System and method for improved water and fat separation using a set of low resolution MR images
April 17, 2018. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent ReferencesChemical shift imaging with field inhomogeneity correction Magnetic resonance imaging with phase encoded chemical shift correction Imaging method of water/fat separation in MRI Method of decomposing NMR images by chemical species Multi-echo NMR imaging method Robust decomposition of NMR images by chemical species Measurement of vetricle volumes with cardiac MRI Selective imaging among three or more chemical species Three point technique using spin and gradient echoes for water/fat separation Separation of fat and water magnetic resonance images InventorAssigneeApplicationNo. 061486 filed on 04/17/1998US Classes:324/309, To obtain localized resonance within a sample324/307, Using a nuclear resonance spectrometer system324/311With signal decouplingExaminersPrimary: Oda, Christine K.Assistant: Shrivastav, Brij B. Attorney, Agent or FirmInternational ClassG01V 003/00AbstractA system and method for improved water and fat separation in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is disclosed using a set of low-resolution images to correct phase errors with overall reduced scan time and post-processing time and enhanced reliability. Several embodiments are disclosed whereby reliable water and fat separation is achieved in nearly one NEX, Two NEX, or Three NEX regular imaging times. In the one embodiment, a regular image data set having water and fat phase-shifted by 90° is acquired, along with two low-resolution image data sets where water and fat are phase-shifted by 0° and 180° are acquired. In another embodiment, two regular image data sets having water and fat phase-shifted by 0° and 180° are acquired, and a low-resolution imaging data set having water and fat phase-shifted by 90° is acquired. In post-processing, three low-resolution images are reconstructed and the phase factors for all the pixels with appreciable amounts of both water and fat are determined. For pixels with a single spectral component or low SNR, phase factors are obtained in a region-growing process designed specifically to ensure spatial phase continuity. Once the low-resolution phase factors are available, they are used either for correcting the phase errors in the regular image in the One NEX embodiment, or for guiding a binary choice between two possible solutions from the two regular images in the Two NEX embodiment. Other embodiments are also disclosed herein besides a reduction in scan time, the image processing time is also reduced in the proposed technique due to the use of images with reduced matrix size, increased SNR, and fewer pixels with single spectral component.Other References
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