Description:
- Medical Imaging
- MRI Scanners
Abstract
USC researchers have developed a processing system designed to cancel out variation within an excitation field. It is based on measurements of the excitation field and can be used to perfectly correct for non- uniformity over regions of interest. Through this method, regions of interest become easier to interpret and diagnose.
Benefit
- Does not compromise imaging strength
- Creates uniform images
- Increases diagnostic accuracy
Market Application
Clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is trending towards high-field imaging due to its ability to scale signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) linearly with field strength. Increasing SNR is important in imaging because it increases sensitivity. This increase is needed to compensate for the non- uniformity found in magnetic fields of 3T or higher, and non-uniformity of excitation fields causes image contrast to vary within an image, making interpretation and quantification difficult. Accordingly, there is a need for methods and systems that compensate for non-uniformity and thereby reduce variations in intensity and contrast across MRI images.
Publications
B1+ compensation in 3T cardiac imaging using short 2DRF pulses, MRM 2008
Stage of Development
- Experimentally validated
- Available for licensing