Patent ID: 8000769
Filing Date: 2011-08-16
Classification: G01N,G01R

Abstract:
1. A method for calculating a fat fraction for one or more voxels of interest using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the steps of the method comprising: a) obtaining a plurality of image data sets with the MRI system, each of the plurality of image data sets corresponding to k-space data acquired using a pulse sequence with an individual associated echo time, wherein each image data set includes a corresponding image signal value at each of a plurality of voxels; b) forming an image signal vector for each voxel of interest, the image signal vector including a corresponding image signal value from each of the plurality of image data sets, c) calculating, for each voxel of interest, at least one of a real-valued water signal component, a real-valued fat signal component, and a real-valued combined water and fat signal component by solving a system of linear equations in which a phase of water and a phase of fat are set equal to each other and that relates the image signal vector and respective echo times to at least two of a real-valued water signal component, a real-valued fat signal component, and a real-valued combined water and fat signal component; and d) calculating, for each voxel of interest, a fat fraction that is corrected for noise bias using the at least one of a real-valued water signal component, a real-valued fat signal component, and a real-valued combined water and fat signal component calculated in step c).