US Patent:
20050033151, Feb 10, 2005
Inventors:
Ed Wu - New York NY, US
Ralf Mekle - New York NY, US
Robert Delapaz - Dobbs Ferry NY, US
International Classification:
A61B005/05
Abstract:
Techniques for reducing the scan time required for the acquisition of two or more magnetic resonance imaging images of a subject having differing contrasts. In one arrangement, a combo acquisition protocol of N sets of parameters is selected prior to imaging. In order to image a subject, a first set of parameter values is selected from the protocol, a first RF pulse and at least one gradient field are used to excite the subject, a refocusing RF pulse and at least one gradient field is applied to the subject, a phase encoding gradient field is applied to the subject, and then a measurement gradient field is applied to the subject simultaneously while an induced signal is measured. The process is repeated to obtain N measurements, which are then processed into two or more reconstructed images of differing contrast, and where some of the measurements are used during the reconstruction of two or more of the images.
