Curvilinear Cardiac MRI Tagging via Rotating Excitation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiac MRI tagging techniques, such as Cartesian and radial tagging, face challenges in accurately measuring radial strain and adapting to the natural geometry and motion of the heart, particularly the left ventricle, due to limitations in generating robust tagging patterns and requiring complex transformations between coordinate systems.
Innovation Solution
The development of circular tagging methods that utilize a rotating excitation plane to generate curvilinear tags in the polar coordinate system, allowing for more adaptive and efficient measurement of myocardial motion and strain without the need for coordinate system transformations, and are more compatible with the heart's morphology.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If Cartesian tagging is used to generate parallel line patterns, then the tagging pattern generation is stable and efficient, but the measurement of radial strain and adaptation to heart geometry is inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvilinear tagging patterns that follow the curved geometry of the heart muscle, replacing straight Cartesian lines with curved lines that conform to the myocardial architecture. This curvature principle directly addresses the limitation of Cartesian tagging by making the taglines adapt to the natural curved geometry of the heart, thereby improving both measurement precision and geometric adaptability simultaneously
2Measurement precision
If radial tagging is used to measure angular information, then shear and twist measurement is facilitated, but the generation of robust tagging patterns is difficult without efficient preparation sequences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic adjustment of tagging parameters including variable flip angles, adjustable spacing, and flexible orientation of taglines. This dynamic capability allows the system to optimize tagging patterns for different measurement requirements (radial strain, shear, twist) without requiring completely different preparation sequences, thereby maintaining measurement precision while improving ease of implementation
3Adaptability or versatility
If coordinate system transformations are used to adapt Cartesian tagging to polar coordinates, then measurement adaptation is achieved, but computational complexity and distortion increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of transforming Cartesian tagging data into polar coordinates through complex mathematical operations, the patent inverts the approach by directly generating curvilinear tags in polar coordinates from the beginning. This eliminates the need for coordinate transformations and associated computational complexity, while maintaining full adaptability to the heart's geometry
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Circular tagging provides superior measurement of radial strain and compatibility with heart morphology, enabling simpler mathematical algorithms and reduced distortion of taglines, facilitating better automatic calculations and clinical application.
Implementation Method 1
a method for generating a pattern of curvilinear tags of altered magnetization in a target volume of an object being affected by NMR
Data Source
AI summary
A preparation sequencing system and methods are disclosed for generating curvilinear taglines of altered magnetization in an imaging plane of an NMR image. A preparation sequencing module is disclosed for generating a sinusoidal gradient signal simultaneously with a continuous a radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein the sinusoidal gradient signal is shaped to generate a rotating on-resonance excitation plane such that each point in the imaged target volume is on-resonance at least once in a period corresponding to one full rotation of the excitation plane. The on-resonance excitation plane is configured to simultaneously generate a plurality of curvilinear or circular taglines of altered magnetization in the imaging plane.