0065] The contrast tracking display panel 510 includes a contrast plot 514 that is configured to display measured contrast levels (e.g., intensity) as a function of time since contrast injection after live scanning has been turned on and after injection of a contrast bolus. The contrast plot 514 includes an auto-trigger threshold 515 that can be adjusted by an operator (e.g., via dragging the auto-trigger threshold 515 up or down). As further described herein, when the measured contrast level equals or exceeds the auto-trigger threshold 515 and auto-triggering is enabled, a post-contrast scan including one or more post-contrast acquisitions can be initiated.

[0066] The contrast tracking display panel 510 also includes interface elements for enabling and setting a standby timer. The standby timer can be enabled via a standby timer button 516, and the duration of the standby timer can be adjusted / set by the operator via a timer duration menu 518. The timer duration menu 518 may include a box for text input, as shown, or the timer duration menu 518 may include a toggle button or a drop-down menu from which the operator can select a duration from a plurality of preset durations. When the standby timer is enabled, the standby timer may begin counting in response to receiving an indication that a contrast bolus has been injected into the imaging subject (e.g., via selection of the monitor injection button 530). Therefore, the contrast tracking display panel 510 also includes a timer 520 that can visually indicate the time since the start of the injection.

[0067] The scanning interface 400 in the live scanning view 500 includes multiple interface elements that can be selected / actuated to adjust the scanning settings and / or trigger various actions. For example, the live scanning view 500 includes a subtraction button 522, and the operator can switch on or off the subtraction button to enable or disable image subtraction respectively. Similarly, the live scanning view 500 includes a SAT button 524, and the operator can switch on or off the SAT button to enable or disable saturation respectively. The live scanning view 500 also includes a trigger mark menu 526. When selected, the trigger mark menu 526 causes an additional menu / display panel to be displayed, and the operator can make adjustments to the trigger ROI 508 via the additional menu / display panel. For example, the trigger mark menu 526 may include an input for adjusting the length and width of the trigger ROI digitally. The operator can also adjust those values ​​(e.g., length and width) of the trigger ROI directly in the BOP viewport 502 by dragging the anchor point on the trigger ROI 508. The anchor point may only be visible when the trigger ROI 508 is selected. In addition, the scanning interface may include a trigger icon 534 that causes the trigger ROI 508 to be displayed when selected and causes the trigger ROI 508 to be removed from the BOP viewport when deselected. Furthermore, in some examples, the live scanning view 500 may include a reset to default button 527 that may be selected to restore certain settings, such as zoom level, window width / length, etc.

[0068] In addition, the live scan view 500 includes a start live scan button 528, a monitor injection button 530, and a start contrast scan button 532. Once the injection of the contrast bolus has begun, the operator can select the monitor injection button 530 to instruct the scan control module to begin measuring the contrast level in the trigger ROI 508 (which will be displayed in the contrast plot 514) and start the standby timer (which will be shown via the timer 520). If the automatic trigger is not enabled, the operator can select the start contrast scan button 532 to signal the scan control module to start a post-contrast 3D scan (e.g., start 3D acquisition after any specified delay). In some examples, even if the operator does not enable automatic triggering, the contrast level can still be tracked and displayed via the contrast tracking display panel 510, which can allow the operator to make an informed decision about when to initiate a post-contrast scan. In other examples, if the operator does not enable automatic triggering, the contrast level may not be tracked, which can improve the efficiency of the scan control device by reducing the processing requirements associated with tracking the contrast level. In one example, a method may include a first scan with automatic triggering and then a second scan without automatic triggering via the same imaging system and the same user interface and protocol as described herein.

[0069] The scanning interface 400 in the live scanning view 500 may also include an instruction panel 420 in which instructions, prompts, etc. for interacting with the scanning interface 400 may be displayed. For example, in the live scanning view 500, the instruction panel 420 may indicate to the operator the purpose of the trigger mark, subtraction and SAT buttons, and the monitoring injection button.

[0070] Thus, the scanning interface 400 in the live scanning view 500 provides a real-time view that can be displayed after the operator has prescribed the scan and has pressed the "Start Scan" button. The view includes: a continuously updated live view of the patient's anatomy; an orthogonal reference viewport (two smaller viewports); a graph (top right) that shows how much contrast the scanner registers when "looking" at the region of interest; a timer (middle right) that serves as a backup for both the operator and the system to miss identification of a bolus arrival; and a timeline that shows the operator exactly where the scanner is during the scan. As mentioned above, the large viewport in the center is a real-time, updated view of the patient's anatomy. The two smaller viewports are orthogonal views of the same area. The lines and arrows in the small reference viewport allow the operator to shift the view of the large live view by discrete amounts.

[0071] Figure 6 The bolus view 600 of the scanning interface 400 is shown. The bolus view 600 may be displayed during tracking / monitoring of a contrast bolus (such as after the operator has selected the monitor injection button 530). The bolus view 600 may be similar to the live scan view 500 in that a live 2D image of the BOP / live scan slice may be displayed in the BOP viewport 502 along with the trigger ROI 508 (if indicated). Figure 6 As understood in , when contrast agent is injected into and ingested by the patient / imaging subject, the contrast agent becomes visible, particularly in the region of the trigger ROI. The contrast tracking display panel 510 may be updated in the bolus view 600 so that a live curve 602 depicting contrast intensity as a function of time is shown (where contrast intensity is measured in the trigger ROI of the live 2D image of the BOP). In addition, the standby timer begins to increment, and the timer 520 is adjusted to indicate the total time since the contrast was injected (here 35 seconds).

[0072] Figure 7A series of views 700 of the contrast tracking display panel 510 during monitoring of a contrast bolus are shown. The series of views 700 includes a first view 710 that may be displayed before the auto-trigger is enabled and before the standby timer is enabled. Thus, in the first view 710, the auto-trigger button 512 is in the off position and the standby timer button 516 is in the off position. In the second view 720, the operator has switched the auto-trigger button 512 and the standby timer button to respective on positions. The second view 720 may be displayed before initiating injection of the contrast bolus.

[0073] The series of views 700 also includes a third view 730, a fourth view 740, and a fifth view 750, which can be displayed after the injection of the contrast bolus and after the operator has selected the monitor injection button. Thus, the third view 730 shows a live curve 702 depicting the measured contrast intensity as a function of time in the contrast plot 514. In the third view 730, the timer 520 visually indicates the time since the start of the injection. For example, the timer 520 includes a numerical indication of the number of seconds (e.g., 20) since the start of the injection and a change in the color of the circle that progresses in a clockwise direction over time. The rate of color change is based on the timer duration set via the timer duration menu 518. In the illustrated example, the operator has set the timer duration to 35 seconds, and therefore the color of the circle in the third view 730 has changed from the first color (e.g., gray) to the second color (e.g., blue) by 57% of the circumference of the circle (because 20 seconds is approximately 57% of the timer duration).

[0074] In the fourth view 740, the live curve 702 has advanced toward the automatic trigger threshold 515, but the contrast intensity of the live curve 702 has not yet reached the automatic trigger threshold 515. However, the standby timer has reached the timer duration, as shown by the timer 520 (e.g., the timer 520 shows that 35 seconds have passed since the start of the injection, with the entire circle having the second color). Because the contrast level has not reached the threshold for automatically triggering the start of the post-contrast scan before the standby timer duration has passed, the post-contrast scan can be automatically initiated by the scan control module. Alternatively, if the standby timer is disabled (e.g., set to "off"), once the standby timer reaches the set duration, the timer 520 can change visual appearance (e.g., transition to a third color, such as red) to initiate the scan by selecting a start contrast scan button (e.g., which can be displayed in a scan protocol panel of a scan interface, e.g., Figure 4The stop button shown in the figure can be used to signal the operator to manually initiate the post-contrast scan. If the operator has selected the Pause Live Scan button and the live scan is in the paused state when the timer reaches the set / threshold duration, the timer 520 can also change to red.

[0075] The fifth view 750 may be displayed after a post-contrast scan has been initiated (e.g., because the operator initiated the post-contrast scan or because the standby timer was enabled and reached a set duration) and therefore no further tracking of the contrast bolus has been performed. Thus, the contrast plot 514 depicts the live curve 702 in the same state as in the fourth view 740. The standby timer continues to run, with the timer 520 showing the time since the start of the injection (e.g., 450 seconds).

[0076] Thus, while the system is "watching" contrast, the operator is shown a graph (e.g., live graph 702) that indicates how much contrast the system is viewing in real time and how close the contrast level has reached a specified threshold. Once the contrast level reaches the threshold, a 3D post-contrast acquisition can be triggered. The operator can also set a standby timer that automatically starts when the operator indicates that contrast has been delivered to the subject. This timer allows the operator to both know the time since injection and visualize how close the system is to a maximum wait time before triggering an acquisition.

[0077] Thus, the computing device (e.g., the scan control device 202) may include a display screen (e.g., the display device 234), and the computing device may be configured to display a scanning interface (e.g., the scanning interface 400) in a prescription view (e.g., the prescription view 401) on the screen. The computing device may be further configured to receive user input via the scanning interface in the prescription view to enable, for example, prescription (e.g., selection) of a contrast observation slice via the second frame 412 for tracking the arrival of a contrast mass during a contrast scan. The computing device may be further configured to display a user interface element (e.g., the start live scan button 528 and / or the scan button 422) on the screen, which is directly reachable from the scanning interface in the prescription view, wherein the user interface element is selectable to start a live scan view (e.g., the live scan view 500) of the scanning interface, which enables a live 2D image of the contrast observation slice to be seen within the scanning interface. In some examples, the user interface element can be selectable to enable live 2D scanning of the contrast observation slice, or a separate user interface element can be selected (e.g., on the live scan view) to enable live 2D scanning. In some examples, the live scan view can also include a contrast tracking display panel (e.g., contrast tracking display panel 510) displaying an automatic trigger button (e.g., automatic trigger button 512) that can be selected to enable automatic triggering of post-contrast image acquisition and enable viewing of a contrast intensity plot determined from the live 2D image within the contrast tracking display panel (e.g., live curve 702 within the contrast tracking display panel 510).

[0078] In some examples, the computing device is configured to command the initiation of a live 2D scan in response to a selection of a live scan button, wherein the live 2D scan includes acquiring first imaging data using a medical imaging device (e.g., MRI device 10) and reconstructing the first imaging data into a live 2D image. In some examples, the computing device may be further configured to display an injection button (e.g., monitoring injection button 530) on the screen via a live scan view of the scanning interface, the injection button being selectable to trigger the measurement of contrast intensity in a trigger region of interest (ROI) (such as trigger ROI 508) of the live 2D image and the generation of a contrast intensity map. In some examples, the computing device is configured to generate a contrast intensity map by measuring the contrast intensity in the trigger ROI of each of the live 2D images acquired after the selection of the injection button in response to a selection of an automatic trigger button of the live scan view and a selection of the injection button, and display the contrast intensity map within a contrast tracking display panel. In some examples, the computing device is configured to command initiation of a post-contrast image acquisition in response to a contrast intensity level of a contrast intensity map reaching a threshold intensity (e.g., threshold 515) and without further user input, wherein the post-contrast image acquisition includes acquiring second imaging data using a medical imaging device and reconstructing the second imaging data into one or more post-contrast images (e.g., post-contrast 3D images).

[0079] In some examples, the contrast tracking display panel also displays a standby timer button (e.g., standby timer button 516) that is selectable to enable a standby timer to be started in response to selection of the injection button and to enable a visualization of the standby timer (e.g., timer 520) to be visible within the contrast tracking display panel, wherein the computing device is configured to command initiation of a post-contrast image acquisition in response to the standby timer reaching a threshold duration (e.g., and there is no further user input).

[0080] In some examples, the live scan view of the scan interface displays an image subtraction button (e.g., subtraction button 522) that is selectable to enable image subtraction operations to be performed on the live 2D image. In some examples, the live scan view of the scan interface displays a saturation button (e.g., SAT button 524) that is selectable to enable saturation operations to be performed on the live 2D image. In some examples, the live scan view of the scan interface displays a contrast scan button (e.g., start contrast scan button 532) that is selectable to trigger post-contrast image acquisition. In some examples, the scan interface in the prescription view includes a scan prescription display panel (e.g., scan prescription display panel 414) that displays a scan prescription for at least post-contrast image acquisition in a timeline format (e.g., in the scan view 501).

[0081] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating a high-level method 800 for contrast scanning according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 800 may be combined with Figure 1 The MRI apparatus 10 utilizes Figure 2 The method 800 may be implemented according to a non-volatile memory and a processor (such as Figure 2 The method 800 may include instructions executed by the non-transitory memory 206 and the processor 204 of the scan control device 202. A contrast scan performed according to the method 800 may include events that occur before the contrast agent is injected into the imaging subject and events that occur after the injection. Thus, the contrast scan may include pre-contrast actions (e.g., pre-contrast image acquisition, which includes acquiring MR images before the contrast agent is administered and / or before the contrast agent reaches a level for post-contrast imaging) and post-contrast actions (e.g., post-contrast image acquisition, which includes acquiring MR images after the contrast agent reaches a level for post-contrast imaging).

[0082] At 802, a contrast scan is initiated when commanded. For example, a contrast scan may be initiated in response to a user selection of a "scan" button displayed on a display device. Once an operator of the MRI device has been authenticated, a scan protocol interface may be displayed in which the operator may indicate that a contrast scan is to be performed on an imaging subject. In some examples, via the scan protocol interface, the operator may select a particular contrast-enhanced scan protocol, such as a 3D LAVA multi-phase scan, enter information about the imaging subject, and the like. When the operator is ready to initiate a scan (e.g., the imaging subject is in the bore of the MRI device), the operator may select a scan button, which may trigger the initiation of the scan and cause the scan interface to be activated.

[0083] At 804, an initial 2D acquisition is performed. Figure 3 As explained, the scanning protocol may include a pre-scan phase followed by an initial 2D acquisition.The images from the initial 2D acquisition may be viewed via the scanning interface.

[0084] At 806, a user selection of a BOP slice (e.g., a contrast observation slice) is received. The BOP slice may be a slice that best visualizes anatomical features (such as blood vessels) that will be observed during contrast agent uptake for triggering the start of post-contrast acquisition. For example, as described above with respect to Figure 4 As explained, a user (eg, an operator of an MRI device) may place a corresponding box / rectangle on each image displayed in a prescription view of a scanning interface after an initial 2D acquisition in order to select a BOP slice.

[0085] At 808, method 800 includes receiving user input for selecting and / or editing a scan prescription for a contrast scan. In some examples, the scan prescription may be selected and / or edited by a user via a scan prescription display panel of a scanning interface. As explained above, the scan prescription display panel may present the scan prescription in a timeline format or a table format, each of which may be edited by a user to select the number of post-contrast 3D acquisition stages, the delay before each stage, whether to acquire a 3D mask image, etc. Once the user selects / edits the scan prescription, the user may save the scan prescription via a save button of the scanning interface, and the contrast scan will be performed according to the selected / edited scan prescription. Additional details regarding the scan prescription display panel and setting the scan prescription via the scan prescription display panel are provided below with respect to Figures 10 to 14 Thus, the scan control device may be configured to display a scan prescription display panel including an editable timeline via a prescription view of the scan interface, and the scan control device may be configured to set a scan prescription for one or more post-contrast acquisitions via user input to the editable timeline. As will be explained in more detail below, the scan control device may be further configured to display a visualization of the scan prescription in the scan prescription display panel via a live scan view of the scan interface, and perform one or more post-contrast acquisitions according to the scan prescription (e.g., as set via the scan prescription display panel).

[0086] After performing the initial 2D acquisition, the scanning protocol may include a 3D masking phase, in which a 3D mask image is acquired. Thus, the method 800 includes, at 810, running the 3D masking phase in the background (e.g., while the user is selecting a BOP slice), and displaying the 3D mask image as it is reconstructed. The 3D mask image may be displayed on an interface different from the scanning interface.

[0087] At 812, method 800 includes initiating a live 2D scan. The live 2D scan may be initiated in response to a user input (e.g., in response to a user selection of a Start Live Scan button of a scanning interface). During the live 2D scan, a "live" image of the BOP slice is obtained, e.g., an MRI device obtains MR signals in a continuous manner to facilitate reconstruction of a low-resolution 2D image of the BOP slice, which is displayed in real time (e.g., without any intentional delay) as the 2D image is reconstructed.

[0088] At 814, an updated scanning interface (eg, Figure 5 The scan interface may include a live scan view of the BOP slice, a continuously updated live 2D image of the BOP slice, a trigger ROI placed on the live 2D image, angiographic mapping, and a standby timer included in the updated scan interface. For example, the scan interface displayed when the user selects a BOP slice and / or selects / edits a scan prescription may be Figure 4 The prescription view of the scanning interface shown, and the updated scanning interface can be Figure 5 1. A live scan view of the scan interface shown. The updated scan interface may be displayed in response to a user selection of a user interface button (such as a start or scan button of the scan interface), and the live scan may be started in response to a user selection of another user interface button (such as a start live scan button on the scan interface). The trigger ROI is the region of the BOP slice selected for measuring the contrast level, and may be visually indicated on the scan interface via a trigger mark placed on the live 2D image. The scan interface includes a contrast tracking display panel that includes a contrast drawing and a standby timer. Prior to injection of contrast agent, the contrast drawing may be blank (e.g., no curve / graph is displayed), and the standby timer may be at zero / not yet triggered.

[0089] At 816, method 800 includes adjusting the BOP slices and / or one or more additional parameters if indicated (e.g., if requested by a user). As explained above, the user may move the BOP slices (e.g., in an anterior / posterior direction, a medial / lateral direction, or a proximal / distal direction) via a BOP moving element such as an arrow placed on the scanning interface in order to select a BOP slice that adequately visualizes the trigger ROI. If the user adjusts the BOP slices, the scanner may be commanded to change the slice imaged during the live 2D scan. The user may also adjust other parameters, such as changing the location of the trigger ROI, or enabling or disabling auto-triggering, standby timer, image subtraction, or saturation. If the user has indicated that a new baseline image is to be acquired (e.g., because the BOP slices (and available adjustment slices) do not include the correct anatomy), the user may exit the live scan view and re-prescribe from the beginning step of the procedure (e.g., via the prescription view).

[0090] At 818, method 800 includes receiving an indication that an injection of a contrast bolus of contrast agent has been initiated into the imaging subject. As a non-limiting example, the contrast agent may include a gadolinium-based contrast agent. As other examples, the contrast agent may include a manganese-based contrast agent, an iron oxide contrast agent, or another suitable contrast agent. The contrast agent may be injected intravenously using an automatic or manual method. The injection may be a contrast bolus for a contrast scan, and in some examples, may be the only contrast injection performed for a contrast scan (e.g., a separate timed bolus may not be administered). An indication that an injection has been initiated may be received via a user selection of a monitor injection button on a scanning interface.

[0091] At 820, method 800 includes measuring the contrast intensity of the trigger ROI and / or starting a standby timer. For example, if the user has enabled the standby timer, the standby timer may begin to increment upward once the injection of contrast agent begins. In addition, the live 2D images of the BOP slices may be analyzed to measure the contrast intensity. For example, the average brightness / intensity of the pixels of the trigger ROI in each live 2D image may be calculated and plotted as a function of time or number of images, with the resulting curve being displayed in a contrast plot in the scanning interface. The curve may be updated with each live 2D image and may therefore be a live curve.

[0092] At 822, a post-contrast portion of a contrast scan (e.g., a post-contrast 3D acquisition, also referred to as a post-contrast scan) is performed according to the scan prescription. In some examples, the post-contrast scan may be triggered in response to the measured contrast intensity of the trigger ROI reaching a threshold intensity. In other examples, the post-contrast scan may be triggered in response to a user selection of a start contrast scan button of a scanning interface, and the user may select the start contrast scan button in response to visually determining that the contrast level in the trigger ROI is at the desired level for the post-contrast scan. In yet other examples, the post-contrast scan may be triggered in response to a standby timer reaching a threshold time. The post-contrast scan may include a first delay, in which no image acquisition occurs after the post-contrast scan is triggered. After the first delay, the first stage of the post-contrast scan may be implemented by the scanner. For example, the first stage may include a specified pulse sequence issued by the scanner to acquire MR signals suitable for reconstructing a 3D contrast image. In some examples, the post-contrast scan may include multiple stages, each of which is separated by a specified delay and / or pause in the scan.

[0093] At 824, a 3D angiography image is displayed. In at least some examples, the 3D angiography image may be displayed in an interface that is different / separate from the scanning interface. In this way, the 3D image after angiography may not be displayed in the scanning interface. In some examples, a separate / different interface displaying the 3D angiography image may be displayed on a separate display device, or the interface may be displayed on the same display device as the scanning interface, but in a different window. In addition, the 3D angiography image may be stored in a memory. In some examples, the 3D angiography image may be stored at least temporarily in a memory of a scanning control device and may be sent to an image archive (e.g., PACS) for long-term storage. Method 800 then ends.

[0094] Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B is a flowchart illustrating a method 900 for scanning an interface according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 900 may be combined with Figure 1 The MRI apparatus 10 utilizes Figure 2 The method 900 may be implemented according to a non-volatile memory and a processor (such as Figure 2 The method 900 is implemented by instructions executed by the non-transitory memory 206 and the processor 204 of the scanning control device 202. In some examples, the method 900 may be a more sophisticated method for implementing the contrast scanning of the method 800, which specifically includes the user's interaction with the scanning interface and the action taken by the scanning control device in response to the interaction with the user scanning interface.

[0095] At 902, method 900 includes receiving a user selection of a scan button and launching a scan interface. As previously explained, the scan interface may be launched in response to a user request to view the scan interface (such as a user selection of a "scan" button displayed on a display device). When launched, the scan interface may be displayed on the display device. The request to view the scan interface may also include a request to initiate a contrast scan. As explained above, the user may indicate that a contrast scan of a specific scheme is to be performed on the imaging subject (e.g., a multi-stage 3D contrast scan) before launching the scan interface, and the contrast scan may be started after the imaging subject is positioned in the bore of the MRI device. Once the user indicates that a contrast scan is to be started, the scan interface may be launched and displayed on a display device (e.g., display device 234). Once the contrast scan begins, an initial 2D image of the imaging subject may be acquired (e.g., after a pre-scan phase of calibrating the MRI device for the imaging subject).

[0096] At 904, the viewport of the scanning interface is populated with the initial 2D image. When the scanning interface is initially displayed with the initial 2D image, the scanning interface may be in a prescription view, such as Figure 4As shown. In some examples, the initial 2D images may include images of the field of view of the imaged subject (e.g., centered at the isocenter of the bore of the MRI device) in three views / planes (such as the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes). Thus, a set of initial 2D images of the imaged subject may be displayed in a prescription view of the scanning interface. At 905, method 900 includes receiving user input selecting a BOP slice and a scanning field of view (FOV), and visually indicating the BOP slice and the scanning FOV on the scanning interface. As described above with respect to Figure 4 As explained, once the initial 2D image is displayed via the scanning interface, the user can place, move, and / or resize the first and second boxes / rectangles to indicate the desired scanning FOV and BOP slices, respectively. The first and second boxes / rectangles are displayed above the initial 2D image to indicate the extent of the scanning FOV and the position of the BOP slices in each of the three image planes (e.g., axial, coronal, and sagittal planes). Thus, via the prescription view of the scanning interface, a user selection of a contrast observation slice (e.g., BOP) can be received.

[0097] At 906, method 900 includes receiving user input to enable or disable automatic triggering and / or adjust the size and / or position of the trigger ROI. In some examples, after the user has selected the BOP slice and the scan FOV (and after the user has completed / selected the scan prescription), the scanning interface may be updated to Figure 5 , but no live 2D image is populated in the viewport. In such examples, the scanning interface includes an automatic trigger button (e.g., as part of a contrast tracking display panel) for enabling and disabling automatic triggering. Therefore, the user can enter user input into the automatic trigger button to enable or disable automatic triggering. In addition, in some examples, once automatic triggering is enabled, a trigger mark can be placed at least on the image in the BOP viewport to indicate the position of the trigger ROI for contrast measurement. The trigger mark can be initially placed in a default position (e.g., in the center of the BOP viewport) and can be moved and / or resized by the user to update the position / size of the trigger ROI. Therefore, via the prescription view of the scanning interface, a user selection of the trigger ROI can be received.

[0098] At 908, an updated scan interface is displayed. In some examples, user selection of a start button or a scan button on the prescription view can trigger display of the updated scan interface. In some examples, a user selection of a live scan button (e.g., Figure 5 User selection of the Start Live Scan button (shown in Figure 1) can trigger a live 2D scan. The updated scanning interface can be Figure 5The live scan view shown. Thus, in response to user input (e.g., selection of a start button or a scan button displayed on a prescription view), a live scan view of a scan interface may be displayed, the live scan view including a viewport for displaying a live 2D image of a contrast observation slice and a contrast tracking display panel. Thus, as indicated at 910, an updated scan interface displayed during a live 2D scan may include a live BOP image in a BOP viewport and an orthogonal reference image in a reference viewport. The live BOP image may be a live (e.g., continuously updated) image of a selected BOP slice, and the BOP viewport may be a larger, central, main viewport, while the reference image may be in a plane orthogonal to the live BOP image, and the reference viewport may be a smaller, off-center viewport. Thus, when a new live 2D image is received, the live 2D image in the BOP viewport may be updated. In addition, as indicated at 912, the updated scanning interface may include a contrast tracking display panel including a contrast plot, which is a region that will display a live contrast curve (e.g., a live contrast curve of measured contrast intensity plotted as a function of time) relative to a threshold once the contrast agent is administered to the imaging subject and travels to the trigger ROI. The contrast tracking display panel also includes a standby timer button that can be selected to enable to disable a standby timer visually presented in the contrast tracking display panel. The updated scanning interface may also include a trigger marker on the live BOP image, as indicated at 914.

[0099] At 916, method 900 includes receiving user input to update one or more parameters. For example, the BOP slice position may be updated, as indicated at 918. Figure 5 As shown, a line showing the location of the BOP slice can be placed above the reference image in the reference viewport, and the BOP slice can be moved in increments via arrows on either side of the line. As another example, a saturation (SAT) setting can be enabled or disabled in response to user input to a saturation button of the scanning interface, as indicated at 920. When the SAT setting is enabled, each live 2D image of the contrast observation slice is acquired using a saturation pulse sequence. In addition, image subtraction can be enabled or disabled in response to user input to a subtraction button of the scanning interface, as indicated at 922. Both the saturation setting and image subtraction affect the contrast / visual quality of the live BOP image. Specifically, when enabled, saturation can suppress signals from adipose tissue and enhance visualization of contrast agents. Image subtraction can include subtracting a non-contrast image (e.g., a BOP image acquired before administration of a contrast agent) from a contrast image (e.g., a BOP image acquired after administration of a contrast agent), which can also help visualization of the contrast agent.

[0100] As yet some examples of parameters that may be adjusted via user input to the scanning interface, a standby timer may be enabled or disabled via user input to / at a standby timer button, and the duration of the standby timer may be set or adjusted via input to a timer duration menu, e.g., as indicated at 924. In addition, as indicated at 926, automatic triggering may be enabled or disabled during live 2D scanning, which may be performed as explained above. Additionally, a threshold contrast intensity for triggering a post-contrast scan may be adjusted via input to the scanning interface (e.g., via dragging a threshold displayed on a contrast drawing of a contrast tracking display panel). Likewise, the size or position of a trigger ROI may be adjusted during live 2D scanning, e.g., by moving a trigger marker or input to a trigger marker button or menu.

[0101] At 928, method 900 includes receiving user input indicating initiation of contrast injection. As previously explained, once the injection of the contrast bolus of contrast agent has begun, the user can select a monitor injection button on the scan interface, which can signal the scan control device that contrast agent has been administered to the imaging subject. Thus, the standby timer can be triggered (if enabled), and the time indicated by the standby timer can be updated on the scan interface, such as Fig. 9B Specifically, once the monitoring injection button is selected, the standby timer may begin counting up, and this is reflected in the timer displayed in the contrast tracking display panel. The live 2D scan continues and the acquired live 2D images (BOP images of BOP slices) may be evaluated to measure the contrast intensity in the trigger ROI. Therefore, at 932, method 900 includes updating the contrast plot on the scanning interface. The contrast plot may include a live curve (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1 ) depicting the contrast intensity in the trigger ROI as a function of time. Figure 7 ), and the live curve can be updated at an appropriate rate (e.g., with each new 2D acquisition). Thus, in response to receiving a user input indicating that an injection of contrast agent into an imaging subject has been initiated, a live curve plotting the measured contrast intensity of the triggering ROI as a function of time since injection can be displayed in the contrast tracking display panel while continuing to update the live 2D image of the contrast observation slice in the BOP viewport.

[0102] At 934, method 900 determines whether automatic triggering has been enabled (e.g., whether the automatic trigger button is in the on position). If automatic triggering has been enabled, method 900 proceeds to 935 to determine whether the standby timer has been enabled (e.g., whether the timer button is in the on position). If the standby timer has been enabled, method 900 proceeds to 936 to command the initiation of a post-contrast scan in response to the user selection of the start contrast scan button, the measured contrast intensity reaching the threshold intensity, or the standby timer reaching the set duration. In this way, once the measured contrast level reaches the threshold intensity, the post-contrast scan can be initiated. However, if the contrast intensity does not reach the threshold intensity before the set duration of the standby timer is reached, the post-contrast scan can be triggered in response to the standby timer reaching the set duration. In addition, the post-contrast scan can be triggered in response to user input (e.g., selection of the start contrast scan button of the scan interface). Therefore, the post-contrast scan can be initiated in response to any one of the user selection of the start contrast scan button, the contrast level reaching the threshold intensity, and the standby timer reaching the set duration occurring first. If it is determined at 935 that the standby timer is not enabled, then method 900 proceeds to 938 to command initiation of a post-contrast scan in response to the former of a user selection of the Start Contrast Scan button or the contrast level reaching a threshold intensity. It should be understood that even when the standby timer is not initiated, the timer may still be displayed on the scanning interface to assist the user in determining whether to select the Start Contrast Scan button to initiate a post-contrast scan.

[0103] Returning to 934, if it is determined that automatic triggering has not been enabled, the method 900 proceeds to 940 to determine whether the standby timer is enabled. If the standby timer is enabled, the method 900 proceeds to 942 to command the initiation of the post-contrast scan in response to the user selection of the Start Contrast Scan button of the scanning interface or the standby timer reaching the set duration. Therefore, if the user does not select the Start Contrast Scan button before the set duration of the standby timer is reached, the post-contrast scan can be triggered in response to the standby timer reaching the set duration. If the standby timer is not enabled, the method 900 proceeds to 944 to command the initiation of the post-contrast scan in response to the user selection of the Start Contrast Scan button of the scanning interface, regardless of the duration of the standby timer.

[0104] In this manner, the post-contrast scan may be triggered by any of the three triggers, depending on which trigger(s) are enabled and which trigger occurs first. For example, the scan control device may command the initiation of one or more post-contrast acquisitions in response to any of the live curve reaching a threshold intensity, receiving a user input indicating that the post-contrast scan is to be started, and the standby timer reaching a threshold duration (e.g., depending on which occurs first in time and whether the automatic trigger and / or the standby timer are enabled). In one example, if the auto-trigger button of the scan interface is in the on position (e.g., the automatic trigger is enabled) and the standby timer button of the scan interface is in the on position (e.g., the standby timer is enabled), then unless a user selection of the Start Contrast Scan button is received before the live curve reaches the threshold intensity, or unless the standby timer reaches the threshold duration before the live curve reaches the threshold intensity, the scan control device may command the initiation of one or more post-contrast acquisitions in response to the live curve reaching the threshold intensity. In another example, if auto-triggering is not enabled and the standby timer is enabled, the scan control device may command initiation of one or more post-contrast acquisitions in response to the user selection of the Start Contrast Scan button unless the standby timer reaches the threshold duration prior to receiving the user selection of the Start Contrast Scan button. Method 900 then ends.

[0105] As previously explained, a user (e.g., an operator of an MRI device) may set various aspects of a contrast scan to be performed on an imaging subject (e.g., a patient), referred to as a scan prescription. For a contrast scan, a scan prescription may specify the number of phases of image acquisition (e.g., generation and collection of MR signals that are reconstructed into images) to be performed after contrast agent has reached a desired level at an anatomical feature (e.g., a blood vessel) and the delays (if any) between phases. For example, each phase may be timed to acquire images during a particular phase of contrast uptake and washout (such as an arterial phase, a venous phase, a delay phase, etc.), and delays may be set to ensure that imaging occurs during the contrast phase specified in the prescription and / or to allow the patient to recover between breath holds. Because different patients exhibit different contrast dynamics (e.g., the amount of time it takes for contrast agent to travel from an injection site to a blood vessel and the amount of time it takes for contrast agent to pass through various contrast phases before being washed out) due to patient age, weight, cardiac condition (e.g., arterial fibrillation), etc., different patients may require different scan prescriptions even for the same contrast scan type / contrast scan target.

[0106] Typically, to set up a scan prescription, a user may select the number of stages, set delays between stages, and set other parameters via a series of menus, numeric input boxes, and check boxes presented on one or more display panels. During setup / editing of a scan prescription, little to no visualization of a default scan prescription is typically provided, or the scan prescription as set (to that point) by the user. Thus, the user must construct a sequence of events for the scan prescription using various input parameters without any visual cues as to what the user is constructing, thus forcing the user to construct and remember the scan prescription entirely "in their heads." Furthermore, once the scan prescription has been set up, a typical approach may present a rough timeline of the stages, but typically the timeline cannot be directly edited. Thus, if the user determines while viewing the timeline that the set delay is not accurate, then at that point even where such modifications are allowed (e.g., once the scan prescription settings have been saved), the user must return to the original display panel and edit the specific delay settings.

[0107] Thus, as previously explained, the scanning interface disclosed herein may include a scan prescription display panel that may include various user interface elements (e.g., buttons, tiles, menus) for setting a scan prescription for a contrast scan in a timeline format or a table format, wherein during the setting of the scan prescription and once the scan prescription is set (e.g., including during the execution of the contrast scan), the scan prescription may be visualized as a timeline. The timeline may be directly edited via simple and intuitive buttons and drag-and-drop capabilities. In addition, any additions or edits to the scan prescription made via the timeline format may be automatically populated into the table, and if desired, the user may view the table and make changes / additions to the scan prescription via the table. Similarly, if the user makes an addition / edit to the scan prescription via the table, the addition / edit will be populated into the timeline. In this way, the scan prescription display panel may provide the user with a simpler, more manual way to interact with the complex situations occurring in the back end of the MRI device.

[0108] Fig.10 An exemplary scan prescription display panel 1000 is shown in an editable timeline view 1001. The scan prescription display panel 1000 may be Figure 4 and Figure 5 4 is a non-limiting example of a scan prescription display panel 414, and thus may be included as part of the scanning interface disclosed herein (e.g., as Figures 4 to 61000). However, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the scan prescription display panel 1000 may be included in other interfaces or as a standalone interface. In addition, although the scan prescription display panel is described herein as being used to set a scan prescription for a contrast scan using an MRI system, it should be understood that a similar scan prescription display panel may be used to set a scan prescription for other types of scans, such as contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans.

[0109] The scan prescription display panel 1000 includes a timeline button 1002 and a table button 1004. When the timeline button 1002 is selected, the timeline view 1001 is displayed. When the table button 1004 is selected, an editable table view (in Fig.12 and described in more detail below). Fig.10 In the example shown, the timeline button 1002 has been selected and is therefore emphasized relative to the table button 1004 .

[0110] In the editable timeline view 1001, the scan prescription display panel 1000 includes an add mask button 1006, an add injection button 1008, and an add phase button 1010. The add mask button 1006 is selectable to add a mask step (e.g., a pre-contrast, 3D mask imaging step) to the scan prescription. The add injection button 1008 is selectable to add an injection step (e.g., whereby contrast is injected into an imaging subject) to the scan prescription. The add phase button 1010 is selectable to add an imaging phase (e.g., a post-contrast imaging phase) to the scan prescription. In addition, the scan prescription display panel 1000 in the editable timeline view 1001 includes a total phase menu 1012. The total phase menu 1012 may include arrows that are selectable to increase or decrease the total number of post-contrast imaging phases of the scan prescription. The add stage button 1010 may allow the operator to add one stage at a time to the scan prescription, while the total stage menu 1012 may allow the operator to add or remove multiple stages to the scan prescription at once, thereby allowing the operator to add or remove one or more stages with a single input. In addition, the scan prescription display panel 1000 in the editable timeline view 1001 includes a step removal area 1014. As described below, any step that has been added to the scan prescription can be removed by dragging the step from the timeline and dropping the step in the step removal area 1014.

[0111] As each desired step is added to the scan prescription, the step may be visualized via the timeline 1020. Thus, when the scan prescription is generated, each step may be visualized in a temporal order relative to each other step of the scan prescription. For example, in response to a user selection of the add mask button 1006, a mask tile 1022 is added to the timeline 1020 and the scan prescription is updated to include a mask image acquisition step. Similarly, in response to a user selection of the add injection button 1008, an injection tile 1024 is added to the timeline 1020 and the scan prescription is updated to indicate that an injection of contrast agent will be performed after the mask image acquisition step. In some examples, a first delay tile 1026 may be added to the timeline 1020 along with the injection tile 1024. The first delay tile 1026 may indicate a first delay in seconds between when the scan control device or the user determines that the contrast agent in the anatomical structure of interest in the imaged subject is at a preferred level for initiating a post-contrast acquisition and when the first post-contrast acquisition begins. The scan prescription may be updated to indicate the first delay after the injection step.

[0112] Furthermore, in the example shown, the user has indicated via the overall stage menu 1012 that the scan prescription will include a total of four stages of post-contrast image acquisition. Accordingly, the scan prescription is updated to include four stages, and the timeline 1020 is automatically populated with tiles for each of the four stages, such as the first stage tile 1028. The tiles for the first three stages may include corresponding delay tiles, such as the second delay tile 1030, indicating the delay in seconds between the stages. For example, the second delay tile 1030 may indicate the delay between when the first stage ends and when the second stage begins.

[0113] The user can edit the scan prescription via the timeline 1020. Fig.10The timeline 1020 shown may be an editable version of the timeline 1020. For example, to set or change a delay, a user may select an input box for the delay tile and enter an input (e.g., via a keyboard) to set or change the delay time, which is then reflected in the scan prescription. For example, the first delay tile 1026 shows an input box 1027 that may be selected to edit the number of seconds for the first delay. The phase tile may also include an input box that may be edited to name each phase (e.g., arterial phase, venous phase, etc.). The phase tile may also include an automatically calculated duration for the phase based on the pulse sequence to be performed during the phase. For example, the first phase tile 1028 may include a duration of 15 seconds, indicating that the first phase of the post-contrast scan may have a duration of 15 seconds. If the user decides that a previously added step / phase should be removed from the scan prescription, the user may drag the associated tile to the step removal area 1014 to delete the step / phase. For example, as shown, the user is dragging the tile 1032 for the second stage from the timeline 1020 to the step removal area 1014 to delete the second stage, which can trigger the stages after the second stage to be renumbered (e.g., stage three becomes stage two, etc.). In addition, the steps / stages can be reordered by dragging the associated tiles to the desired location. For example, instead of deleting the second stage, the user can move the tile 1032 between the third stage and the fourth stage.

[0114] The timeline 1020 may also include a time marker 1034 that starts at the end of the injection step (e.g., when the post-contrast scan will be formally initiated, such as when the user selects the Start Contrast Scan button) and increments upward in seconds until the end of the final stage. Time points of interest may be marked on the time marker 1034, such as the time from the start of the post-contrast scan to the start of each stage. For example, the time marker 1034 includes a first time point 0 at the end of the injection step, a second time point 65 at the beginning of the first stage, a third time point 136 at the beginning of the second stage, etc. The time points of the time marker 1034 may be calculated based on the duration of each stage and the delay. For example, the first stage may have a duration of 15 seconds, and the second delay after the first duration may be 56 seconds, and thus the third time point (e.g., 136) may be based on the first delay (65 seconds), the first stage (15 seconds), and the second delay (56 seconds). The time marker 1034 may include a label 1035 to indicate that the time depicted via the time marker 1034 is for the post-contrast scan portion of the scan prescription. Fig.10 , but it should be understood that the scan prescription display panel 1000 in the editable view may include a save button (e.g., Figure 4A save button 419 is selectable to save all additions / changes to the scan prescription so that a contrast scan can be performed according to the scan prescription.

[0115] In some examples, the tiles may include icons or other visual indicators of the function that will be performed at that step of the scan prescription. For example, the mask tile 1022 may include an icon of a mask, the injection tile 1024 may include an icon of an injection needle, and the delay tiles may each include an icon of a clock / timer. In addition, each delay tile may include a numerical indicator of the number of seconds for that delay. In this way, a user may be able to easily distinguish between the various steps of the scan prescription and view the delays associated with each step, all from the same timeline, even while the scan prescription is still being set up.

[0116] Fig.11 A second exemplary editable timeline view 1101 of the scan prescription display panel 1000 is shown. The second exemplary performance editable timeline view 1101 may depict the performance of the scan prescription display panel 1000. Figure 8 and Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B The timeline 1020 also includes a live scan tile 1104 that indicates that the scanner will be in live scan mode, thereby showing a live 2D image before a monitoring injection step is performed (e.g., before the user selects the monitoring injection button to initiate contrast tracking). Fig.11 In the second exemplary editable timeline view 1101 shown, the scan prescription includes a first delay indicated by a first delay tile 1108, a first stage indicated by a first stage tile 1110 (represented as an arterial stage), a second stage indicated by a second stage tile 1112 (portal venous stage), a second delay after the second stage indicated by a second delay tile 1114, and a third stage (delayed stage) indicated by a third stage tile 1116. The time marker 1034 additionally includes another label 1118 to indicate when the live scan portion of the scan prescription occurs. It should be understood that each stage has an associated delay after the stage, and the delay of the stage can be adjusted as described herein, including adjusting the delay to zero.

[0117] Fig.12 The scanned prescription display panel 1000 is shown in an editable table view 1201. Specifically, Fig.12 Shows Fig.111. As previously mentioned, the user can switch from the second exemplary editable timeline view 1101 to the editable table view 1201 by selecting the table button 1004. The scan prescription panel in the editable table view 1201 includes an add mask button 1006 and an add stage button 1010 and a total stage menu 1012. The editable table view 1201 also includes a table 1202, which includes multiple columns of cells. The multiple columns include a step column 1204, a start time column 1206, a duration column 1208, a delay column 1210, and a continuous setting column 1212. Each column may include one or more cells.

[0118] The step column 1204 lists each step of the scan prescription that has been set to this point / prescribed to this point. Therefore, the step column 1204 includes multiple rows of cells, where each cell of the column is filled with the steps specified in the prescription, including mask steps, injection steps, and the stages specified in the prescription (e.g., the first, second, and third stages). The start time column 1206 includes cells that list the start time of each stage from the beginning of the post-contrast scan (e.g., from when the user selects the start contrast button or from when the scan control device detects that the contrast intensity has reached the threshold intensity or detects that the standby timer has reached the set / threshold duration). For example, as shown, the start of the first stage is 3 seconds, the start time of the second stage is 18 seconds, and the start time of the third stage is one minute and 13 seconds (e.g., 73 seconds). The duration column 1208 includes cells that list the duration of each step, which can be automatically filled based on the pulse sequence to be implemented.

[0119] The delay column 1210 includes cells that list the delay that will occur after each step before the next step begins. For example, a 40 second delay is prescribed after the second stage before the third stage begins. The continuous setting column 1212 indicates whether a pause is to be added between steps. It should be understood that a pause has no set time and requires user input to advance to the next step, while a delay has a set time and does not require user input to advance to the next step.

[0120] The scanning prescription can be adjusted via direct editing of the table 1202. For example, at least some of the cells in some of these columns can be selected and edited via user input (e.g., via a keyboard). As shown, a cell 1214 in the delay column 1210 corresponding to the first stage has been selected, and the user is entering a numerical value to set it as a delay after the first stage. In addition, the continuous setting column 1212 may include a continuous icon, such as a continuous icon 1216, which can be activated or deactivated via user input. Each continuous icon can span two cells to signal that the icon is for a pause between two adjacent steps, for example, the continuous icon 1216 spans the second stage and the third stage. When the continuous icon is activated, the pause between the steps is skipped, and when the continuous icon is deactivated, a pause is inserted between the steps. In some examples, in response to a hover input above the continuous icon, a pop-up display panel, such as a pop-up display panel 1218, can be displayed to provide guidance to the continuous icon.

[0121] The scan prescription display panel in the editable table view 1201 includes additional buttons that can be selected to launch other display panels / interfaces, such as an injection button 1220. In addition, in some examples, pauses can be added or skipped only via user input to the table 1202 (e.g., rather than via the timeline). However, in some examples, the continuous icon function can be incorporated into the timeline (e.g., the continuous icon can be displayed between adjacent tiles on the timeline).

[0122] like Fig.13 As shown, once a scan prescription has been set (e.g., the user has selected a save button), the scan prescription display panel 1000 may switch to a scan view 1301. The scan view 1301 may be displayed during live scanning (including during contrast observation) and during post-contrast scanning (e.g., as shown in FIG. Figure 5 The scanning view of the scanning prescription display panel includes a timeline having tiles for each step of the scanning prescription arranged in a time sequence. Fig.13 The scan view 1301 shown is a scan view of the scan prescription shown in the second exemplary editable timeline view 1101, and thus includes the scan view as described above with respect to Fig.12 As the angiography scan proceeds and each step of the scan prescription is executed, the appearance of the corresponding tile on the timeline may be adjusted to indicate that the step has been executed. Fig.13As shown, the mask tile 1022, the pause tile 1104, the monitoring injection tile 1106, and the first delay tile 1108 all include check marks to indicate that those steps (e.g., the mask imaging step, the pause, the monitoring injection step, and the first delay) have been performed. The appearance of the current step of the scan prescription can also be adjusted to visually indicate the current step of the scan prescription. For example, the first stage tile 1110 is highlighted / in a different color relative to other steps of the scan prescription. Steps that have not yet been performed (such as the second delay indicated by the second delay tile 1302, the second stage indicated by the second stage tile 1304, etc.) can be indicated via those tiles having a different visual appearance than the tiles corresponding to the steps that have been performed and the current step.

[0123] Thus, a computing device (e.g., scan control device 202) may include a display screen (e.g., display device 234), and the computing device may be configured to display a scanning interface (e.g., scanning interface 400) on the screen, the scanning interface including a scanning prescription display panel (e.g., scanning prescription display panel 414 or scanning prescription display panel 1000) in a timeline view (e.g., timeline view 1001 or 1101) including an editable version of a timeline, the scanning prescription display panel in the timeline view being configured to receive user input to enable setting of a scanning prescription for a contrast scan of an imaging subject, while displaying each step of the scanning prescription via an editable version of the timeline as the scanning prescription is set. The computing device may further be configured to display a button (e.g., scanning button 422) directly accessible from the scanning interface on the screen, wherein the button is selectable to initiate a contrast scan and launch a scanning view (e.g., scanning view 1301) of the scanning prescription display panel, which enables each step of the scanning prescription to be seen via a timeline as the contrast scan is performed. In some examples, the computing device is configured to save each step of the scan prescription and perform the contrast scan according to the scan prescription (eg, by instructing the MRI apparatus 10 to perform the contrast scan according to the scan prescription).

[0124] In some examples, the scan prescription display panel in the timeline view includes an add mask button (e.g., add mask button 1006) and an add stage button (e.g., add stage button 1010), and the computing device is configured to: in response to a user selection of the add mask button, add a mask step to the scan prescription and add a mask tile (e.g., mask tile 1022) to the timeline; in response to a first user selection of the add stage button, add a first stage and a first delay to the scan prescription and add a first stage tile (e.g., first stage tile 1028) and a first delay tile (e.g., delay tile 1030) to the timeline; and in response to a second user selection of the add stage button, add a second stage and a second delay to the scan prescription and add a second stage tile and a second delay tile to the timeline. In some examples, the computing device is configured to adjust the duration of the first delay in response to user input to the first delay tile (e.g., in response to user input to input box 1027). In some examples, the timeline in the scan view of the scan prescription display panel includes a mask tile, an injection tile (e.g., injection tile 1024), a first stage tile, a first delay tile, a second stage tile, and a second delay tile, and also includes a time mark (e.g., time mark 1034), which respectively depicts a time point from the end of the injection step depicted by the injection tile to the beginning of the first stage and the second stage. In some examples, when the scan prescription display panel is in the scan view, the computing device is configured to adjust the visual appearance of the mask tile in response to the mask step being initiated, and further adjust the visual appearance of the mask tile in response to the mask step being completed. In some examples, the computing device is configured to display a scan interface in a prescription view (e.g., prescription view 401) on the screen, and is further configured to receive user input via the scan interface in the prescription view to enable prescription of contrast observation slices for tracking the arrival of contrast boluses during contrast scanning (e.g., via the placement of the second frame 412), and wherein an editable version of the timeline is displayed within the scan interface in the prescription view. In some examples, the computing device is further configured to display a scan button (e.g., scan button 422) on the screen that is directly accessible from a scan interface in a prescription view, wherein the scan button is selectable to launch a live scan view (e.g., live scan view 501) of the scan interface that enables a live 2D image of the angiographic observation slice to be seen within the scan interface, and wherein a scan view of a scan prescription display panel is displayed within the live scan view of the scan interface.In some examples, the live scan view also includes a live scan button (e.g., start live scan button 528) that is selectable to enable live 2D scanning of the contrast observation slice and a contrast tracking display panel (e.g., contrast tracking display panel 510) that displays an auto-trigger button (e.g., auto-trigger button 512) that is selectable to enable automatic triggering of post-contrast image acquisition and enables a contrast intensity plot (e.g., live curve 702) determined from the live 2D image to be viewed within the contrast tracking display panel.

[0125] Fig.14 is a method for setting a scan prescription via a scan prescription display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 The MRI apparatus 10 utilizes Figure 2 The method 900 may be implemented according to a non-volatile memory and a processor (such as Figure 2 The scanning control device 202 is implemented by instructions executed by the non-volatile memory 206 and the processor 204).

[0126] At 1401, method 1400 includes displaying a scan prescription display panel when requested. The scan prescription display panel may display a scan prescription display panel in response to the request. Figure 4 The scan prescription display panel may be displayed in response to user input of a scanning interface of the imaging subject, and / or the scan prescription display panel may be displayed in response to user input requesting to set a scan prescription for a contrast scan to be performed on the imaging subject. At 1402, method 1400 determines whether the scan prescription display panel is in a table view or a timeline view, for example, whether the user has requested to view the table view or the timeline view. In some examples, the scan prescription may be displayed in a timeline view as a default, and may be displayed in a table view only in response to a user selection of a table button of the scan prescription display panel. In addition, before the contrast scan is started, the scan prescription display panel may include an editable view of the timeline or table. However, before any steps have been taken to set the scan prescription, the scan prescription display panel may be in a timeline view (or table view), but an editable version of the timeline (or table) may not yet be displayed. For example, referring to Fig.10 , initially only the add mask button 1006 , the add injection button 1008 , the add stage button 1010 , the overall stage menu 1012 , and the step removal area 1014 , as well as the timeline button 1002 and the table button 1004 may be displayed.

[0127] If the scan prescription is in the timeline view and / or the user requests to view the scan prescription in the timeline view, method 1400 proceeds to 1404 to display an editable version of the timeline in the scan prescription display panel in response to a first user input specifying a step of the scan prescription. Before the scan prescription has been constructed, and therefore when the timeline is initially displayed, the timeline may be blank or not displayed at all. In other examples, when the timeline is initially displayed, the timeline may be automatically populated with one or more steps based on the selected scan protocol. For example, before a contrast scan begins, a user (e.g., an operator of an MRI device) may enter user input that specifies or selects a scan protocol. The scan protocol may specify the anatomical structure being scanned (e.g., the liver), whether the imaging subject is an adult or a child, the diagnostic goal of the contrast scan, etc., which may specify to the scan control device which types of pulse sequences will be implemented to acquire images as set forth in the scan protocol. Depending on the selected scan protocol, some steps of the scan prescription may be automatically selected, such as selection of live scan slices, monitoring injections, one or more post-contrast image acquisition phases, etc.

[0128] At 1406, method 1400 includes adding a mask step (to the scan prescription and to the timeline) and optionally adding a duration of the mask step in response to a user selection of an Add Mask button of the scan prescription display panel. For example, the Add Mask button 1006 of the scan prescription display panel 1000 may be selected, and in response, a mask tile (e.g., mask tile 1022) may be added to the timeline. In addition, a mask step may be added to the scan prescription. At 1408, method 1400 includes adding an injection step (to the scan prescription and to the timeline) and a delay in response to a user selection of an Add Injection button of the scan prescription display panel, and optionally editing the delay time when requested. For example, the Add Injection button 1008 of the scan prescription display panel 1000 may be selected, and in response, an injection tile (e.g., injection tile 1024) may be added to the timeline. In addition, an injection step and a delay may be added to the scan prescription. Furthermore, the delay associated with the injection step may be set with a default duration (eg, 15 seconds, 0 seconds), and if desired, the user may change the duration of the delay via user input to an input box of the injection tile.

[0129] At 1410, method 1400 includes adding a first phase (Phase 1), phase duration, and delay (to the scan prescription and to the timeline) in response to a user selection of an Add Phase button. For example, the Add Phase button 1010 of the scan prescription display panel 1000 may be selected, and in response, a first phase tile (e.g., first phase tile 1028) may be added to the timeline along with a delay tile (e.g., delay tile 1030). Additionally, the first phase and delay may be added to the scan prescription.

[0130] At 1412, method 1400 includes adding one or more additional stages in response to a user selection of an add stage button and / or in response to a user adjustment of a total stage menu. Each time the user selects the add stage button, a new stage may be added to the timeline and the scan prescription, and each new stage may include an associated delay. Alternatively, the user may set a total number of stages via a total stage menu (e.g., total stage menu 1012), and a corresponding number of stages may be added to the scan prescription and the timeline. Except for the final stage of the scan prescription, each added stage may have an associated delay.

[0131] Thus, in some examples, in response to a first user input (e.g., a user selection of an add mask button, an add injection button, an add stage button, or an adjustment to the overall stage menu), an editable version of the timeline may be displayed that includes a first tile corresponding to a first step in the scan recipe. When additional user input is received, more tiles may be displayed in the editable version of the timeline and corresponding steps may be added to the scan recipe.

[0132] At 1414, method 1400 includes editing the stage name and / or delay duration of the selected stage based on user input to the timeline. As explained above, each delay associated with a stage may be provided with a default duration (e.g., 15 seconds, 0 seconds), and if desired, the user may change the duration of the delay via user input to an input box of the selected stage tile. Similarly, the user may select an input box associated with the name of the stage and change the name from a default name (e.g., Stage 1) to a desired name (e.g., Arterial Stage).

[0133] At 1416, the order of the stages may be rearranged in response to the drag and drop of the tile, or the selected step may be deleted. For example, a tile representing the first stage may be moved to the back of a tile representing the second stage via drag and drop, and in response, the second stage may become the first stage and the first stage may become the second stage. In another example, a tile may be moved to a step removal area of ​​a scanning prescription display panel (such as step removal area 1014 of scanning prescription display panel 1000) via drag and drop, and in response, the steps associated with the tile (e.g., the first stage) may be deleted from the scanning prescription and the tile may be removed from the timeline.

[0134] At 1418, method 1400 includes calculating and displaying a post-contrast time stamp. A post-contrast time stamp (e.g., time stamp 1034) may indicate the time from the start of the post-contrast scan (e.g., when the scan control device or the user indicates that post-contrast acquisition should begin) to each phase of the post-contrast scan. The post-contrast time stamp may be positioned adjacent to the timeline tile, e.g., below the timeline tile, and may be aligned with the tile so that a time point is marked on the post-contrast time stamp for each phase tile.

[0135] At 1428, method 1400 includes determining whether a contrast scan has been initiated. For example, once a user has set a scan prescription, the user may select a scan prescription display panel or a Save button of a scan interface. In response to selection of the Save button, a scan prescription display panel may be displayed on a scan interface in a scan view, and the start of a contrast scan may be determined in response to a user selection of a Scan button of the scan interface or in response to another suitable input notifying the MRI device to initiate a contrast scan. The contrast scan may begin with a pre-scan phase and then proceed to the remainder of the contrast scan as indicated by the scan prescription (e.g., initial 2D acquisition, mask imaging, live scan and monitoring injection, and post-contrast scan acquisition phases). If it is determined that a scan has not been initiated, method 1400 returns to 1402 and continues to display the scan prescription display panel in a selected view (e.g., a table or timeline view) and edit / set the scan prescription as requested by the user. If it is determined that a contrast scan has been initiated, method 1400 proceeds to 1430 to display a scan prescription display panel on a scan interface in a scan view (e.g., as Fig.13 ), and visually indicate the current step and completed steps of the scan prescription on the timeline. For example, once a step is completed, the tile corresponding to the timeline of the step can be visually changed to indicate that the step is completed, such as placing a check mark on the tile. For the step currently being executed, the tile corresponding to the step can be visually changed to indicate that the step is currently being executed, such as by highlighting the tile, changing the color of the tile, etc. Method 1400 then ends.

[0136] Returning to 1402, if it is determined that the scan prescription display panel is in a table view, or if the user has requested to view the table view, method 1400 proceeds to 1420 to display an editable table in the scan prescription display panel. Before the scan prescription has been constructed, and therefore when the table is initially displayed, the table can be blank. In other examples, when the table is initially displayed, the table can be automatically populated with one or more steps based on the selected scan protocol, as previously explained. Depending on the selected scan protocol, some steps of the scan prescription can be automatically selected, such as selection of live scan slices, monitoring injections, one or more post-contrast image acquisition phases, etc.

[0137] At 1422, method 1400 includes adding a mask step and / or one or more post-contrast phases to the scan prescription in response to a user selection of an Add Mask button, an Add Phase button, and / or an Overall Phase menu. The Add Mask button, the Add Phase button, and the Overall Phase menu may be the same as the Add Mask button, the Add Phase button, and the Overall Phase menu of the timeline view. Furthermore, when one of the Add Mask button, the Add Phase button, and the Overall Phase menu is selected (or, in the case of the Overall Phase menu, adjusted / valued), a cell of a corresponding row may be added to the table. For example, if Fig.12 As shown, user selection of the add mask button 1006 may cause the "mask" step to be added to the step column 1204, along with the addition of corresponding cells in the remaining columns (e.g., start time, duration, delay, etc.). Additionally, in some examples, in the table view, the scan prescription display panel may also include an injection button that is selectable to add an injection step to the scan prescription and add a corresponding injection row to the table.

[0138] At 1424, method 1400 includes editing one or more of the start time, duration, and delay of one or more selected steps based on the user input to the form. Fig.12 As explained, at least some of the columns of the table may include editable cells in which a user may adjust a value in the cell (e.g., a delay duration for a mask step). At 1426, method 1400 includes adding or removing pauses between steps based on user input to the table. Fig.12 As explained, the table may include a column of consecutive steps including icons between steps that are selectable to activate or deactivate pauses between those steps, and the user may add / activate pauses or remove / deactivate pauses by selecting the appropriate icon.

[0139] At 1428, method 1400 determines whether a contrast scan has been initiated, as explained above. When a contrast scan is initiated, the scan prescription display panel switches to a scan view including a timeline, as indicated at 1430. Thus, even if the scan prescription is set via the table view, the timeline is depicted during the scan. In addition, it should be understood that at any time during the setup of the scan prescription, the user can switch from the timeline view to the table view or from the table view to the timeline view. Any steps of the scan prescription that have been set before switching views can be populated into the current view. For example, if the user sets a mask step in the timeline view and then switches to the table view, the table will be displayed with the mask step that has been added to the table.

[0140] A technical effect of the scanning interface as disclosed herein is that both a live view of the contrast mass reaching the target anatomical feature and a live curve of the system measurement of the intensity of the contrast in the target anatomical feature can be viewed on the same single scanning interface, which can allow an operator of the imaging system to monitor the contrast enhancement simultaneously via the live view and the live curve without having to switch interfaces or screens, access different menus, etc. In addition, by automatically triggering the start of the post-contrast scan via the live curve and automatically triggering the start of the post-contrast scan using a backup timer, missed acquisitions at peak or post-peak contrast enhancement due to operator distraction or unusual patient contrast dynamics can be reduced, thereby reducing the number of patient rescans, which can, for example, improve the processor processing efficiency of the imaging system by reducing the number of images that must be reconstructed. Another technical effect of the scan prescription display panel as disclosed herein is that an operator of the imaging system can view the scan prescription as the operator builds the scan prescription via a simple and intuitive display panel, thereby avoiding the operator having to click various menus, check boxes, and text boxes to build the scan prescription while keeping the established scan prescription in his mind. Doing so may reduce errors in the generation of scan prescriptions, avoid delays in initiating contrast scans and reduce the number of rescans.

[0141] The present disclosure also provides support for a computing device, which includes a display screen, the computing device being configured to display a scan interface in a prescription view on the screen, and being further configured to receive user input via the scan interface in the prescription view to enable prescription of a contrast observation slice for tracking the arrival of a contrast mass during a contrast scan, and being further configured to display a scan button on the screen that is directly reachable from the scan interface in the prescription view, wherein the scan button is selectable to start a live scan view of the scan interface, the live scan view enables a live 2D image of the contrast observation slice to be seen within the scan interface, the live scan view also including a contrast tracking display panel, the contrast tracking display panel displaying an auto-trigger button, the auto-trigger button being selectable to enable automatic triggering of post-contrast image acquisition and enables a contrast intensity map determined from the live 2D image to be seen within the contrast tracking display panel. In a first example of the computing device, the computing device is configured to command the initiation of a live 2D scan in response to a selection of a live scan button of the live scan view, wherein the live 2D scan includes acquiring first imaging data using a medical imaging device and reconstructing the first imaging data into the live 2D image. In a second example of the computing device, optionally including the first example, the computing device is further configured to display an injection button on the screen via the live scan view of the scanning interface, the injection button being selectable to trigger the measurement of contrast intensity in a trigger region of interest (ROI) of the live 2D image and the generation of the contrast intensity map. In a third example of the computing device, optionally including one or both of the first and second examples, the computing device is configured to generate the contrast intensity map by measuring the contrast intensity in the trigger ROI of each of the live 2D images acquired after the selection of the injection button in response to the selection of the autotrigger button of the live scan view and the selection of the injection button, and display the contrast intensity map in the contrast tracking display panel. In a fourth example of the computing device that optionally includes one or more or each of the first to third examples, the computing device is configured to command initiation of the post-contrast image acquisition in response to the contrast intensity level of the contrast intensity map reaching a threshold intensity and without further user input, wherein the post-contrast image acquisition includes acquiring second imaging data using the medical imaging device and reconstructing the second imaging data into one or more post-contrast images.In a fifth example of the computing device, optionally including one or more or each of the first to fourth examples, the contrast tracking display panel further displays a standby timer button, which is selectable to enable a standby timer to be started in response to selection of the injection button and enables visualization of the standby timer to be seen within the contrast tracking display panel, wherein the computing device is configured to command initiation of the post-contrast image acquisition in response to the standby timer reaching a threshold duration. In a sixth example of the computing device, optionally including one or more or each of the first to fifth examples, the medical imaging device includes a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device. In a seventh example of the computing device, optionally including one or more or each of the first to sixth examples, the live scan view of the scanning interface displays an image subtraction button, which is selectable to enable an image subtraction operation to be performed on the live 2D image. In an eighth example of the computing device, optionally including one or more or each of the first to seventh examples, the live scan view of the scan interface displays a saturation button that is selectable to enable a saturation operation to be performed on the live 2D image. In a ninth example of the computing device, optionally including one or more or each of the first to eighth examples, the live scan view of the scan interface displays a contrast scan button that is selectable to trigger the post-contrast image acquisition. In a tenth example of the computing device, optionally including one or more or each of the first to ninth examples, the scan interface in the prescription view includes a scan prescription display panel that displays a scan prescription for at least the post-contrast image acquisition in a timeline format.

[0142] The present disclosure also provides support for a method for contrast scanning, the method comprising: displaying a set of initial 2D images of an imaging subject in a prescription view of a scanning interface on a display device; receiving a user selection of a contrast observation slice and a trigger region of interest (ROI) on the contrast observation slice via the prescription view of the scanning interface; in response to a first user input, displaying a live scanning view of the scanning interface, the live scanning view comprising a viewport for displaying a live 2D image of the contrast observation slice and a contrast tracking display panel; updating the viewport when a new live 2D image is received; The method further comprises: providing a first embodiment of the present invention to provide a first embodiment of the present invention to provide a first image of the present invention in the viewport of the imaging subject; receiving a second user input indicating that an injection of contrast agent into the imaging subject has been started, and in response to the second user input, displaying a live curve in the contrast tracking display panel, the live curve plotting the measured contrast intensity of the trigger ROI as a function of time since the injection, while continuing to update the live 2D image of the contrast observation slice in the viewport; and commanding the initiation of one or more post-contrast acquisitions in response to any one of the live curve reaching a threshold intensity, a third user input being received, and a standby timer reaching a threshold duration. In a first example of the method, commanding the initiation of the one or more post-contrast acquisitions in response to any one of the live curve reaching the threshold intensity, the third user input being received, and the standby timer reaching the threshold duration includes commanding the initiation of the one or more post-contrast acquisitions in response to any one of the live curve reaching the threshold intensity, the third user input being received, and the standby timer reaching the threshold duration occurring first in time. In a second example of the method that optionally includes the first example, the method further includes: displaying a scan prescription display panel including an editable timeline via the prescription view of the scanning interface; setting a scan prescription for at least the one or more post-contrast acquisitions via user input to the editable timeline; displaying a visualization of the scan prescription in the scan prescription display panel via the live scanning view; and implementing the one or more post-contrast acquisitions according to the scan prescription.

[0143] The present disclosure also provides support for a system, the system comprising: a display device; one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions, the instructions being executable by the one or more processors to: display a set of initial 2D images of an imaging subject in a prescription view of a scanning interface on the display device; receive a user selection of a contrast observation slice and a trigger region of interest (ROI) on the contrast observation slice via the prescription view of the scanning interface; respond to a first user input and display a live scanning view of the scanning interface on the display device, the live scanning view comprising a viewport for displaying a live 2D image of the contrast observation slice and a contrast observation slice; In one embodiment, the system includes a first user input that selects an autotrigger button of the scanning interface and a second user input that selects a standby timer button of the scanning interface, wherein the first user input is received before the live curve reaches the threshold intensity, or the standby timer reaches the threshold duration, and wherein the first user input is received before the live curve reaches the threshold intensity, or the standby timer reaches the threshold duration, wherein the first user input is received before the live curve reaches the threshold intensity, and wherein the second user input is received before the live curve reaches the threshold intensity, and wherein the first ... In a second example of the system optionally including the first example, the instructions are executable to: in response to not receiving the fourth user input selecting the autotrigger button of the scanning interface and receiving the fifth user input selecting the standby timer button of the scanning interface, unless the standby timer reaches the threshold duration before receiving the third user input, in response to receiving the third user input, command the initiation of the one or more post-contrast acquisitions. In a third example of the system optionally including one or both of the first and second examples, the system further includes: a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, and wherein the instructions are further executable to: command the MRI scanner to obtain the live 2D image and the new live 2D image of the contrast observation slice, and in response to receiving the fourth user input via the live scan view, adjust the contrast observation slice to a new contrast observation slice; command the MRI scanner to obtain an additional new live 2D image of the new contrast observation slice; and display the additional new live 2D image of the new contrast observation slice in the viewport.In a fourth example of the system optionally including one or more or each of the first to third examples, the instructions are executable to acquire a baseline image, and wherein the baseline image is subtracted from each live 2D image of the contrast observation slice in response to a selection of an image subtraction button of the live scan view of the scan interface. In a fifth example of the system optionally including one or more or each of the first to fourth examples, the instructions are executable to acquire each live 2D image of the contrast observation slice using a saturation pulse sequence in response to a selection of a saturation button of the live scan view of the scan interface.

[0144] The present disclosure also provides support for a computing device including a display screen, the computing device being configured to display a scanning interface on the screen, the scanning interface including a scanning prescription display panel in a timeline view, the timeline view including an editable version of a timeline, the scanning prescription display panel in the timeline view being configured to receive user input to enable setting of a scanning prescription for a contrast scan of an imaging subject, while displaying each step of the scanning prescription via the editable version of the timeline as the step is set, and further configured to display a button directly reachable from the scanning interface on the screen, wherein the button is selectable to initiate the contrast scan and launch a scanning view of the scanning prescription display panel, the scanning view enabling each step of the scanning prescription to be seen via the timeline as the contrast scan is performed. In a first example of the computing device, the computing device is configured to save each step of the scanning prescription and perform the contrast scan according to the scanning prescription. In a second example of the computing device that optionally includes the first example, the scan prescription display panel in the timeline view includes an add mask button and an add stage button, and the computing device is configured to: add a mask step to the scan prescription and add a mask tile to the timeline in response to a user selection of the add mask button; add a first stage and a first delay to the scan prescription and add a first stage tile and a first delay tile to the timeline in response to a first user selection of the add stage button; and add a second stage and a second delay to the scan prescription and add a second stage tile and a second delay tile to the timeline in response to a second user selection of the add stage button. In a third example of the computing device that optionally includes one or both of the first and second examples, the computing device is configured to adjust the duration of the first delay in response to a user input to the first delay tile. In a fourth example of the computing device that optionally includes one or more or each of the first to third examples, the timeline in the scan view of the scan prescription display panel includes the mask tile, the injection tile, the first stage tile, the first delay tile, the second stage tile, and the second delay tile, and also includes time marks that depict time points from the end of the injection step depicted by the injection tile to the beginning of the first stage and the second stage, respectively. In a fifth example of the computing device that optionally includes one or more or each of the first to fourth examples, the computing device is configured to adjust the visual appearance of the mask tile in response to the mask step being initiated, and further adjust the visual appearance of the mask tile in response to the mask step being completed.In a sixth example of the computing device, optionally including one or more or each of the first to fifth examples, the computing device is configured to display the scan interface in a prescription view on the screen, and is further configured to receive user input via the scan interface in the prescription view to enable prescription of contrast observation slices for tracking the arrival of contrast boluses during the contrast scan, and wherein the editable version of the timeline is displayed within the scan interface in the prescription view. In a seventh example of the computing device, optionally including one or more or each of the first to sixth examples, the computing device is further configured to display a live scan button directly reachable from the scan interface on the screen, wherein the live scan button is selectable to enable live 2D scanning of the contrast observation slice, and wherein the button is a scan button that is also selectable to start a live scan view of the scan interface, the live scan view enabling a live 2D image of the contrast observation slice to be seen within the scan interface, and wherein the scan view of the scan prescription display panel is displayed within the live scan view of the scan interface. In an eighth example of the computing device that optionally includes one or more or each of the first to seventh examples, the live scan view also includes a contrast tracking display panel displaying an auto-trigger button that is selectable to enable automatic triggering of post-contrast image acquisition and to enable viewing of a contrast intensity map determined from the live 2D image within the contrast tracking display panel.

[0145] The present disclosure also provides support for a method for contrast scanning, the method comprising: displaying a timeline view of a scan prescription display panel on a display device; receiving a first user input to the scan prescription display panel, and in response, displaying an editable version of the timeline of the scan prescription for the contrast scan, the editable version including a first tile corresponding to a first step of the scan prescription as selected via the first user input, adjusting the scan prescription to the editable version of the timeline via user input, and making corresponding adjustments to the editable version of the timeline displayed on the display device; and receiving a command to initiate the contrast scan, and in response, displaying a scan view of the scan prescription display panel on the display device and implementing the contrast scan according to the scan prescription, wherein the scan view of the scan prescription display panel includes a timeline having tiles for each step of the scan prescription arranged in a time sequence. In a first example of the method, the method further comprises: receiving a user selection of a table button of the timeline view of the scan prescription display panel, and in response, switching from the timeline view to a table view of the scan prescription display panel, the table view including an editable table of the scan prescription. In a second example of the method that optionally includes the first example, adjusting the scanning prescription via user input to the editable version of the timeline includes performing a first adjustment to the scanning prescription via user input to the editable version of the timeline, and wherein the editable table of the scanning prescription is populated with the first adjustment to the scanning prescription. In a third example of the method that optionally includes one or both of the first and second examples, the method further includes: performing a second adjustment to the scanning prescription via user input to the editable table. In a fourth example of the method that optionally includes one or more or each of the first to third examples, displaying the timeline view of the scanning prescription display panel on the display device includes displaying the timeline view of the scanning prescription display panel within a prescription view of a scanning interface on the display device, and wherein displaying the scanning view of the scanning prescription display panel on the display device includes displaying the scanning view of the scanning prescription display panel within a live scanning view of the scanning interface on the display device.In a fifth example of the method that optionally includes one or more or each of the first to fourth examples, in the prescription view, the scanning interface displays a set of initial 2D images of the imaging subject and is configured to receive a user selection of a contrast observation slice and a trigger region of interest (ROI) on the contrast observation slice, wherein in the live scanning view, the scanning interface includes a viewport for displaying a live 2D image of the contrast observation slice and a contrast tracking display panel, and the method also includes: updating the live 2D image in the viewport when a new live 2D image of the contrast observation slice is received; displaying a live curve in the contrast tracking display panel, the live curve plotting the measured contrast intensity of the trigger ROI as a function of time since injection of contrast agent, while continuing to update the live 2D image of the contrast observation slice in the viewport; and commanding the initiation of one or more post-contrast acquisitions in response to any one of the live curve reaching a threshold intensity, a user selection of a start contrast button being received, and a standby timer reaching a threshold duration.

[0146] The present disclosure also provides support for a system comprising: a display device; one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions that can be executed by the one or more processors to: display a timeline view of a scan prescription display panel on the display device, the timeline view including an editable version of a timeline of a scan prescription for a contrast scan, the editable version including a first tile corresponding to a first step of the scan prescription; adjust the scan prescription to the editable version of the timeline via user input, and make corresponding adjustments to the editable version of the timeline displayed on the display device; and receive a command to initiate the contrast scan, and in response, display a scan view of the scan prescription display panel on the display device and implement the contrast scan according to the scan prescription, wherein the scan view of the scan prescription display panel includes a timeline having tiles for each step of the scan prescription arranged in chronological order. In a first example of the system, adjusting the scan prescription to the editable version of the timeline via the user input and making the corresponding adjustment to the editable version of the timeline displayed on the display device includes adding a second step to the scan prescription in response to the user input and adding a second tile corresponding to the second step to the editable version of the timeline. In a second example of the system that optionally includes the first example, the first tile includes a mask tile added to the editable version of the timeline in response to a user selection of an add mask button, and the user input includes a selection of an add phase button, wherein the first step of the scan prescription is a mask step, and the second step of the scan prescription is a first post-contrast acquisition phase, and wherein the second tile is a first phase tile. In a third example of the system that optionally includes one or both of the first and second examples, a delay tile is added to the editable version of the timeline together with the first phase tile, the delay tile including a delay duration that can be edited via user input to the delay tile. In a fourth example of the system that optionally includes one or more or each of the first to third examples, the instructions are further executable to adjust the visual appearance of each tile of the timeline in the scan view as each step of the scan prescription is implemented when implementing the contrast scan.

[0147] As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the term "about" is understood to mean ±5% of the range.

[0148] As used herein, the element or step that is listed in the singular and begins with the word "one" or "an" should be understood as not excluding a plurality of the elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. In addition, the reference to "an embodiment" of the present invention is not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of the additional embodiment that also includes the quoted feature. In addition, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, the embodiment of "including", "comprising" or "having" the element or multiple elements with a specific characteristic may include additional such elements that do not have the characteristic. The terms "including" and "in..." are used as the concise language equivalents of the corresponding terms "including" and "wherein". In addition, the terms "first", "second" and "third" etc. are only used as marks, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements or specific position order on their objects.

[0149] This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable a person skilled in the relevant art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any included methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to a person skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insignificant differences from the literal language of the claims.

[0150] The following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and non-obvious. The claims may refer to "an" element or "a first" element or the equivalent thereof. Such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Other combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features, functions, elements, and / or properties may be claimed by amendment of the present claims or by presentation of new claims in this or a related application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to the original claims, are deemed to be included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A computing device (202), the computing device comprising a display screen (234), the computing device (202) being configured to display a scan interface (400) in a prescription view (401) on the screen, and further configured to receive user input via the scan interface (400) in the prescription view (401) to enable prescription of contrast observation slices for tracking the arrival of contrast boluses during contrast scanning, and further configured to display a scan button (422) on the screen that is directly accessible from the scan interface (400) in the prescription view (401), wherein the A scan button (422) is selectable to initiate a live scan view (500) of the scan interface (400), the live scan view enabling a live 2D image of the contrast observation slice to be viewed within the scan interface (400), the live scan view (500) also including a contrast tracking display panel (510), the contrast tracking display panel displaying an automatic trigger button (512), the automatic trigger button being selectable to enable automatic triggering of post-contrast image acquisition and enabling a contrast intensity map (702) determined from the live 2D image to be viewed within the contrast tracking display panel (510).

2. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the computing device ( 202 ) is configured to command initiation of a live 2D scan in response to selection of a live scan button ( 528 ) of the live scan view ( 500 ), wherein the live 2D scan comprises acquiring first imaging data using a medical imaging device and reconstructing the first imaging data into the live 2D image.

3. A computing device according to claim 2, wherein the computing device (202) is further configured to display an inject button (326) on the screen via the live scan view (500) of the scan interface (212), the inject button being selectable to trigger the measurement of contrast intensity in a trigger region of interest (ROI) of the live 2D image and the generation of the contrast intensity map (702).

4. The computing device of claim 3 , wherein the computing device ( 202 ) is configured to, in response to a selection of the auto-trigger button ( 512 ) of the live scan view ( 500 ) and a selection of the inject button ( 326 ), generate the contrast intensity map ( 702 ) by measuring the contrast intensity in the trigger ROI of each of the live 2D images acquired after the selection of the inject button ( 326 ), and to display the contrast intensity map ( 702 ) within the contrast tracking display panel ( 510 ).

5. A computing device according to claim 4, wherein the computing device (202) is configured to command the initiation of the post-contrast image acquisition in response to the contrast intensity level of the contrast intensity map (702) reaching a threshold intensity (515) and without further user input, wherein the post-contrast image acquisition includes acquiring second imaging data using the medical imaging device and reconstructing the second imaging data into one or more post-contrast images.

6. A computing device according to claim 5, wherein the contrast tracking display panel (510) also displays a standby timer button (516), which is selectable to enable a standby timer to be started in response to selection of the injection button (326) and to enable a visualization of the standby timer to be seen within the contrast tracking display panel (510), wherein the computing device (202) is configured to command initiation of the post-contrast image acquisition in response to the standby timer reaching a threshold duration.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the medical imaging device comprises a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device (10).

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the live scan view (500) of the scan interface (400) displays an image subtraction button (522) that is selectable to enable an image subtraction operation to be performed on the live 2D image.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the live scan view (500) of the scan interface (400) displays a saturation button (524) that is selectable to enable saturation operations to be performed on the live 2D image.

10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the live scan view (500) of the scan interface (400) displays a contrast scan button (532) that is selectable to trigger the post-contrast image acquisition.

11. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the scanning interface (400) in the prescription view (401) comprises a scanning prescription display panel (414, 1000) that displays a scanning prescription for at least the post-contrast image acquisition in a timeline format.

12. A method for contrast scanning, the method comprising: displaying (904) an initial set of 2D images of the imaged subject in a prescription view of a scanning interface on a display device; receiving (905) a user selection of a contrast observation slice and a trigger region of interest (ROI) on the contrast observation slice via the prescription view of the scanning interface; In response to a first user input, displaying (908) a live scan view of the scan interface, the live scan view comprising a viewport for displaying a live 2D image of the contrast observation slice and a contrast tracking display panel; When a new live 2D image is received, updating (908) the live 2D image in the viewport; receiving (916) a second user input indicating that an injection of contrast agent into the imaging subject has been initiated, and in response to the second user input, displaying in the contrast tracking display panel a live curve plotting measured contrast intensity of the trigger ROI as a function of time since the injection while continuing to update the live 2D image of the contrast observation slice in the viewport; and Initiation of one or more post-contrast acquisitions is commanded (936, 942, 938, 944) in response to any of the live curve reaching a threshold intensity, a third user input being received, and a standby timer reaching a threshold duration.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein commanding (936, 942, 938, 944) the initiation of the one or more post-contrast acquisitions in response to any one of the live curve reaching the threshold intensity, the third user input being received, and the standby timer reaching the threshold duration comprises commanding the initiation of the one or more post-contrast acquisitions in response to any one of the live curve reaching the threshold intensity, the third user input being received, and the standby timer reaching the threshold duration occurring first in time.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: displaying a scan prescription display panel including an editable timeline via the prescription view of the scanning interface; setting a scan prescription for at least the one or more post-contrast acquisitions via user input to the editable timeline; displaying a visualization of the scan prescription in the scan prescription display panel via the live scan view; and The one or more post-contrast acquisitions are performed (822) according to the scan prescription.

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