Abstract: A protective cover for an open bore MRI is disclosed. The cover comprises a semi-permeable barrier, MRI shielding, and physical shielding; is at least partially transparent; and it comprises fluid connection means for providing a fluid connection between an inner open bore of said open bore MRI and an environment external to said open bore MRI. A camera operable in a MRI system is disclosed. The camera can be positioned adjacent to an RF shield (e.g., the protective cover) and external to a bore of the MRI system. The camera can generate an image of at least a portion of a patient during operation of the MRI system.

Abstract: Systems, methods and devices are configured for integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming (iPRES). Parallel transmit/receive (which can include B1 shimming and/or parallel imaging capabilities) and B0 shimming employ the same set of localized coils or transverse electromagnetic (TEM) coil elements, with each coil or TEM element working in both an RF mode (for transmit/receive and B1 shimming) and a direct current (DC) mode (for B0 shimming) simultaneously. Both an RF and a DC current can flow in the same coil simultaneously but independently with no electromagnetic interference between the two modes. This invention is not only applicable when the same coil array is used for parallel transmit, receive and shim, but also when two separate coil arrays are used. In that case, the B0 shimming capability can be integrated into one of the coil arrays (i.e. a transmit array with B1 shimming capability or a receive array), thereby increasing the flexibility and practical utility of the iPRES technology.

Abstract: The present invention provides a technique for obtaining a high-quality image at high speed in DKI analysis. In the DKI analysis, upon estimating a parameter relating to diffusion in an application direction of an MPG pulse, a least square fitting is separated from a constraint processing, and only a value of the pixel that does not meet the constraint condition in the least square fitting is targeted for the correction. Then, with regard to this pixel, a diffusion-related parameter is re-estimated using the pixel value after the correction, and a parameter image is generated by using the diffusion-related parameter thus obtained.

Abstract: There is provided a magnetic resonance imaging system using magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography comprising: a current generation controller configured to control an electric current which is applied to a measurement target; a converter configured to perform analog-digital conversion of data which are obtained by a RF pulse and a gradient pulse applied to the measurement target every repetition time according to a sequence for steady state free precession (SSFP) and, also, by the applied electric current; and an image generator configured to generate an image upon a conductivity distribution of the measurement target by using output data of the converter, wherein the current generation controller controls the electric current to be applied for a preset time within a certain repetition time.

Abstract: Systems, methods and devices are configured for integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming (iPRES) with RF coil elements with split DC loops. Parallel transmit/receive (which can include B1 shimming and/or parallel imaging capabilities) and B0 shimming employ the same set of localized coils or transverse electromagnetic (TEM) coil elements, with each coil or TEM element working in both an RF mode (for transmit/receive and B1 shimming) and a direct current (DC) mode (for B0 shimming) simultaneously. Both an RF and a DC current (in split DC loops) can flow in the same coil element simultaneously but independently with no electromagnetic interference between the two modes.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for magnetic resonance imaging, a particularly quiet magnetic resonance sequence, uses echo-planar imaging with at least one gradient switching in a readout direction, wherein the at least one gradient switching in the readout direction has a slew rate that is less than a maximum slew rate defined by system specification parameters of the magnetic resonance apparatus.

Abstract: Systems and methods for magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) using a frequency swept excitation that utilizes multiple sidebands to achieve significant increases in excitation and acquisition bandwidth are provided. The imaging sequence efficiently uses transmitter power and has increased sensitivity as compared to other techniques used for imaging of fast relaxing spins. Additionally, the imaging sequence can provide information about both fast and slow relaxing spins in a single scan. These features are advantageous for numerous MRI applications, including musculoskeletal imaging, other medical imaging applications, and imaging materials.

Abstract: 3D printing in MRI-compatible plastic resin has been used to fabricate and implement a geometric distortion phantom for MRI and CT imaging. The sparse grid structure provides a rigid and accurate phantom with identifiable intersections that are larger than the supporting members, which produces images that are amenable to fully automated quantitative analysis using morphometric erosion, greyscale segmentation and centroiding. This approach produces a 3D vector map of geometric distortion that is useful in clinical applications where geometric accuracy is important, either in routine quality assurance or as a component of distortion correction utilities.

Abstract: An inductively coupled magnetic resonance local prostate radio frequency coil (10) includes at least two connected electrically conductive loops (50) and an interface device (80). The at least two connected electrically conductive loops (50) are tuned to receive magnetic resonance radio frequency signal components along an axis of a subject disposed in a main magnetic field (B0) orthogonal to the axis of the subject (i.e. an open MRI system having a vertical magnetic field) and generate one or more currents indicative of the received magnetic resonance signal components. The interface device (80) connected to the at least two conductive loops transmits measures of the one or more currents to a signal processing system.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes: an obtaining unit, a correction coefficient deriving unit, an amplification degree deriving unit, and a filtering processing unit. The obtaining unit obtains a distribution of a radio frequency magnetic field. The correction coefficient deriving unit derives, on a basis of the distribution of the radio frequency magnetic field, a transmission correction coefficient used for correcting a transmission unevenness. The amplification degree deriving unit derives, for each of pixels, an amplification degree by which noise components are amplified in the image due to the correction, on the basis of either the distribution of the radio frequency magnetic field or the transmission correction coefficient. The filtering processing unit performs a filtering process according to the amplification degree on each of the pixels in the image to which the correction is applied.

Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic resonance imaging system (100) for acquiring at least one set of k-space blade data from an imaging zone of a subject (118), wherein the magnetic resonance imaging system (100) comprises a memory (138) for storing machine executable instructions and a processor (130) for controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system (100), wherein execution of the machine executable instructions causes the processor (130) to perform for each blade of the at least one set of k-space blade data: control the MRI system (100) to acquire at least one k-space blade data using at least one echo time for purposes of performing a Dixon technique, wherein k-space blade data are acquired in accordance with a blade shape; reconstruct at least one blade image data using the at least one k-space blade data; generate water blade image data and fat blade image data using the at least one blade image data; and transform the water and fat blade image data to water and fat k-space blade data respectively

Abstract: Methods, systems, computer programs, circuits and workstations are configured to generate MRI images using gradient blips for signal acquisition and reconstruction using dynamic field mapping, TE corrections and/or multischeme partial Fourier images.

Abstract: Technologies applicable to noise canceling in-situ NMR detection and imaging are disclosed. An example noise canceling in-situ NMR detection apparatus may comprise one or more of a static magnetic field generator, an alternating magnetic field generator, an in-situ NMR detection device, an auxiliary noise detection device, and a computer.

Abstract: An imaging system and methods including a gantry defining a bore and an imaging axis extending through the bore, and at least one support member that supports the gantry such that the imaging axis has a generally vertical orientation, where the gantry is displaceable with respect to the at least one support member in a generally vertical direction. The imaging system may be configured to obtain a vertical imaging scan (e.g., a helical x-ray CT scan), of a patient in a weight-bearing position. The gantry may be rotatable between a first position, in which the gantry is supported such that the imaging axis has a generally vertical orientation, and a second position, such that the imaging axis has a generally horizontal orientation. The gantry may be displaceable in a horizontal direction and the system may perform a horizontal scan of a patient or object positioned within the bore.

Abstract: Technologies applicable to SNMR pulse sequencing are disclosed, including SNMR acquisition apparatus and methods, SNMR processing apparatus and methods, and combinations thereof. SNMR acquisition may include transmitting SNMR pulse sequences according to any of a variety of techniques. SNMR processing may include combining SNMR from a plurality of pulse sequences.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and a diffusion-weighted image acquiring method form a radial k-space through a radial sampling and acquire a diffusion-weighted image from the radial k-space, with the diffusion-weighted image acquiring including receiving an echo signal generated from the subject, and forming a k-space having a plurality of sampling lines by sampling the echo signal that is received, wherein the directions of the diffusion gradient magnetic fields applied at the time of forming the sampling lines that compose the k-space to cross each other at two adjacent sampling lines.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing MRI-generated acoustic noise is disclosed. A system control of an MRI apparatus causes a plurality of gradient coils and an RF coil assembly in the MRI apparatus to generate pulse sequences that each cause an echo train to form and acquire blades of k-space data of the subject of interest from the pulse sequences, with the blades being rotated about a section of k-space compared to every other blade. The system control also causes the plurality of gradient coils to generate gradient pulses in each pulse sequence having an optimized gradient waveform that reduces an acoustic noise level generated thereby and causes the RF coil assembly to generate a 180 degree prep pulse subsequent to generation of an RF excitation pulse and prior to generation of a first RF refocusing pulse, the 180 degree prep pulse minimizing echo spacing in the echo train.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising a measurement parameter-setting unit for setting measurement parameters that determine the strength and timing of the high frequency magnetic field and the gradient magnetic field, and a measuring unit for applying the high frequency magnetic field and the gradient magnetic field on a subject placed in the static magnetic field according to the measurement parameters and detecting the nuclear magnetic resonance signal generated from the subject as a complex signal. The measurement parameter-setting unit is equipped with: a basic parameter-inputting section for setting the imaging parameters and imaging cross-section; a limiting condition-inputting section for setting limiting conditions that apply limits on the setting of the voxel size; a voxel size-calculating section for setting the voxel size according to the limiting conditions; and a voxel size-displaying section for displaying the set voxel size to the user.

Abstract: Described here are a system and method for obtaining multiple different images when performing a single scan of a subject with a magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) system. The scan includes the application of two or more magnetization preparation radio frequency (“RF”) pulses, such as inversion recovery (“IR”) pulses. Data is acquired after the application of each magnetization preparation RF pulse, thus allowing the acquisition of multiple different images of the subject in a single scan. Using this approach, the same information that used to require multiple different scans of the subject can be acquired in one single scan, and in less time than would be required to perform the multiple scans.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging method and imaging device are disclosed. The magnetic resonance imaging method includes dividing the current slab of an imaging region into an initial number of detection sub-slabs, and expanding the encoded thickness of each detection sub-slab according to a predetermined initial expansion factor, subjecting each expanded detection sub-slab to deformation detection using the first fast spin echo sequence, and determining the position of each imaging sub-slab of the current slab and an expansion factor corresponding to each imaging sub-slab, wherein the readout gradient of the first fast spin echo sequence is applied in the direction of the slice selection gradient, expanding the encoded thickness of each imaging sub-slab of the current slab of the imaging region on the basis of the determined position of each imaging sub-slab and the corresponding expansion factor, and performing an imaging scan of each expanded imaging sub-slab using a second fast spin echo sequence.