Patent Document ID: 9456764
Application ID: 14031687
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A computer-implemented method in order to reduce artefacts in an MRI image, the artefacts introduced as a result of radiation induced current when a radiation treatment beam of a radiation source is applied and incident on collector coils of an MRI apparatus, the method comprising: simultaneously operating an MRI apparatus in order to obtain MRI image information of a patient and a radiation source in order to direct a radiation beam onto a patient; selecting a plurality of pixels in k-space data obtained by the MRI apparatus during the step of simultaneously operating the MRI apparatus and the radiation source, wherein the step of selecting is performed prior to generation of an MRI image; analyzing with a computer processor a pixel intensity of each of the plurality of selected pixels in order to determine whether a pixel intensity of each of the plurality of selected pixels is greater than a predefined global threshold; wherein for each pixel having pixel intensity greater than the predefined global threshold, determining whether the pixel lies within a signal region of the k-space data or outside of the signal region of the k-space data; wherein for each pixel that lies outside of the signal region of the k-space data, automatically modifying the pixel intensity with a computer processor in order to be similar to a background pixel intensity, thereby modifying the k-space data; and after modifying the k-space data, then generating an MRI image based on the modified k-space data; whereby the artefacts created by application of the radiation treatment beam that are incident on the collector coils are reduced in the generated MRI image.