Abstract: An electromagnet device which generates magnetic field in the direction perpendicular to the inserting direction of an inspection subject is reduced in size and weight by removing unnecessary arrangement as much as possible. A magnetic resonance imaging device is also provided. The electromagnet device comprises a first coil (31) through which a first circular current (J1) circulates forward, a second coil (32) through which a second circular current (J2) circulates reversely, and a coil group (30) through which a plurality of circular currents (J3-J6) circulate alternately forward and reversely. The first coil (30), the second coil (32) and the coil group (30) are arranged in this order to increase the angle of elevation ? (?1<?2<?3), and a blank region (S) not including the second coil (32) and the coil group (30) exists in the angular region between the angles of elevation ?2 and ?3.

Abstract: When the settings of the region of interest are received from the operator, the measurement data acquisition control unit performs control so that an image for generating profile data is taken, and the data processing unit generates profile data in the encoding directions of the set region of interest. Then, the field-of-view setting unit sets the field of view in each of the encoding directions, based on the relationship between the dimensions of the subject P in the encoding directions that are calculated from the profile data of the encoding directions and the dimensions of the region of interest in the corresponding encoding directions, by use of coefficients stored in the coefficient storage unit.

Abstract: A method for imaging neuromuscular coupling and sensory processing with magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) is provided. More specifically, a method for examining the control that a subject's brain has over muscular motion, including both prompted and incidental actions, is provided. A dynamic acquisition is performed to rapidly acquire anatomical images of a desired muscle. This dynamic acquisition is interleaved with a functional acquisition that targets the cortical areas that are responsible for controlling, or processing, signals from the desired muscular region. By interleaving these two acquisitions, synchronized image information about the motion of the muscle along with the neuronal activity associated with the control of the muscle is acquired. Interleaving these data acquisitions also allows imaging of brain and muscle at substantially the same time, thereby reducing errors and pinpointing activity.

Abstract: Systems, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for compensating for motion of a subject during an MRI scan of the subject. k-space data may be received from the MRI scan of the subject. Motion information may be received for the subject. Based on the received motion information, a translational motion of the subject may be determined between a first point in time and a second point in time. A search space for motion correction may be reduced using the determined change and an error margin of the capturing technique. A motion-compensated, graphical image of the subject may be generated using the reduced search space.

Abstract: An RF coil is provided with a hollow-shaped outer conductive element and strip-shaped conductive elements disposed along the outer conductive element in the axial direction. The strip-shaped conductive elements are disposed with uneven intervals to secure an internal space at a position where the strip-shaped conductive elements are not disposed. In order to obtain uniform sensitivity at the center section of the RF coil, the strip-shaped conductive elements and the outer conductive element are electrically connected via capacitors of which capacitances are adjusted so that a magnetic field component perpendicular to the center axis should be generated at a desired resonance frequency, and the strip-shaped conductive elements are axisymmetrically disposed with respect to the center axis of the outer conductive element. As a result, a comfortable examination space in a tunnel type MRI apparatus is achieved without increasing the manufacturing cost of the MRI apparatus.

Abstract: For radial data acquisition in three-dimensional k-space in an MR measurement for a magnetic resonance system, data in k-space are acquired along straight-line spokes. Each of the spokes is thereby defined by a point on a sphere and the center point of this sphere, wherein the center point corresponding to the center of k-space. The points are arranged on the sphere such that a distribution of the points obeys the spiral phyllotaxis, in particular the Fibonacci phyllotaxis.

Abstract: A segmented MR image is provided by measuring a number of Magnetic Resonance Imaging parameters on an absolute scale. For example T1 relaxation, T2 relaxation and Proton Density PD can be measured on an absolute scale. The absolute values are then compared with known values for at least one type of tissue. For human tissue these parameters typically are in the order 300-4500 ms for T1, 50-1000 ms for T2 and 0-100% water for PD. Both T1 and T2 depend on the field strength. Based on a comparison between normal values for a particular type of tissue the values obtained for the image each pixel/voxel can be labeled with a certain probability that the voxel contains this type of tissue and segmented accordingly.

Abstract: A cryogenic system for a superconducting magnet comprises a closed-loop cooling path. The closed-loop cooling path comprises a magnet cooling tube thermally coupled to the superconducting magnet. The magnet cooling tube comprises a cryogen flow passage. The closed-loop cooling tube further comprises a re-condenser is fluidly coupled to the magnet cooling tube through tube sections and a liquid cryogen container fluidly coupled between the magnet cooling tube and the re-condenser. At least one gas tank is fluidly coupled to the magnet cooling tube through a connection tube.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for magnetic resonance imaging is provided. A 3D Fourier Transform acquisition is performed with two phase encode directions, wherein phase code locations are chosen so that a total number of phase encodes is less than a Nyquist rate, and closest distances between phase encode locations takes on a multiplicity of values. Readout signals are received through a multi-channel array of a plurality of receivers. An autocalibrating parallel imaging interpolation is performed and a noise correlation is generated. The noise correlation is used to weight a data consistency term of a compressed sensing iterative reconstruction. An image is created from the autocalibration parallel imaging using the weighted data consistency term. The image is displayed.

Abstract: An assembly for mounting and unmounting a surface coil of a magnetic resonance tomography apparatus includes an upper part, a lower part, a locking element to fix the upper part and the lower part to one another, and contact elements at the upper part and at the lower part. The contact elements at the upper part can be brought into an electrically conductive connection with contact elements at the lower part and the upper part and the lower part can be fixed to one another by a movement of the locking element.

Abstract: A method for reducing magnetic resonance temperature measurement errors, which is used for the high-intensity focused ultrasound device for monitoring magnetic resonance imaging includes obtaining a magnetic resonance phase diagram as a reference image before the high-intensity focused ultrasound device heats the heating area; obtaining another magnetic resonance phase diagram as a heating image during or after the heating process of the high intensity focused ultrasound device; calculating the temperature changes in the heating area according to said heating image and reference image. The method further includes measuring the magnetic field changes caused by the position changes of the ultrasonic transducer of said high-intensity focused ultrasound device, and then compensating for the temperature changes according to said magnetic field changes. The present invention can significantly reduce the temperature errors caused by the position changes of the ultrasonic transducer.

Abstract: In an imaging system having a number of subsystems and a control device that controls the subsystems in a coordinated manner to implement a measurement sequence and an operating method therefor, sequence control data that define different functional sub-sequences of the measurement sequence are transmitted to the control device. Different active volumes are associated with the functional sub-sequences. In addition to the sequence control data, active volume position data are provided to the control device that define bearing and extent of the active volumes associated with the different functional sub-sequences. Control signals to implement the measurement sequence for the different subsystems are generated automatically by the control device based on the sequence control data and the active volume position data so that the individual functional sub-sequences are locally optimized at least with regard to a sub-region of their associated active volume.

Abstract: Present embodiments are directed towards a magnetic resonance imaging method. In one embodiment, the method includes (a) performing a first magnetic resonance imaging sequence including: (i) a first preparatory composite spin locking pulse sequence having a spin lock pulse bounded by similarly oriented spin tipping pulses; and (ii) an acquisition pulse sequence to acquire first magnetic resonance data. The method further includes (b) performing a second magnetic resonance imaging sequence including: (i) a second preparatory composite spin locking pulse sequence having a spin lock pulse bounded by oppositely oriented spin tipping pulses; and (ii) an acquisition pulse sequence to acquire second magnetic resonance data. The method also includes (c) storing the first and second magnetic resonance data.

Abstract: A method of shimming a superconducting magnet assembly that includes a cryostat and a superconducting magnet configured to be installed in the cryostat. The method includes determining a plurality of field inhomogeneity characteristics of the superconducting magnet while the superconducting magnet is at room temperature and prior to the superconducting magnet being sealed in the cryostat, and installing an initial set of passive shims inside the cryostat while the superconducting magnet is at room temperature, the initial set of passive shims reducing the determined field inhomogeneity characteristics when the superconducting magnet is operating at a normal operational temperature.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an imaging device within an MRI. In a magnetic resonance imaging system, a spatially fixed coupled imaging device (SFCID) for producing combined anatomical and real time functional light images, the SFCID functionally incorporates a maneuverable imaging system MIS with a coupled imaging system CIS.

Abstract: A system and method for coil disabling in magnetic resonance imaging are provided. One magnetic resonance coil includes a radio-frequency (RF) coil having end rings with a plurality of conductors connected therebetween and at least one loop coil positioned at one of the end rings. The one loop coil is configured to operate at a resonant frequency of the RF coil.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for time-resolved acquisition of magnetic resonance (MR) data, an examination subject is continuously moved through the examination region of an MR scanner, and MR signals are acquired. Prior to the acquisition of MR signals, a phase coding that corresponds to a position for data entry in k-space is carried out. An interruption of the movement of the subject takes place at a predetermined table position, and the acquisition of MR signals is continued over the course of a predetermined time period, while the subject is at rest in the predetermined position. At least while the subject is at rest, the phase coding causes acquisition of a predetermined number of MR signals for filling a first region of k-space to alternate with MR data and a predetermined number of MR signals for filling a second region of k-space.

Abstract: A method and system of accelerating the acquisition and reconstruction of magnetic resonance images. Magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) data is acquired from a plurality of coils using parallel MRI (“pMRI”). The MRI data represents a reduced field-of-view (“FOV”) image for each of a plurality of coils. The MRI data is further undersampled by sequentially applying a compressed sensing (“CS”) technique, such as SparseMRI. The undersampled, reduced FOV images are then reconstructed into a final magnetic resonance image using a pMRI reconstruction technique, such as SENSitivity encoding (“SENSE”). This combination of MR image acquisition, sampling, and reconstruction is referred to as CS-SENSE.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for using a hardware-based compression of signals acquired with an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. This allows a first multi-channel MR signal to be compressed to a second multi-channel MR signal having fewer channels than the first MR signal. This system and method reduces the number of RF receivers needed to achieve the sensitivity encoding benefits associated with highly parallel detection in MRI. Furthermore, the system and method reduces bottlenecks connection an MRI system's RF receiver and reconstruction computer and reduces the computational burden of image reconstruction.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging “MRI” method and apparatus for lengthening the usable echo-train duration and reducing the power deposition for imaging is provided. The method explicitly considers the t1 and t2 relaxation times for the tissues of interest, and permits the desired image contrast to be incorporated into the tissue signal evolutions corresponding to the long echo train. The method provides a means to shorten image acquisition times and/or increase spatial resolution for widely-used spin-echo train magnetic resonance techniques, and enables high-field imaging within the safety guidelines established by the Food and Drug Administration for power deposition in human MRI.