Patent ID: 9535147
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: A61B,G01R

Claim:
1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising: static and gradient magnetic field generators, at least one radio frequency (RF) coil disposed within said magnetic field generators, RF transmit and receive circuits coupled to said RF coil, and MM sequence and computation circuits, including digital memory and at least one data processor, configured to control said gradient magnetic field generators and said RF transmit and receive circuits to detect a first magnetization vector for each of a large number of pixel positions in an imaging region including at least part of a subject, the first magnetization vector being excited (a) to have a higher amplitude in a flow portion in which a fluid flows than in a static portion in which tissues are static or (b) to have a higher amplitude in an abnormal portion different in susceptibility from a normal portion and (c) to have a phase difference between (i) the flow and static portions or (ii) the abnormal and normal portions; generate first image data having first image data contrast, the first image data including, as a first pixel value of each pixel position, a value proportional to an absolute value of an amplitude of the first magnetization vector detected for each of the large number of pixel positions; detect a second magnetization vector for each of the large number of pixel positions, the second magnetization vector being excited (a) to have a lower amplitude in the flow portion than in the static portion or to have a lower amplitude in the abnormal portion than in the static portion and (b) to have a phase difference between the flow and static portions or the abnormal and normal portions; generate second image data having second image data contrast, the second image data including, as a second pixel value of each pixel position, a value proportional to an absolute value of an amplitude of the second magnetization vector detected for each of the large number of pixel positions; correct at least one of the first and second image data so that a difference of the pixel values increases between (a) the flow and static portions or (b) the abnormal and normal portions wherein if the first image data is corrected, it is corrected on the basis of a real part or phase of the first magnetization vector detected for each of the large number of pixel positions, and if the second image data is corrected, it is corrected on the basis of a real part or phase of the second magnetization vector detected for each of the large number of pixel positions; and generate third image data in which contrast between (a) the flow and static portions or (b) the abnormal and normal portions is higher than in the first and second image data, the third image data being generated on the basis of the first image data as corrected and the second image data when only the first data is corrected, the third image data being generated on the basis of the first image data and the second image data as corrected when only the second data is corrected, the third image data being generated on the basis of the corrected first image data and the second image data when both the first and second image data have been corrected.