Patent ID: 6680610
Filing Date: 2004-01-20
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
A method for generating a magnetic resonance image of an object of interest, wherein said image consists of a plurality of adjacent image lines, said method comprising:providing a magnetic resonance imaging device comprising a magnetic system providing a homogeneous magnetic background field in an imaging volume, a RF body coil surrounding said imaging volume, and a plurality of radio frequency receiver coils defining a multi-dimensional array thereof disposed about said imaging volume; determining a two-dimensional sensitivity profile for each said receiver coil in said multi-dimensional array; acquiring simultaneously a plurality of magnetic resonance signals from said object of interest located within said imaging volume from each said receiver coil; reconstructing a two-dimensional image taken in a selected plane extending through said object of interest using said two-dimensional sensitivity profile and said plurality of magnetic resonance signals; wherein said method further comprises: providing a homogeneous water phantom; locating said homogeneous water phantom in said image volume; acquiring magnetic resonance data from said homogeneous water phantom in each plane of interest extending transversely through said imaging volume using said RF body coil; using a two-dimensional Fourier Transformation to provide complex image data representing an image of said homogeneous water phantom in each said plane for said body coil; acquiring magnetic resonance data from said homogeneous water phantom in each plane of interest extending transversely through said imaging volume using each of said of RF receiver coils; using a two-dimensional Fourier transformation to provide complex image data representing an image of said homogeneous water phantom in each said plane for each receiver coil; and determining the respective point-by-point ratios of said complex image data from said water phantom provided by said receiver coils to said magnetic resonance data from said water phantom provided by said body coil, thereby obtaining a sensitivity map for each receiver coil.