MR-based navigators for inter-scan and intra-scan motion correction

US9940713B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Limited · DE
• The General Hospital Corporation · US

Inventors

• Himanshu Bhat · Newton, US
• Keith Aaron Heberlein · Boston, US
• Thomas Beck · Catonsville, US
• Martin Harder · Koblenzer Straße, DE
• Andre Jan Willem Van Der Kouwe · Woburn, US
• Matthew Tisdall · Somerville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 15, 2016
• Grant date: Apr 10, 2018
• Expiry date: Nov 15, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06T2207/30204
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for MRI inter-scan motion correction includes performing (i) an anatomical localizer scan of a region of interest (ROI) to identify anatomical landmarks defining orientation of a surrounding field-of-view (FOV); (ii) an inter-scan motion reference scan of the ROI to acquire a reference inter-scan dataset indicating a reference navigator location in the ROI; and (iii) scans of the ROI to acquire k-space data. Prior to one or more of the scans, a motion correction process is performed that includes (a) performing an inter-scan motion tracking scan to acquire a tracking inter-scan dataset indicating an updated reference navigator location; (b) determining an estimation of inter-scan patient motion based on a comparison between the reference inter-scan and tracking inter-scan datasets; and (c) updating the FOV relative to the landmarks based on that estimation. Images of the ROI may be generated using the k-space data acquired with each of the scans.