Abstract: A method for determining an arterial pulse wave velocity representative of a health condition of a blood vessel includes receiving an image data set comprising a plurality of images of a subject, from an imaging modality. The method also involves determining a blood vessel region in an image from the plurality of images. The method further includes determining a plurality of cross-sectional area values of a blood vessel at a plurality of locations in the blood vessel region, corresponding to a plurality of phases of a cardiac cycle of the subject and determining a plurality of flow rate values of blood flowing in the blood vessel corresponding to the plurality of cross-sectional area values. The method also includes determining a hemodynamic model based on the plurality of cross-sectional area values and the plurality of blood flow rate values and determining the arterial pulse wave velocity based on the hemodynamic model.

Abstract: A method for sparse image reconstruction includes acquiring coil data from a magnetic resonance imaging device. The coil data includes undersampled k-space data corresponding to a subject. The method further includes processing the coil data using an image reconstruction technique to generate an initial undersampled image. The method also includes generating a reconstructed image based on the coil data, the initial undersampled image, and a plurality of iterative blocks of a flared network. A first iterative block of the flared network receives the initial undersampled image. Each of the plurality of iterative blocks includes a data consistency unit and a regularization unit and the iterative blocks are connected both by direct connections from one iterative block to the following iterative block and by a plurality of dense skip connections to non-adjacent iterative blocks. The flared network is based on a neural network trained using previously acquired coil data.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging method includes generating spatially resolved fiber orientation distributions (FODs) from magnetic resonance signals acquired from a patient tissue using a plurality of diffusion encodings, each acquired magnetic resonance signal corresponding to one of the diffusion encodings and being representative of a three-dimensional distribution of displacement of magnetic spins of gyromagnetic nuclei present in each imaging voxel. Generating the spatially resolved FODs includes performing generalized spherical deconvolution using the acquired magnetic resonance signals and a modeled tissue response matrix (TRM) to reconstruct the spatially resolved FODs. The method also includes using the spatially resolved FODs to generate a representation of fibrous tissue within the patient tissue.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging method performed by an MR imaging system includes acquiring MR data in multiple shots and multiple acquisitions (NEX), separately reconstructing the component magnitude and phase of images corresponding to the multiple shots and multiple NEX, removing the respective phase from each of the images, and combining, after removal of the respective phase, the shot images and the NEX images to produce a combined image.

Abstract: Systems and methods for correcting magnetic resonance (MR) data are provided. One method includes receiving the MR data and correcting errors present in the MR data due to non-uniformities in magnetic field gradients used to generate the diffusion weighted MR signals. The method also includes correcting errors present in the MR data due to concomitant gradient fields present in the magnetic field gradients by using one or more gradient terms. At least one of the gradient terms is corrected based on the correction of errors present in the MR data due to the non-uniformities in the magnetic field gradients.

Abstract: A system, non-transitory computer-readable medium, and method of designing quiet variable-rate MRI slice-select pulses includes creating discretized first slice-select constant-amplitude gradient and RF waveforms, associating discretized time points having a first constant time increment with the first waveforms, selecting a scaling function that smooths the gradient waveform when multiplied together, multiplying the gradient and RF waveforms by the corresponding value of the scaling function to create second gradient and RF waveforms, dividing the time increment between the discretized time points by the corresponding value of the scaling function to create a remapped time increment, cumulatively summing the remapped time increments to create a remapped time scale, interpolating the second gradient and RF waveforms along the remapped time scale to form final gradient and RF waveforms, and providing the final gradient and RF waveforms for incorporation into an MRI pulse sequence.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a magnetic resonance (MR) image of a tissue are provided. A method includes acquiring MR raw data. The MR raw data corresponds to MR signals obtained at undersampled q-space locations for a plurality of q-space locations that is less than an entirety of the q-space locations and the MR signals at the q-space locations represent the three dimensional displacement distribution of the spins in the imaging voxel. The method also includes performing a joint image reconstruction technique on the MR raw data to exploit structural correlations in the MR signals to obtain a series of accelerated MR images and performing, for each image pixel in each accelerated MR image of the series of accelerated MR images, a compressed sensing reconstruction technique to exploit q-space signal sparsity to identify a plurality of diffusion maps.

Abstract: A system and method of self-calibrated correction for residual phase in phase-contrast magnetic resonance (PCMR) imaging data. The method includes receiving PCMR image data from an MR scanner system, segmenting static tissue from non-static cardiovascular elements of the image data, calculating a non-linear fitted-phase basis function, the non-linear fitted-phase basis function based on system artifacts of the PCMR system, adding the non-linear fitted-phase basis function to linear fit terms, and subtracting the result of the adding step from the PCMR imaging data. The system includes a PCMR scanning apparatus configured to provide PCMR image data, a scanner control circuit configured to control the scanning apparatus during image acquisition, the scanner control circuitry in communication with a control processor, the control processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions that cause the control processor to perform the method. A non-transitory computer-readable medium is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for determining an arterial pulse wave velocity representative of a health condition of a blood vessel includes receiving an image data set comprising a plurality of images of a subject, from an imaging modality. The method also involves determining a blood vessel region in an image from the plurality of images. The method further includes determining a plurality of cross-sectional area values of a blood vessel at a plurality of locations in the blood vessel region, corresponding to a plurality of phases of a cardiac cycle of the subject and determining a plurality of flow rate values of blood flowing in the blood vessel corresponding to the plurality of cross-sectional area values. The method also includes determining a hemodynamic model based on the plurality of cross-sectional area values and the plurality of blood flow rate values and determining the arterial pulse wave velocity based on the hemodynamic model.

Abstract: Systems and method for magnetic resonance imaging are disclosed which utilize sinusoidal gradient waveforms to drive gradient coils in an MRI system. The sinusoidal gradient waveforms may be applied on all two or more (e.g. three) gradient axes to produce a relatively pure acoustic tone. In certain embodiments, gradient directions may be spiraled in three-dimensions to generate a radial pin-cushion k-space trajectory.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments are directed to acquiring multiple sets of positron emission tomography (PET) data for different areas of a subject concurrently with acquiring portions of a single magnetic resonance field of view. Positron emission tomography (PET) images and magnetic resonance (MR) images can be acquired using a combined PET-MRI scanner, wherein, for example, a first portion of MR data from a MR field of view can be acquired concurrently with a first acquisition of PET data, a position of the MR field of view can be adjusted in response to a change in a location of a bed in the combined PET-MRI scanner, and a second portion of MR data from the MR field of view can be acquired concurrently with a second acquisition of PET data.

Abstract: A system for inductively communicating signals in a magnetic resonance imaging system is presented. The system includes first array of primary coils configured to acquire data from a patient positioned on a patient cradle. Furthermore, the system includes a second array of secondary coils operatively coupled to the first array of primary coils. Moreover, the system includes a third array of tertiary coils disposed at a determined distance from the second array of secondary coils. In addition, the system includes a tuning unit operatively coupled to the third array of tertiary coils by a cable having a quarter-wave electrical wavelength and configured to control the first array of primary coils through impedance transformation, where the second array of secondary coils is configured to inductively communicate the acquired data to the third array of tertiary coils.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging method includes generating spatially resolved fiber orientation distributions (FODs) from magnetic resonance signals acquired from a patient tissue using a plurality of diffusion encodings, each acquired magnetic resonance signal corresponding to one of the diffusion encodings and being representative of a three-dimensional distribution of displacement of magnetic spins of gyromagnetic nuclei present in each imaging voxel. Generating the spatially resolved FODs includes performing generalized spherical deconvolution using the acquired magnetic resonance signals and a modeled tissue response matrix (TRM) to reconstruct the spatially resolved FODs. The method also includes using the spatially resolved FODs to generate a representation of fibrous tissue within the patient tissue.

Abstract: An imaging system is presented. The imaging system includes a storage structure that stores a first sheet of coils inside a cradle, wherein the storage structure includes a plurality of first set of rotatable bodies and a plurality of second set of rotatable bodies, and a plurality of springs that are coupled to one or more of the plurality of second set of rotatable bodies, wherein the first sheet of coils is disposed around the plurality of first set of rotatable bodies, the plurality of second set of rotatable bodies and the plurality of springs, and wherein a first end of the first sheet of coils protrudes out of the cradle.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to scheduling positron emission tomography (PET) scans for a combined PET-MRI scanner based on an acquisition of MR scout images of a subject. An anatomy and orientation of the subject can be determined based on the MR scout images and the schedule for acquiring PET scans of the subject can be determined from the anatomy of the subject. The schedule generated using exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can specify a sequence of bed positions, scan durations at each bed position, and whether respiratory gating will be used at one or more of the bed positions.

Abstract: A method for measuring diffusional anisotropy in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. The method includes determining an orientation diffusion function (ODF) for one or more fibers within a single voxel, wherein the ODF includes lobes representative of a probability of diffusion in a given direction for the one or more fibers. The method also includes characterizing an aspect ratio of the lobes. The method further includes determining a multi-directional anisotropy metric for the one or more fibers based on the aspect ratio of the lobes.

Abstract: An imaging system is presented. The imaging system includes a cradle, and a first sheet of coils disposed inside of the cradle such that a first end of the first sheet of coils protrudes out of the cradle and a second end of the first sheet of coils is coupled to a structure, wherein a requisite expanse of the first sheet of coils is flexibly pulled out from the cradle by pulling the first end.

Abstract: A method of compressed sensing for multi-shell magnetic resonance imaging includes obtaining magnetic resonance imaging data, the data being sampled along multi-shell spherical coordinates, the spherical coordinates coincident with a plurality of spokes that converge at an origin, constructing a symmetric shell for each respective sampled multi-shell to create a combined set of data, performing a three-dimensional Fourier transform on the combined set of data to reconstruct an image, and de-noising the reconstructed image by iteratively applying a sparsifying transform on non-sampled data points of neighboring shells. The method can also include randomly under-sampling the imaging data to create missing data points. A system configured to implement the method and a non-transitory computer readable medium are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system and method of self-calibrated correction for residual phase in phase-contrast magnetic resonance (PCMR) imaging data. The method includes receiving PCMR image data from an MR scanner system, segmenting static tissue from non-static cardiovascular elements of the image data, calculating a non-linear fitted-phase basis function, the non-linear fitted-phase basis function based on system artifacts of the PCMR system, adding the non-linear fitted-phase basis function to linear fit terms, and subtracting the result of the adding step from the PCMR imaging data. The system includes a PCMR scanning apparatus configured to provide PCMR image data, a scanner control circuit configured to control the scanning apparatus during image acquisition, the scanner control circuitry in communication with a control processor, the control processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions that cause the control processor to perform the method. A non-transitory computer-readable medium is also disclosed.

Abstract: Systems and method for magnetic resonance imaging are disclosed which utilize sinusoidal gradient waveforms to drive gradient coils in an MRI system. The sinusoidal gradient waveforms may be applied on all two or more (e.g. three) gradient axes to produce a relatively pure acoustic tone.