Dummy Slice Configuration for MRI Blood Signal Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
In magnetic resonance imaging, blood signals often remain high due to the inflow effect, especially when using multi-slice techniques, which complicates T1-weighted imaging and hampers efficient image diagnosis.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a magnetic resonance apparatus and program that defines dummy slices with greater thickness than regular slices, placed strategically outside the main slices, to reduce blood signals by exciting these dummy slices and thereby minimizing the inflow effect on the main slices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multi-slice imaging technique is used, then imaging coverage and efficiency are improved, but blood signals become high in slices at both ends due to inflow effect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by placing dummy slices at both ends of the slice array before actual imaging slices. These dummy slices are excited in advance to reduce the inflow effect on the main imaging slices. By performing this preparatory excitation, the blood signal intensity in the actual imaging slices is reduced without compromising the multi-slice imaging coverage and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The dummy slices function as intermediary elements between the imaging system and the blood flow. These dummy slices absorb the inflow effect through preliminary excitation, acting as a buffer that protects the main imaging slices from high blood signals. The dummy slices mediate the interaction between the RF excitation and the flowing blood, preventing the harmful inflow effect from directly affecting the diagnostic images.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If dummy slices with greater thickness are defined, then blood signal reduction is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the slice thickness parameter of the dummy slices. The dummy slices are defined with greater thickness than the actual imaging slices, which enhances their ability to reduce blood signals through preliminary excitation. This parameter adjustment optimizes the blood signal reduction effect while maintaining a relatively simple overall system structure, as it only involves changing the thickness parameter rather than adding complex hardware or processing mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An magnetic resonance apparatus 100 comprises dummy-slice defining unit 93. The dummy-slice defining unit 93 defines a dummy slice a in a region lying in a z-direction with respect to a group gr1, and a dummy slice b in a region lying in a (−z)-direction with respect to the group gr1. The dummy-slice defining unit 93 also defines a dummy slice c in a region lying in the z-direction with respect to a group gr2, and a dummy slice d in a region lying in the (−z)-direction with respect to the group gr2. The dummy-slice defining unit 93 further defines the dummy slices a, b, c, d so that the slice thickness of the dummy slices a, b, c, d is greater than that of slices L1 to L12.