Technology ID
TAB-4498

A Method to Remove Fluid-motion Related Artifacts in Magnetic Resonance Thermometry Images Using Magnetic Field Gradients

E-Numbers
E-113-2019-0
Lead Inventor
Patil, Sunil (Siemens Medical USA)
Co-Inventors
Campbell-Washburn, Adrienne (NHLBI)
Majeed, Waqas (Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc)
Bhat, Himanshu (Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc)
Applications
Software / Apps
Research Materials
Development Stages
Pre-clinical (in vivo)
Research Products
Computational models/software
Lead IC
NHLBI
ICs
NHLBI

This technology includes the incorporation of a magnetic field gradient waveform (consisting of two or more pulses) between excitation and encoding to eliminate signal from moving fluid for imaging applications. Proton Resonance Frequency (PRF) thermometry is a widely used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) based technique to monitor changes in tissue temperature in response to thermal therapy. The use of PRF thermometry with thermal therapy procedures is indispensable to ensure delivery of desired thermal dose to the target tissue, and to minimize unintended damage to the normal tissue. Motion of this water due to ultrasound vibrations, convection, and circulation between sonications causes diffuse artifacts in images, which can compromise clinical outcomes. PRF thermometry is a high impact application of MRI and plays a critical role in guiding thermal therapy procedures.

Commercial Applications
Our approach solves a significant problem encountered in routine clinical application of PRF thermometry and can therefore be of significant commercial value.

Competitive Advantages
The proposed solution:
  • does not require any additional hardware, materials, or changes in clinical setup
  • can easily be incorporated into the existing product pulse sequences, and therefore adds no additional cost for implementation
  • does not impact image acquisition time under most practical circumstances

Request More Info

Licensing Contact:
Shmilovich, Michael
shmilovm@nih.gov

Collaborations

  • Licensing

Collaboration Description

  • We are seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize this technology.
Date Published