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