TOF MR Data Correction via Inverse Coil Sensitivity Map

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In magnetic resonance imaging, time-of-flight (TOF) MR data often suffers from high signal intensity from tissues outside blood vessels, which can obscure small blood vessels and complicate diagnosis due to artifacts from tissues like fat, especially in TOF imaging without contrast agents.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the use of a coil sensitivity map to correct TOF MR data by multiplying it with the inverse of the coil sensitivity map, specifically reducing MR signals from tissues outside blood vessels, thereby enhancing the visibility of blood vessels and improving diagnostic accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If TOF MR imaging is performed without contrast agents to avoid administration, then patient safety is improved, but image quality deteriorates due to high signal intensity from tissues outside blood vessels obscuring small blood vessels

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepatient safetyVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The method extracts and removes the harmful background signal from tissues outside blood vessels by multiplying the TOF MR data by an inverse coil sensitivity map. This separation allows the blood vessel signal to be isolated from the interfering tissue signal, resolving the contradiction between avoiding contrast agents and maintaining image quality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The method changes the signal intensity parameter of background tissues by applying the inverse coil sensitivity map, which reduces the signal intensity of tissues outside blood vessels while preserving blood vessel signals. This parameter transformation enables clear visualization of small blood vessels without contrast agents

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If standard TOF MR imaging is used to maintain simple imaging protocol, then ease of operation is improved, but diagnostic accuracy deteriorates due to artifacts from tissues like fat obscuring small blood vessels

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimaging protocol simplicityVSAvoiddiagnostic accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The coil sensitivity map is determined in advance during the imaging process, and the correction by multiplying with the inverse map is performed as a preliminary processing step before diagnosis. This preliminary action removes artifacts from tissues like fat, enabling accurate diagnosis of small blood vessels while maintaining protocol simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The inverse coil sensitivity map acts as an intermediary that mediates between the raw TOF MR data and the final diagnostic images. By introducing this intermediary processing step, the method eliminates artifacts from tissues like fat without complicating the overall imaging protocol

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11624796B2Correction of TOF MR data

Publication Date: 2023.04.11 SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS AG

AI summary

A method for correcting TOF MR data, including providing a coil sensitivity map for an examination region of an examination object, providing the TOF MR data of the examination region, and generating corrected TOF MR image data comprising multiplying the TOF MR data by an inverse of the coil sensitivity map.