Clinical Use of Ultrashort TE Pulse Sequences in MRI
The current invention incorporates the use of half radio frequency excitations with radial mapping from the center of K-space, yielding UTE pulse sequences with echo times 10 to 20 times shorter than commercially available clinical systems. These ultrashort echo times allow high imaging of the traditionally difficult tissues and structures mentioned above, as well as other difficult fast decay tissues. The technique is software driven and enables short echo times despite the traditional resonant "ring-down" of MR coils between transmit and receive modes; uses multi slice acquisitions; incorporates a subtraction algorithm (eliminates high imaging tissues that would otherwise overshadow the low signal tissues imaged); long inversion nulling pulses and multiple echoes. The subject invention has raised a lot of interest from third parties following a review of clinical results from 120 patients. The method is seen as enabling high resolution imaging via MRI of tissues not previously suited for MR style scans. This should add a good deal of utility to current MR systems without significant hardware changes.
Patent Number: US7474097B2
Application Number: US2003571039A
Inventor: Bydder, Mark | Bydder, Graeme M. | Robson, Matthew | Gatehouse, Peter
Priority Date: 8 Sep 2003
Priority Number: US7474097B2
Application Date: 6 Nov 2006
Publication Date: 6 Jan 2009
IPC Current: G01V000300
US Class: 324307 | 324309
Assignee Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
Title: Magnetic resonance imaging with ultra short echo times
Usefulness: Magnetic resonance imaging with ultra short echo times
Summary: For magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of portions or tissues such as brain perfusion, cortical bone, tendon, ligament, menisci, perisosteum, liver and spine, for medical diagnosis.
Novelty: Magnetic resonance imaging method in medical diagnosis, involves generating ultra-short echo time pulse sequence to selectively excite magnetic moments in sample slice, after inversion time of magnetic moments of sample component
Biomedical
Medical Imaging
7474097
State Of Development This invention is patent pending with worldwide rights available. Tech ID/UC Case 19733/2004-056-0 Related Cases 2004-056-0
USA
