Abstract: An MRI apparatus capable of selecting an optional direction as a phase encoding direction and achieving a preferable S/N, when an imaging time shortening technique is applied. A receiver coil, used as a receiver coil of a vertical magnetic field MRI apparatus, is a combination of a first coil (solenoid coil) forming a current loop around the outer circumference of a test object, second coils forming even-numbered current loops, and third coils forming odd-numbered current loops, in the direction intersecting the plane of the current loop of the first coil. The second coil and the third coil are arranged in such a manner that, as for the current loops in the array direction thereof, a position where a sensitivity of one coil is minimized approximately coincides with a position where the sensitivity of the other coil is maximized, whereby electromagnetic coupling is suppressed.

Abstract: The MRI apparatus of the present invention executes a non-imaging mode 501 for obtaining a steady state of magnetization and an imaging mode 502 for measuring echoes for images. In the non-imaging mode 501 and the imaging mode 502, imaging is performed by using a GrE type pulse sequence. In the imaging, RF pulses are irradiated while flip angle of nuclear magnetization in the imaging mode 502 is changed in a range of values not larger than a certain value determined by flip angle of nuclear magnetization used in the non-imaging mode 502 is irradiated. This certain value is, for example, the maximum value of flip angle of nuclear magnetization used in the non-imaging mode, or flip angle provided by an RF pulse used at the end of the non-imaging mode. SAR observed with use of a GrE type pulse sequence can be thereby reduced without degrading image contrast, and thus influence on human bodies can be reduced.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic resonance imaging system capable of performing spectrum measurement even when a magnetic resonant frequency changes during MRS measurement. A time-varying rate of a water magnetic resonant frequency is measured in advance before the MRS measurement. The amount of change in water magnetic resonant frequency during the MRS measurement is predicted from the measured time-varying rate. With the predicted value as the reference, a transmission frequency of an RF magnetic field irradiated in a signal suppression pulse sequence, a transmission frequency of an RF magnetic field for excitation and inversion and a received frequency at the detection of a magnetic resonance signal in a sequence of the MRS measurement are respectively set. A high-precision spectrum measurement is hence enabled.

Abstract: In the continuous moving table imaging, an image is reconstructed with suppressed artifacts even in imaging under inhomogeneity of static magnetic field. In a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, signals are measured with moving a table to obtain multiple data sets, and inverse Fourier transform of each data set is carried out in the read-out direction to obtain hybrid data. One-dimensional data are extracted from each hybrid data at a border with respect to the adjacent hybrid data, and correction values for corrections of discontinuity of signal intensity and phase at a border of hybrid data are obtained by using the one-dimensional data. Data obtained by inverse Fourier transform of each hybrid data are corrected by using the correction values, and an image showing continuity for signal intensity and phase is eventually obtained.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance measurement technique is provided which shortens the measurement time while suppressing artifacts caused by body movement of a measuring object and enables high-speed imaging. An excitation pulse which excites a plurality of slice planes and an excitation pulse which excites slice planes perpendicular to the slice planes are applied and a plurality of substantially parallel linear crossing areas are simultaneously measured. Spatial information of a linear direction of the crossing areas is acquired by modulating a magnetic resonance signal from the crossing areas by a gradient magnetic field. A spatial information of a direction perpendicular to the linear direction is acquired by changing the position of the plane and an image is reconstructed.

Abstract: A method for obtaining the most appropriate amplitude of signal suppression pulse, which suppresses unnecessary signals from the substance not subjected to measurement, highly accurately, swiftly and stably, and an MRI apparatus that enables the optimization are provided. A pulse amplitude adjusting means equipped in the MRI apparatus acquires signals while changing the amplitude of signal suppression pulse and calculates signal absolute values and phase values, and computes reference signals, which are polarized signal absolute values, based on the changes in signal phase values. This reference signals are subjected to polynomial fitting. A value which makes this fitting curve is 0 or closes to 0 is set as the optimal pulse amplitude.

Abstract: When a magnetic resonance signal is received more than once, while a table (transfer unit) is moved, a gradient magnetic field is applied in the table moving direction, and an application amount (intensity and application time) of the gradient magnetic field in the table moving direction is changed every acquisition of data. As for the encoding by the gradient magnetic field in the table moving direction, a series of phase encode is performed at different positions of an examination target, unlike a conventional phase encode. Therefore, the Fourier transform cannot be applied to the image reconstruction. Given this situation, a magnetization map of total FOV of the examination target is determined in such a manner that a sum of the square of an absolute value of a difference is minimized, the difference between a received signal and a signal calculated from the magnetization map set as a variable, and then, the reconstruction is performed.

Abstract: An MRI apparatus capable of selecting an optional direction as a phase encoding direction and achieving a preferable S/N, when an imaging time shortening technique is applied. A receiver coil, used as a receiver coil of a vertical magnetic field MRI apparatus, is a combination of a first coil (solenoid coil) forming a current loop around the outer circumference of a test object, second coils forming even-numbered current loops, and third coils forming odd-numbered current loops, in the direction intersecting the plane of the current loop of the first coil. The second coil and the third coil are arranged in such a manner that, as for the current loops in the array direction thereof, a position where a sensitivity of one coil is minimized approximately coincides with a position where the sensitivity of the other coil is maximized, whereby electromagnetic coupling is suppressed.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic resonance imager capable of efficiently suppressing artifacts in radial scanning that is short of the number of echoes. Part of unmeasured echoes is measured as a reference echo. An estimation coefficient is calculated using echoes adjoining the reference echo, and used to estimate the unmeasured echoes.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus capable of highly precisely detecting and compensating body motions within a short processing time during radial scanning. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a control unit that applies radiofrequency magnetic fields and magnetic field gradients to a subject lying down in a static magnetic field and that detects magnetic resonance signals generated from the subject, and an arithmetic unit that handles the signals. The arithmetic unit performs subject's body motion detection in an image space, uses an image, which is reconstructed using the low-frequency portion of the k-space data of the image, as criterial data, produces templates by moving the criterial data in advance by predetermined magnitudes of rotations and predetermined magnitudes of translations, and uses the produced templates to perform the body motion detection.

Abstract: There is provided an inspection apparatus using nuclear magnetic resonance which can execute multi-slice and multi-frame cardiac imaging of a heart without giving any load on a subject.

Abstract: The MRI apparatus of the present invention executes a non-imaging mode 501 for obtaining a steady state of magnetization and an imaging mode 502 for measuring echoes for images. In the non-imaging mode 501 and the imaging mode 502, imaging is performed by using a GrE type pulse sequence. In the imaging, RF pulses are irradiated while flip angle of nuclear magnetization in the imaging mode 502 is changed in a range of values not larger than a certain value determined by flip angle of nuclear magnetization used in the non-imaging mode 502 is irradiated. This certain value is, for example, the maximum value of flip angle of nuclear magnetization used in the non-imaging mode, or flip angle provided by an RF pulse used at the end of the non-imaging mode. SAR observed with use of a GrE type pulse sequence can be thereby reduced without degrading image contrast, and thus influence on human bodies can be reduced.

Abstract: When a magnetic resonance signal is received more than once, while a table (transfer unit) is moved, a gradient magnetic field is applied in the table moving direction, and an application amount (intensity and application time) of the gradient magnetic field in the table moving direction is changed every acquisition of data. As for the encoding by the gradient magnetic field in the table moving direction, a series of phase encode is performed at different positions of an examination target, unlike a conventional phase encode. Therefore, the Fourier transform cannot be applied to the image reconstruction. Given this situation, a magnetization map of total FOV of the examination target is determined in such a manner that a sum of the square of an absolute value of a difference is minimized, the difference between a received signal and a signal calculated from the magnetization map set as a variable, and then, the reconstruction is performed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic resonance imaging system capable of performing spectrum measurement even when a magnetic resonant frequency changes during MRS measurement. A time-varying rate of a water magnetic resonant frequency is measured in advance before the MRS measurement. The amount of change in water magnetic resonant frequency during the MRS measurement is predicted from the measured time-varying rate. With the predicted value as the reference, a transmission frequency of an RF magnetic field irradiated in a signal suppression pulse sequence, a transmission frequency of an RF magnetic field for excitation and inversion and a received frequency at the detection of a magnetic resonance signal in a sequence of the MRS measurement are respectively set. A high-precision spectrum measurement is hence enabled.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic resonance imaging system capable of performing spectrum measurement even when a magnetic resonant frequency changes during MRS measurement. A time-varying rate of a water magnetic resonant frequency is measured in advance before the MRS measurement. The amount of change in water magnetic resonant frequency during the MRS measurement is predicted from the measured time-varying rate. With the predicted value as the reference, a transmission frequency of an RF magnetic field irradiated in a signal suppression pulse sequence, a transmission frequency of an RF magnetic field for excitation and inversion and a received frequency at the detection of a magnetic resonance signal in a sequence of the MRS measurement are respectively set. A high-precision spectrum measurement is hence enabled.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance measurement technique is provided which shortens the measurement time while suppressing artifacts caused by body movement of a measuring object and enables high-speed imaging. An excitation pulse which excites a plurality of slice planes and an excitation pulse which excites slice planes perpendicular to the slice planes are applied and a plurality of substantially parallel linear crossing areas are simultaneously measured. Spatial information of a linear direction of the crossing areas is acquired by modulating a magnetic resonance signal from the crossing areas by a gradient magnetic field. A spatial information of a direction perpendicular to the linear direction is acquired by changing the position of the plane and an image is reconstructed.

Abstract: The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a control unit for controlling a pulse sequence that applies an RF magnetic field and a magnetic field gradient to a subject placed in a static magnetic field and detects a magnetic resonance signal generated from the subject, and a calculation unit for processing the signal, and the control unit performs the process including the steps of; (1) obtaining first images at different positions in a first direction, (2) obtaining images after the first images are subjected to correction of brightness distortion, (3) obtaining images after the images as to which the brightness distortion has been corrected are further subjected to correction of positional distortion, and (4) synthesizing by a weighting calculation, overlapping areas of the images, after the positional distortion thereof has been corrected.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic resonance imager capable of efficiently suppressing artifacts in radial scanning that is short of the number of echoes. Part of unmeasured echoes is measured as a reference echo. An estimation coefficient is calculated using echoes adjoining the reference echo, and used to estimate the unmeasured echoes.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus for high-speed and high-accuracy detection of cell positions labeled with magnetic nanoparticles. A transmitter coil is controlled to generate amplitude-modulated burst RF pulses as excitation RF pulses whose amplitude is modulated by a function that repeatedly inverts the polarity of multiple high-frequency magnetic field sub-pulses separated time-wise and changes the amplitude at each polarity inversion, moreover the time interval of the amplitude-modulated burst RF pulse is set to effectively 1/(2×a first frequency), and the transmitter coil controlled so the carrier frequency of the amplitude-modulated burst RF pulse is set to a second frequency shifted substantially from the first frequency of the magnetic resonance frequency of the proton at the magnetic field strength in the MRI apparatus.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus capable of highly precisely detecting and compensating body motions within a short processing time during radial scanning. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a control unit that applies radiofrequency magnetic fields and magnetic field gradients to a subject lying down in a static magnetic field and that detects magnetic resonance signals generated from the subject, and an arithmetic unit that handles the signals. The arithmetic unit performs subject's body motion detection in an image space, uses an image, which is reconstructed using the low-frequency portion of the k-space data of the image, as criterial data, produces templates by moving the criterial data in advance by predetermined magnitudes of rotations and predetermined magnitudes of translations, and uses the produced templates to perform the body motion detection.