Patent · US Active

Multi-slice fast magnetic resonance imaging

US8049498B1 · kind B1 · utility

4Cited by
14References
25Claims
0Family size

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Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJul 6, 2009
Grant dateNov 1, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 25, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R33/56563
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Through advancing the phase of radio frequency (RF) excitation with each phase-encoding level, a method, apparatus and article thereof increases the effectiveness of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) device by correcting for main magnetic field inhomogeneities without noticeably decreasing the signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio. Increased effectiveness of fast imaging with steady precession (FISP) scans and using FISP scans to image multiple slices. In an MRI device, a patient is subjected to a constant magnetic field, and RF pulses are used to excite the nuclei in the patient's body, which release a corresponding RF signal as the nuclei relax, which is measured and mapped into a visual display. The RF pulses used to excite the nuclei cooperate with a slice select gradient and a phase-encoding gradient. When the RF pulse is phase shifted with each phase-encoding gradient level, improved SNR ratios are observed.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.