基于单片FPGA的磁共振成像梯度计算模块

提出了一种用于磁共振成像的高集成度的数字梯度计算模块. 它可以实时计算任意层面成像所需的梯度波形,并能对X、Y、Z三个通道做波形预增强处理. 该模块基于单片FPGA器件,梯度波形数据预存于FPGA内嵌的RAM中,波形更新时间最小为1 μs. 在FPGA内部通过复用一种快速IIR滤波器算法,能在1 μs时间内实现包含6组不同时间常数和幅度的预增强运算. 实验证明该系统具有通用性好、体积小和成本低等特点,为磁共振谱仪的研制提供了一种紧凑、灵活的梯度波形发生方案.      

一种永磁磁共振中磁体涡流场的测量方法

磁共振成像（Magntic Resonance Imaging,MRI）技术是一种先进的医疗影像技术.在MRI系统中,通过梯度线圈电流快速切换方向,对待测区域施加梯度磁场,产生的梯度磁场会在其周围的金属体内激发出变化的涡旋电场,进而导致金属体内闭合的回路中产生对原来的梯度电流起抑制作用的感生电流,也就是我们所说的涡流.本文介绍了一种测量磁体涡流场的方法,结合电磁感应定律,设计了一种磁体涡流场测量装置,通过硬件采集以及软件处理的方法,将理想梯度场与实际磁场进行相减并将波形实时呈现,实验结果表明该方法可实现对磁体涡流场的测量.     

磁共振成像系统中的自动梯度预加重调节方法研究

提出了一种利用核磁共振信号测量梯度涡流,然后通过拟合、迭代程序快速找到最佳预加重参数的方法．该方法通过预先寻找信号区,确保了测得数据的可靠性,实现了梯度预加重参数的自动设置,可在大约10 min内得到较好的补偿效果．通过在OPM35I型低场磁共振系统中的具体实验,证明该方法简单、有效．     

具有独立延时功能的脉冲序列发生器

在磁共振成像（Magnetic Resonance Imaging,MRI）系统中,谱仪是中心控制单元,其脉冲序列发生器输出的多通道指令分别控制各硬件部件协调工作,从而采集数据并重建图像,各硬件部件之间的相对延时会影响磁共振图像的质量或导致系统无法采集到图像.为了解决这一问题,本文设计了每个输出通道均具有可调延时功能的脉冲序列发生器,每一路通道的最大延时值为819 μs,延时步进值为50 ns,可实现对相对延时的精确补偿.由于延时功能是通过在脉冲序列发生器每个输出通道上添加独立延时电路实现的,因此具有结构简单,灵活性高的优点.     

一种具有数字预加重的磁共振成像梯度波形发生器

提出一种用于磁共振成像的高性能,高集成度基于PCI总线的数字预加重梯度波形发生器,它具有独立的X,Y,Z三通道预加重梯度波形输出,其主要特点在于此设计采用了现场可编程门阵列技术实现. 本文所述的预加重梯度发生器,其数字梯度预加重和数字逻辑模块全部集成在单片可编程芯片中,这样不但可以产生高性能的预加重梯度波形,而且可以简化磁共振成像仪的设计. 本文详细讨论了此梯度波形发生器的设计,最后给出了此设计的测试指标和实验结果.      

超短回波时间成像k空间轨迹失真的校正

超短回波时间(ultra-short echo-time,UTE)成像在科研和临床诊断上有着良好的应用前景,但是其k空间轨迹极易受到梯度涡流和梯度延时等因素的影响而产生失真,会严重影响磁共振图像重建的质量.该文分析了轨迹失真对UTE图像的影响,并提出了一种改进的轨迹失真校正方法.实验表明,该方法能够明显减轻UTE图像中轨迹失真的影响、改善图像质量,还可以降低UTE技术对磁共振成像(MRI)硬件系统性能的要求,有助于UTE方法的推广.     

基于NI PXIe-7966R的磁共振成像接收机设计

提出了一种基于NI PXIe-7966R（National Instruments Corporation,美国）的磁共振成像（MRI）接收机设计方案,进行磁共振信号直接采样、数字下变频（DDC）和数据上传,以及磁共振图像恢复．使用NI LabVIEW FPGA（National Instruments Corporation,美国）开发平台,对NI PXIe-7966R板载现场可编程门阵列（FPGA）内构建的所有功能模块进行了设计仿真和硬件描述语言生成,使其能灵活实现DDC功能．设计的接收机的采样速度为50 Mbps、模数转换位数为16位、带宽设置范围为100 Hz~1 MHz,并具有较好的滤波效果．实验结果表明,该设计方案是一种高性能的磁共振接收机方案．     

基于AI+MRI的影像诊断的样本增广与批量标注方法

训练样本是所有领域人工智能（AI）研发的关键因素.目前，基于人工智能+磁共振成像（AI+MRI）的影像诊断存在着训练样本的有效标注数量和类型无法满足研发需求的瓶颈问题.本文利用临床MRI设备对志愿者或阳性病例进行正常或重点病灶区的定量扫描，获取高分辨率各向同性的纵向弛豫时间（T₁）、横向弛豫时间（T₂）、质子密度（Pd）和表观扩散系数（ADC）等物理信息的多维数据矩阵，作为原始数据.开发虚拟MRI技术平台，对原始数据（相当于数字人体样本）进行虚拟扫描，实现不同序列不同参数下的多种类磁共振图像输出.选择感兴趣组织具有最好边界区分度的图像种类，经有经验的影像医生对其进行手动勾画并轨迹跟踪形成三维MASK标注矩阵，作为其他种类图像的图像勾画标注模板，从而实现低成本、高效率的MRI样本增广和批量标注.该平台以临床少量阳性病例作为输入，进行样本增广和标注，极大地减少AI对实际扫描样本的要求，降低了影像医生的精力和时间投入，极大地节省了成本，并输出了数量足够的磁共振图像，为基于AI+MRI的影像诊断研发提供低成本的训练数据解决方案.     

基于同时多层激发和并行成像的心脏磁共振电影成像

磁共振成像（MRI）无创无害、对比度多、可以任意剖面成像的特点特别适合用于心脏成像,却因扫描时间长限制了其在临床上的应用.为了解决心脏磁共振电影成像屏气扫描时间过长的问题,该文提出了一种基于同时多层激发的多倍加速心脏磁共振电影成像及其影像重建的方法,该方法将相位调制多层激发（CAIPIRINHA）技术与并行加速（PPA）技术相结合,运用到分段采集心脏电影成像序列中,实现了在相位编码方向和选层方向的四倍加速,并使用改进的SENSE/GRAPPA算法对图像进行重建.分别在水模以及人体上进行了实验,将加速序列图像与不加速序列图像进行对比,结果验证了重建算法的有效性,表明该方法可以在保障图像质量以及准确测量心脏功能的前提下成倍节省扫描时间.     

超强边缘磁场梯度场下的磁共振成像:STRAFI 实验

磁共振成像（MRI）是一个能够探测样品内部特性的有效检测手段,已被广泛应用于化学、生物研究,以及医疗诊断领域. 自约40年前发展以来, 成像方法的不断发展使得MRI的成像分辨率、实验效率和成像杂核能力得到了很大的改进. 边缘磁场成像（STRAFI）是一种很具潜力的成像方法之一,它利用了超导磁体本身具有的边缘场的强梯度场. 该综述介绍了STRAFI基础,并概括了成像的基本原理、STRAFI的实验理论和方法及其在实际研究中的应用. 由此将比较STRAFI实验相对于传统MRI方法的所具有的优势和多面可行性.     

Eddy current simulation in thick cylinders of finite length induced by coils of arbitrary geometry

Eddy currents are inevitably induced when time-varying magnetic field gradients interact with the metallic structures of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The secondary magnetic field produced by this induced current degrades the spatial and temporal performance of the primary field generated by the gradient coils. Although this undesired effect can be minimized by using actively and/or passively shielded gradient coils and current pre-emphasis techniques, a residual eddy current still remains in the MRI scanner structure. Accurate simulation of these eddy currents is important in the successful design of gradient coils and magnet cryostat vessels. Efficient methods for simulating eddy currents are currently restricted to cylindrical-symmetry. The approach presented in this paper divides thick conducting cylinders into thin layers (thinner than the skin depth) and expresses the current density on each as a Fourier series. The coupling between each mode of the Fourier series with every other is modeled with an inductive network method. In this way, the eddy currents induced in realistic cryostat surfaces by coils of arbitrary geometry can be simulated. The new method was validated by simulating a canonical problem and comparing the results against a commercially available software package. An accurate skin depth of 2.76 mm was calculated in 6 min with the new method. The currents induced by an actively shielded x-gradient coil were simulated assuming a finite length cylindrical cryostat consisting of three different conducting materials. Details of the temporal-spatial induced current diffusion process were simulated through all cryostat layers, which could not be efficiently simulated with any other method. With this data, all quantities that depend on the current density, such as the secondary magnetic field, are simply evaluated.     

Mapping eddy current induced fields for the correction of diffusion-weighted echo planar images

Diffusion-weighted echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging is potentially of great importance as a diagnostic imaging tool; however, the technique currently suffers a number of limitations, including the image distortion caused by the eddy current induced fields when the diffusion-weighting magnetic field gradient pulses are applied. The distortions cause mis-registration between images with different diffusion-weighting, that then results in artifacts in quantitative diffusion images. A method is presented to measure the magnetic fields generated from the eddy currents for each of three orthogonal gradient pulse vectors, and then to use these to ascertain the image distortion that occurs in subsequent diffusion-weighted images with arbitrary gradient pulse vector amplitude and direction, and image plane orientation. The image distortion can then be reversed. Both temporal and spatial dependence of the residual eddy current induced fields are included in the analysis. Image distortion was substantially reduced by the correction scheme, for arbitrary slice position and angulation. This method of correction is unaffected by the changes in image contrast that occur due to diffusion weighting, and does not need any additional scanning time during the patient scan. It is particularly suitable for use with single-shot echo planar imaging.     

FID-acquired-echos (FAcE): a short echo time imaging method for flow artefact suppression.

The FID-Acquired-Echo sequence (FAcE) is a magnetic resonance imaging technique using fractional-echo acquisitions, with sequential separate sampling of the right and left k-space half planes. It reduces the minimal echo times by about a factor of two, compared to conventional full-(gradient)-echo sampling schemes. With this sequence, implemented on a commercial 1.5 Tesla whole body system, high resolution images are acquired with typical echo times between 3 and 4.5 msec. Using short echo times the signal dephasing caused by velocity and higher order spin motion is reduced. Further, due to the modified sampling scheme, the sequence exhibits, for triggered studies, partially a compensation of motion-induced phase shifts in the frequency-encoding direction. Thus, the sequence offers an alternative means for the reduction of motion-induced image artefacts to the use of flow compensating gradients, which usually makes a sequence more sensitive to higher order motion and introduces further eddy currents. Besides potential application for imaging of nuclei and tissues with short T2 relaxation times, and non-ECG-triggered in-flow angiography, the main application seems to be triggered-phase contrast imaging with focus on quantitation of blood flow. Its usefulness is largest in cases with irregular flow patterns, where considerable in-plane flow occurs.     

Finite element analysis of gradient z-coil induced eddy currents in a permanent MRI magnet

In permanent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, pulsed gradient fields induce strong eddy currents in the conducting structures of the magnet body. The gradient field for image encoding is perturbed by these eddy currents leading to MR image distortions. This paper presents a comprehensive finite element (FE) analysis of the eddy current generation in the magnet conductors. In the proposed FE model, the hysteretic characteristics of ferromagnetic materials are considered and a scalar Preisach hysteresis model is employed. The developed FE model was applied to study gradient z-coil induced eddy currents in a 0.5 T permanent MRI device. The simulation results demonstrate that the approach could be effectively used to investigate eddy current problems involving ferromagnetic materials. With the knowledge gained from this eddy current model, our next step is to design a passive magnet structure and active gradient coils to reduce the eddy current effects.     

基于局部位移校正的磁共振图像相干平均

多次扫描相干平均是提高磁共振图像信噪比的常用方法,但如果在多次扫描过程中病人发生自主或不自主的运动,使得图像中的组织发生位移,简单相干平均图像会导致图像模糊.本文受非局域均值算法的启发,提出了一种基于局部位移校正的相干平均方法.该算法通过比较多次采集的图像中组织结构的局部相似性,找出图像间的局部位移,利用该信息修正位移后进行加权平均,从而达到提高图像信噪比的目的.我们用模型及真实的肝脏弥散数据进行了实验.实验结果表明,对于不同次采样间存在运动的磁共振图像,该算法可有效地提高信噪比并保持结构边缘;其结果优于简单的相干平均,去噪效果也优于经典的非局域均值算法.     

Spatial encoding and the single-scan acquisition of high definition MR images in inhomogeneous fields

We have recently proposed a protocol for retrieving multidimensional magnetic resonance spectra and images within a single scan, based on a spatial encoding of the spin interactions. The spatial selectivity of this encoding process also opens up new possibilities for compensating magnetic field inhomogeneities; not by demanding extreme uniformities from the B(0) fields, but by compensating for their effects at an excitation and/or refocusing level. This potential is hereby discussed and demonstrated in connection with the single-scan acquisition of high-definition multidimensional images. It is shown that in combination with time-dependent gradient and radiofrequency manipulations, the new compensation approach can be used to counteract substantial field inhomogenities at either global or local levels over relatively long periods of time. The new compensation scheme could find uses in areas where heterogeneities in magnetic fields present serious obstacles, including rapid studies in regions near tissue/air interfaces. The principles of the B(0) compensation method are reviewed for one- and higher-dimensional cases, and experimentally demonstrated on a series of 1D and 2D single-scan MRI experiments on simple phantoms.