Patent ID: 6687527
Filing Date: 2004-02-03
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
A method for providing guidance to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus operator, the method comprising:receiving initial values for a plurality of MRI operating parameters; calculating limit values corresponding to the MRI operating parameters; calculating values for a set of monitor parameters; calculating a desirability factor function which depends upon the plurality of MRI operating parameters; obtaining optimized values for the plurality of MRI operating parameters through analysis of the desirability factor function; displaying values of a sub-set of the MRI operating parameters; displaying the limit values for the sub-set of MRI operating parameters; and displaying at least two of the calculated monitor parameter values as a multi-component display that displays at least one of: a first component indicating the estimated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and a second component indicating the rate of magnetic field change (dB/dt), and a first component indicating the T1 weighting, a second component indicating the T2 weighting, and a third component indicating the proton density weighting.