MRI Navigator Phase Profile Correction for Motion Artifacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems face challenges in obtaining stable analytic results due to body motion artifacts, particularly when the imaging slice overlaps with the navigator area, leading to signal interference and noise in the signal intensity profile.
Innovation Solution
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and method that generates a phase profile to correct for phase folding and detect tissue positions using techniques like edge detection, LSQ, correlation coefficient, or mutual information methods, even when the imaging slice and navigator area overlap, ensuring accurate tissue positioning and image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the imaging slice overlaps with the navigator area to improve spatial utilization, then the scanning efficiency is improved, but signal interference and noise occur in the navigator data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a phase correction algorithm as an intermediary processing step between data acquisition and analysis. The algorithm detects phase folding in navigator data and applies corrective transformations, enabling reliable tissue position detection even when imaging and navigator areas overlap. This mediator process resolves the conflict between scanning efficiency and data quality.
2Device complexity
If conventional navigator data analyzing methods are used when imaging and navigator areas overlap, then the analysis process is simple, but stable analytic results cannot be obtained due to signal disturbance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the navigator data by detecting and correcting phase folding through parameter transformations. The phase correction algorithm modifies the phase parameters of the navigator signal, converting distorted data into corrected data that accurately reflects tissue position. This parameter change approach maintains analytical simplicity while dramatically improving measurement precision.
3Measurement precision
If phase folding correction is applied to navigator data, then tissue position detection accuracy is improved, but additional processing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The phase correction algorithm is designed to automatically detect phase folding characteristics and apply appropriate corrections without requiring manual intervention or complex external processing. The system performs self-correction by identifying phase discontinuities and applying unwrapping algorithms, reducing the need for additional complex processing steps while maintaining high detection accuracy.
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
The solution enables stable analytic results and improved image quality by accurately detecting tissue positions, thereby preventing body-motion artifacts and maintaining image integrity even during overlapping scans.
Implementation Method 1
an excitation section of a subject is corrected in real time according to a change in the position of the diaphragm and each magnetic resonance signal is always measured from the same section
Implementation Method 2
a phase profile generating part which generates a phase profile so as to show a relationship between a phase of the navigator data and a position of the navigator area
Implementation Method 3
a phase correcting part which corrects folding back of the phase profile generated by the phase profile generating part
Data Source
AI summary
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus executes scans for executing a navigator sequence for acquiring as navigator data a magnetic resonance signal from a navigator area containing tissues body-moved in a subject and executing an imaging sequence for acquiring a magnetic resonance signal from an imaging area as imaging data at the subject, thereby to generate an image with respect to the imaging area. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes, a phase profile generating part which generates a phase profile so as to show a relationship between a phase of the navigator data and a position of the navigator area, a phase correcting part which corrects folding back of the phase profile generated by the phase profile generating part, and a position detecting part which detects a position of a tissue body-moved in the navigator area, based on the phase profile corrected by the phase correcting part.