Magnetic Resonance Scan Protocol Adaptation via Coordinate Transformation

Solution Overview

Problem

Current magnetic resonance (MR) scan protocols often require conservative definition of parameters to avoid exceeding technical and physiological limit values, leading to underutilization of hardware capacity and increased production costs without corresponding improvements in image quality.

Innovation Solution

A method that adjusts scan parameters and system parameters by coordinate transformation to ensure compliance with limit values, allowing for efficient utilization of system parameters without the need for complete replanning, thereby optimizing the MR scan sequence.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If scan parameters are defined conservatively with safety margins, then limit values are not exceeded, but hardware capacity is underutilized and production costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompliance with limit valuesVSAvoidproduction costs

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary coordinate transformation and limit value checking on scan parameters before actual scanning. By transforming parameters from the scanner coordinate system to the patient coordinate system in advance and verifying compliance with limit values, the system identifies problematic parameters before execution, allowing for corrective adaptation without requiring excessive safety margins in the original parameter definitions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where coordinate-transformed parameters are checked against limit values, and non-compliant parameters are adapted based on this feedback. The check and adaptation process creates a closed loop that automatically adjusts parameters to ensure compliance while maximizing hardware utilization, eliminating the need for conservative over-design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If scan parameters are defined conservatively with safety margins, then limit values are not exceeded, but hardware capacity is underutilized

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompliance with limit valuesVSAvoidhardware capacity utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary coordinate transformation and limit value checking on scan parameters before actual scanning. By transforming parameters from the scanner coordinate system to the patient coordinate system in advance and verifying compliance with limit values, the system identifies problematic parameters before execution, allowing for corrective adaptation without requiring excessive safety margins in the original parameter definitions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where coordinate-transformed parameters are checked against limit values, and non-compliant parameters are adapted based on this feedback. The check and adaptation process creates a closed loop that automatically adjusts parameters to ensure compliance while maximizing hardware utilization, eliminating the need for conservative over-design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If coordinate transformation is performed without parameter adaptation, then scan protocol is quickly applied to new patients, but limit values may be exceeded

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvescan protocol application speedVSAvoidcompliance with limit values

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary coordinate transformation and limit value checking on scan parameters before actual scanning. By transforming parameters from the scanner coordinate system to the patient coordinate system in advance and verifying compliance with limit values, the system identifies problematic parameters before execution, allowing for corrective adaptation without requiring excessive safety margins in the original parameter definitions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where coordinate-transformed parameters are checked against limit values, and non-compliant parameters are adapted based on this feedback. The check and adaptation process creates a closed loop that automatically adjusts parameters to ensure compliance while maximizing hardware utilization, eliminating the need for conservative over-design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS10338167B2Method and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus for determination of a scan protocol

Publication Date: 2019.07.02 SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS AG

AI summary

In a magnetic resonance apparatus, a check is performed as to whether coordinate-transformed first values of system parameters of a scan protocol for a magnetic resonance scan sequence each comply with a corresponding limit value. The check is used as the basis for the adaptation of first values of scan parameters of the scan protocol in order to obtain second values of the scan parameters. The second values of the scan parameters are used as the basis for the adaptation of the coordinate-transformed first values of the system parameters in order to obtain second values of the system parameters.