阅读说明：本技术 磁共振cest成像频率漂移校正方法、装置、介质及成像设备 (Magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method, device, medium and imaging equipment ) 是由 张祎 刘瑞斌 张洪锡 徐义程 孙毅 吴丹 于 2020-03-31 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开一种磁共振CEST成像频率漂移校正方法、装置、介质及成像设备。方法步骤如下：首先,在频率漂移校正模块中,利用小翻转角射频脉冲激发目标层面,采集单行自由感应衰减信号或者两行非相位编码梯度回波信号。其次,根据单行自由感应衰减信号或者两行非相位编码梯度回波信号的相位信息和采集时间,可分别算得主磁场频率漂移值。然后,根据主磁场频率漂移计算值实时调整磁共振设备的中心频率,实现主磁场频率漂移的实时校正。最后,再进行CEST成像。本发明针对磁共振CEST成像中的主磁场频率漂移问题,提出了基于采集自由感应衰减信号或非相位编码梯度回波信号的频率漂移校正模块对频率漂移进行实时校正,进而提高磁共振CEST成像的鲁棒性及可重复性。(The invention discloses a magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method, a magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction device, a magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction medium and imaging equipment. The method comprises the following steps: firstly, in a frequency drift correction module, a small flip angle radio frequency pulse is utilized to excite a target layer, and a single-line free induction attenuation signal or two-line non-phase encoding gradient echo signals are acquired. And secondly, respectively calculating a main magnetic field frequency drift value according to the phase information and acquisition time of the single-row free induction attenuation signal or the two-row non-phase encoding gradient echo signal. And then, adjusting the central frequency of the magnetic resonance equipment in real time according to the main magnetic field frequency drift calculation value, and realizing the real-time correction of the main magnetic field frequency drift. Finally, CEST imaging is performed. Aiming at the problem of main magnetic field frequency drift in magnetic resonance CEST imaging, the invention provides a frequency drift correction module for correcting frequency drift in real time based on acquisition of a free induction decay signal or a non-phase encoding gradient echo signal, thereby improving the robustness and repeatability of the magnetic resonance CEST imaging.)

1. A magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method is characterized by comprising the following steps:

s1: controlling the CEST imaging system to emit radio frequency pulses to excite the target layer at a flip angle smaller than 90 degrees;

s2: after the radio frequency pulse is sent out, acquiring a single-row free induction attenuation signal and executing S21, or respectively acquiring a row of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals at two different moments and executing S22;

s21: dividing the acquired free induction attenuation signals into odd lines and even lines, and dividing the phase difference between the odd lines and the even lines by a sampling period to obtain a main magnetic field frequency drift value;

s22: dividing the phase difference of the two acquired non-phase encoding gradient echo signals by the signal acquisition time difference of the two acquired non-phase encoding gradient echo signals to obtain a main magnetic field frequency drift value;

s3: and adjusting the central frequency of the magnetic resonance equipment in real time according to the obtained main magnetic field frequency drift value.

2. A magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method according to claim 1, characterized in that the main magnetic field frequency drift value in S21 is calculated by:

dividing the single-row free induction attenuation signal, taking odd-numbered sampling point data in the signal as odd-numbered rows, and taking even-numbered sampling point data as even-numbered rows; calculating the representative number of the phase difference of the corresponding sampling points in the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines to be used as the inter-line phase difference of the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines, and calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field according to the inter-line phase difference and the sampling period; the representative number comprises an arithmetic mean and a median;

preferably, the main magnetic field frequency drift value Δ f is calculated by the formula:

wherein Δ T is the sampling period of the free induction decay signal;for the inter-row phase difference between the odd-numbered rows and the even-numbered rows, the calculation formula is:

whereinThe phase difference between the ith data sampling point of the odd-numbered line and the ith data sampling point of the even-numbered line, and n is the number of sampling points in the even-numbered line or the odd-numbered line signal.

3. A magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method according to claim 1, characterized in that the main magnetic field frequency drift value in S22 is calculated by:

calculating the representative number of phase differences of corresponding sampling points in the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals to serve as the inter-line phase differences of the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals, and calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field through the inter-line phase differences and the sampling time intervals of the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals;

preferably, the main magnetic field frequency drift value Δ f is calculated by the formula:

wherein Delta TE_2-1A sampling time interval for two lines of non-phase encoded gradient echo signals;for the inter-line phase difference of two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals, the calculation formula is as follows:

whereinThe phase difference between the ith data sampling points in the two rows of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals is shown, and n is the number of sampling points of each row of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals.

4. The magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method of claim 1, wherein the flip angle in S1 is less than 10 °.

5. The magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction device is characterized by comprising a frequency drift correction module, wherein the frequency drift correction module is used for executing S1-S3;

s1: controlling the CEST imaging system to emit radio frequency pulses to excite the target layer at a flip angle smaller than 90 degrees;

s2: after the radio frequency pulse is sent out, acquiring a single-row free induction attenuation signal and executing S21, or respectively acquiring a row of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals at two different moments and executing S22;

s21: dividing the acquired free induction attenuation signals into odd lines and even lines, and dividing the phase difference between the odd lines and the even lines by a sampling period to obtain a main magnetic field frequency drift value;

s22: dividing the phase difference of the two acquired non-phase encoding gradient echo signals by the signal acquisition time difference of the two acquired non-phase encoding gradient echo signals to obtain a main magnetic field frequency drift value;

s3: and adjusting the central frequency of the magnetic resonance equipment in real time according to the obtained main magnetic field frequency drift value.

6. The magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction device according to claim 1, wherein the main magnetic field frequency drift value in S21 is calculated by:

dividing the single-row free induction attenuation signal, taking odd-numbered sampling point data in the signal as odd-numbered rows, and taking even-numbered sampling point data as even-numbered rows; calculating the representative number of the phase difference of the corresponding sampling points in the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines to be used as the inter-line phase difference of the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines, and calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field according to the inter-line phase difference and the sampling period; the representative number comprises an arithmetic mean and a median;

preferably, the main magnetic field frequency drift value Δ f is calculated by the formula:

wherein Δ T is the sampling period of the free induction decay signal;for the inter-row phase difference between the odd-numbered rows and the even-numbered rows, the calculation formula is:

whereinThe phase difference between the ith data sampling point of the odd-numbered line and the ith data sampling point of the even-numbered line, and n is the number of sampling points in the even-numbered line or the odd-numbered line signal.

7. The magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction device according to claim 1, wherein the main magnetic field frequency drift value in S22 is calculated by:

calculating the representative number of phase differences of corresponding sampling points in the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals to serve as the inter-line phase differences of the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals, and calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field through the inter-line phase differences and the sampling time intervals of the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals;

preferably, the main magnetic field frequency drift value Δ f is calculated by the formula:

wherein Delta TE_2-1A sampling time interval for two lines of non-phase encoded gradient echo signals;for the inter-line phase difference of two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals, the calculation formula is as follows:

whereinThe phase difference between the ith data sampling points in the two rows of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals is shown, and n is the number of sampling points of each row of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals.

8. The magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flip angle in S1 is less than 10 °.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program which, when being executed by a processor, carries out a magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method as set forth in any one of claims 1-4.

10. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising a magnetic resonance scanner and a control unit having stored therein a computer program for implementing a magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 when the computer program is executed; and the magnetic resonance scanner carries out magnetic resonance CEST imaging according to the corrected central frequency.

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of magnetic resonance, in particular to the field of magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction.

Background

Magnetic resonance cest (chemical Exchange transfer) imaging is a novel molecular magnetic resonance imaging technology, and compared with the conventional magnetic resonance imaging technology, the technology can indirectly detect the spatial distribution of endogenous low-concentration metabolites, and the clinical application value of the technology in various diseases is verified. Since CEST imaging is affected by various interference effects such as direct water saturation, an asymmetric Magnetization Analysis (MTRasym) is usually used clinically to remove other interference effects to provide a pure CEST effect. However, the MTRasym analysis method is very sensitive to main magnetic field frequency drift, which causes significant overestimation or underestimation of CEST effect by the MTRasym analysis method, thereby affecting robustness and repeatability of magnetic resonance CEST imaging. Although some researchers can correct the main magnetic field frequency drift through some post-processing methods, the post-processing method cannot solve the problem that the fat suppression efficiency is reduced due to the main magnetic field frequency, so that a higher fat signal appears in a CEST image, and the clinical reference value of the CEST image is reduced. And the magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence of the frequency drift correction module based on the free induction attenuation signal or the gradient echo signal can not only correct the frequency drift of the main magnetic field in real time, but also ensure the effective inhibition of the fat signal, thereby improving the robustness and the repeatability of the magnetic resonance CEST imaging.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence of a frequency drift correction module based on a free induction attenuation signal or a gradient echo signal, which realizes the real-time correction of the frequency drift of a main magnetic field and ensures the effective inhibition of a fat signal, thereby improving the robustness and the repeatability of magnetic resonance CEST imaging.

In order to achieve the purpose, the invention adopts the following technical scheme to realize the purpose:

in a first aspect, the present invention provides a magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method, which includes the following steps:

s1: controlling the CEST imaging system to emit radio frequency pulses to excite the target layer at a flip angle smaller than 90 degrees;

s2: after the radio frequency pulse is sent out, acquiring a single-row free induction attenuation signal and executing S21, or respectively acquiring a row of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals at two different moments and executing S22;

s21: dividing the acquired free induction attenuation signals into odd lines and even lines, and dividing the phase difference between the odd lines and the even lines by a sampling period to obtain a main magnetic field frequency drift value;

s22: dividing the phase difference of the two acquired non-phase encoding gradient echo signals by the signal acquisition time difference of the two acquired non-phase encoding gradient echo signals to obtain a main magnetic field frequency drift value;

s3: and adjusting the central frequency of the magnetic resonance equipment in real time according to the obtained main magnetic field frequency drift value.

Preferably, the method for calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field in S21 includes:

dividing the single-row free induction attenuation signal, taking odd-numbered sampling point data in the signal as odd-numbered rows, and taking even-numbered sampling point data as even-numbered rows; calculating the representative number of the phase difference of the corresponding sampling points in the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines to be used as the inter-line phase difference of the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines, and calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field according to the inter-line phase difference and the sampling period; the representative number comprises an arithmetic mean and a median;

further, the main magnetic field frequency drift value Δ f is calculated by the following formula:

wherein Δ T is the free induction decay signalThe sampling period of the number;for the inter-row phase difference between the odd-numbered rows and the even-numbered rows, the calculation formula is:

whereinThe phase difference between the ith data sampling point of the odd-numbered line and the ith data sampling point of the even-numbered line, and n is the number of sampling points in the even-numbered line or the odd-numbered line signal.

Preferably, the method for calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field in S22 includes:

calculating the representative number of phase differences of corresponding sampling points in the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals to serve as the inter-line phase differences of the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals, and calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field through the inter-line phase differences and the sampling time intervals of the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals;

further, the main magnetic field frequency drift value Δ f is calculated by the following formula:

wherein Delta TE_2-1A sampling time interval for two lines of non-phase encoded gradient echo signals;for the inter-line phase difference of two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals, the calculation formula is as follows:

whereinThe phase difference between the ith data sampling points in the two rows of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals is shown, and n is the number of sampling points of each row of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals.

Preferably, the flip angle in S1 is less than 10 °.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction apparatus, which includes a frequency drift correction module, where the frequency drift correction module is configured to execute S1-S3;

s1: controlling the CEST imaging system to emit radio frequency pulses to excite the target layer at a flip angle smaller than 90 degrees;

s2: after the radio frequency pulse is sent out, acquiring a single-row free induction attenuation signal and executing S21, or respectively acquiring a row of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals at two different moments and executing S22;

s21: dividing the acquired free induction attenuation signals into odd lines and even lines, and dividing the phase difference between the odd lines and the even lines by a sampling period to obtain a main magnetic field frequency drift value;

s22: dividing the phase difference of the two acquired non-phase encoding gradient echo signals by the signal acquisition time difference of the two acquired non-phase encoding gradient echo signals to obtain a main magnetic field frequency drift value;

s3: and adjusting the central frequency of the magnetic resonance equipment in real time according to the obtained main magnetic field frequency drift value.

Preferably, the method for calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field in S21 includes:

dividing the single-row free induction attenuation signal, taking odd-numbered sampling point data in the signal as odd-numbered rows, and taking even-numbered sampling point data as even-numbered rows; calculating the representative number of the phase difference of the corresponding sampling points in the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines to be used as the inter-line phase difference of the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines, and calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field according to the inter-line phase difference and the sampling period; the representative number comprises an arithmetic mean and a median;

further, the main magnetic field frequency drift value Δ f is calculated by the following formula:

wherein Δ T is the sampling period of the free induction decay signal;for the inter-row phase difference between the odd-numbered rows and the even-numbered rows, the calculation formula is:

whereinThe phase difference between the ith data sampling point of the odd-numbered line and the ith data sampling point of the even-numbered line, and n is the number of sampling points in the even-numbered line or the odd-numbered line signal.

Preferably, the method for calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field in S22 includes:

calculating the representative number of phase differences of corresponding sampling points in the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals to serve as the inter-line phase differences of the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals, and calculating the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field through the inter-line phase differences and the sampling time intervals of the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals;

further, the main magnetic field frequency drift value Δ f is calculated by the following formula:

wherein Delta TE_2-1A sampling time interval for two lines of non-phase encoded gradient echo signals;for the inter-line phase difference of two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals, the calculation formula is as follows:

whereinThe phase difference between the ith data sampling points in the two rows of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals is shown, and n is the number of sampling points of each row of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals.

Preferably, the flip angle in S1 is less than 10 °.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when being executed by a processor, implements the magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method according to any one of the aspects of the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising a magnetic resonance scanner and a control unit, in which a computer program is stored, which, when being executed, is adapted to carry out the magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method according to any one of the above aspects; and the magnetic resonance scanner carries out magnetic resonance CEST imaging according to the corrected central frequency.

In the present invention, the magnetic resonance scanner refers to a complete set of equipment capable of realizing magnetic resonance scanning imaging. The magnetic resonance CEST imaging can adopt conventional magnetic resonance CEST imaging, and a conventional magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence generally comprises three modules of CEST saturation, spectrum pre-saturation inversion recovery fat and fast spin echo acquisition.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following good effects: the method comprises the steps of collecting a single-row free induction attenuation signal or two-row non-phase encoding gradient echo signals in a frequency drift correction module, calculating the phase difference between an odd part and an even part of the free induction attenuation signal or the phase difference between two-row non-phase encoding gradient echo signals, and dividing the phase difference and the time difference to obtain a main magnetic field frequency drift value. And then, the central frequency of the magnetic resonance equipment is adjusted in real time according to the main magnetic field frequency drift value, so that the main magnetic field frequency drift can be corrected in real time, and the fat signal can be effectively inhibited, thereby improving the robustness and repeatability of magnetic resonance CEST imaging, providing guarantee for the reliability of subsequent quantitative analysis of CEST images, and improving the clinical application value of the magnetic resonance CEST imaging.

Drawings

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence based on a frequency drift correction module acquiring a free induction decay signal.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of a magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence based on a frequency drift correction module acquiring gradient echo signals.

Figure 3 is a comparison of CEST images in a water-model scan experiment with a magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence based on a frequency drift correction module acquiring a free induction decay signal and a conventional magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence without the frequency drift correction module, respectively.

Figure 4 is a comparison of CEST images in a human brain scan experiment using a magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence based on a frequency drift correction module acquiring a free induction decay signal and a conventional magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence without the frequency drift correction module, respectively.

Figure 5 is a CEST mean contrast of a region of interest on a CEST image obtained in a human brain scan experiment with a magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence based on a frequency drift correction module acquiring a free induction decay signal and a conventional magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence without a frequency drift correction module, respectively.

Detailed Description

The invention will be further elucidated and described with reference to the drawings and the detailed description.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method is provided, which can be applied to a conventional magnetic resonance CEST imaging system to correct the main magnetic field frequency drift of the system in real time before CEST imaging is performed. The method comprises the following specific steps:

s1: firstly, a control instruction is sent to a CEST imaging system to control the CEST imaging system to send out radio frequency pulses to excite a target layer at a flip angle smaller than 90 degrees (preferably smaller than 10 degrees);

s2: after the radio frequency pulse is sent out, the induction signal of the radio frequency pulse is immediately collected, wherein the invention can collect two different signals and respectively calculate the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field by utilizing a specific method. The two methods are described separately below.

The first method is to collect a single-row free induction decay signal immediately after the rf pulse is emitted. Referring to fig. 1, the acquisition time of the single-row free induction decay signal is denoted as t₀The time of day. Then, dividing the acquired free induction attenuation signals into odd lines and even lines, and dividing the phase difference between the odd lines and the even lines by the sampling period to obtain the frequency drift value of the main magnetic field.

It should be noted that the collected free induction decay signals are actually discrete point data with time sequence, so that the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines are actually divided by sorting the discrete point data into odd-numbered lines and even-numbered lines. That is, it is specifically done: odd-numbered sampling point data in the signal is extracted as odd-numbered lines, even-numbered sampling point data is extracted as even-numbered lines, and therefore the signal in the single line can be divided into two lines of signals.

In addition, the phase difference between the two-line signals is also calculated using the sample point data thereof. In the invention, the representative number of the phase difference of corresponding sampling points in the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines is calculated to be used as the inter-line phase difference of the odd-numbered lines and the even-numbered lines, and then the main magnetic field frequency drift value is calculated through the inter-line phase difference and the sampling period. In particular, the term "representative number" as used herein means an index that can statistically represent the average level of a sample, and includes, but is not limited to, arithmetic mean, median, and the like. In addition, when calculating the representative number of samples, sampling points in all samples may be selected, or the representative number may be calculated by sampling the samples. However, from the viewpoint of easy implementation of the method, the present invention recommends using the arithmetic mean of all sampling points as a representative number. Therefore, the main magnetic field frequency drift value Δ f is calculated by the formula:

wherein Δ T is the sampling period of the free induction decay signal, i.e. the sampling time interval between two adjacent sampling points;the inter-line phase difference between the odd lines and the even lines is calculated by adopting the arithmetic mean of all sampling points, and the formula is as follows:

whereinThe phase difference between the ith data sampling point of the odd-numbered line and the ith data sampling point of the even-numbered line, and n is the number of sampling points in the even-numbered line or the odd-numbered line signal.

The second method is to collect a row of non-phase encoded gradient echo signals at two different times immediately after the radio frequency pulse is sent out. Referring to fig. 2, two signal acquisition moments are respectively marked as t₁And t₂. And then, dividing the phase difference of the two acquired lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals by the signal acquisition time difference of the two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals to obtain a main magnetic field frequency drift value.

Similar to the former method, the non-phase encoding gradient echo signals are also discrete point data with time sequence, so the phase difference of two lines of signals also needs to calculate the representative number of the phase difference of corresponding sampling points in two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals as the inter-line phase difference of two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals, and then the main magnetic field frequency drift value is calculated through the inter-line phase difference and the sampling time interval of two lines of non-phase encoding gradient echo signals. Similarly, representative numbers herein also include, but are not limited to, arithmetic means, medians, and the like. From the viewpoint of easy implementation of the method, the present invention recommends using the arithmetic mean of all sampling points as a representative number. Therefore, the main magnetic field frequency drift value Δ f is calculated by the formula:

wherein Delta TE_2-1For two-line non-phase encoding of the sampling time interval of the gradient echo signal, i.e. Δ TE_2-1＝t₂-t₁；The inter-row phase difference of two-row non-phase coding gradient echo signals is calculated by adopting the arithmetic mean of all sampling points, and the formula is as follows:

whereinFor the phase difference between the ith data sample points in the two rows of non-phase encoded gradient echo signals, for the phase between the ith data sample in the row 2 non-phase encoded gradient echo signal,phase between ith data sampling points in the 1 st row non-phase encoding gradient echo signal; n is the number of sampling points of the non-phase encoding gradient echo signal of each row.

S3: after the main magnetic field frequency drift value is obtained according to any one of the two methods, the radio frequency pulse of the magnetic resonance CEST imaging and the central frequency of the data acquisition unit can be adjusted in real time according to the drift value. And then performing conventional magnetic resonance CEST imaging according to the adjusted radio frequency pulse central frequency.

Therefore, the invention provides a frequency drift correction method based on acquisition of free induction decay signals or gradient echo signals, which not only can realize real-time correction of main magnetic field frequency drift, but also can ensure effective inhibition of fat signals, thereby improving robustness and repeatability of magnetic resonance CEST imaging. The magnetic resonance CEST imaging here can be conventional magnetic resonance CEST imaging and is not the focus of the present invention and will therefore be briefly described. The conventional magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence comprises three modules of CEST saturation, spectrum pre-saturation inversion recovery fat pressing and fast spin echo acquisition:

(1) a CEST saturation module: the module comprises four rectangular saturation pulses, and a damage gradient is applied behind each saturation pulse;

(2) the frequency spectrum pre-saturation inversion recovery fat pressing module comprises: the module comprises a radio frequency pulse with a turning angle larger than 90 degrees, and a damage gradient is respectively applied in a layer selection direction, a phase encoding direction and a frequency encoding direction after the radio frequency pulse;

(3) the fast spin echo acquisition module: the module mainly comprises a 90-degree radio frequency excitation pulse and a plurality of 180-degree refocusing pulses, and applies a layer selection coding gradient while applying the radio frequency excitation pulse and the refocusing pulses, each 180-degree refocusing pulse is followed by a phase coding gradient and a frequency coding gradient, and data acquisition is carried out by using an analog-digital converter while applying the frequency coding gradient.

Corresponding to the frequency drift correction method, a magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction method based on acquisition of free induction decay signals or gradient echo signals can be further provided, and the device comprises a frequency drift correction module. The frequency drift correction module is configured to perform steps S1 to S3 (as described above, which are not described again), complete real-time correction of the main magnetic field frequency drift, and ensure effective suppression of fat signals. And after the main magnetic field frequency drift is corrected in real time, the CEST imaging system is responsible for carrying out conventional magnetic resonance CEST imaging according to the adjusted radio frequency pulse central frequency.

Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the modules and functions related to the present invention can be implemented by circuits, other hardware or executable program codes as long as the corresponding functions can be realized. If code is employed, the code may be stored in a storage device and executed by a corresponding element in a computing device. Implementations of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software. The hardware models in the invention can adopt products sold in the market, and can be selected according to the actual user requirements. Of course, the magnetic resonance CEST imaging sequence and apparatus also need to be matched with other necessary hardware or software, and will not be described herein again.

In a preferred embodiment, the frequency drift correction methods of S1-S3 may be stored in a form of software program and a computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is called up and executed by the processor, the magnetic resonance CEST imaging frequency drift correction can be realized according to the steps from S1 to S3.

The computer-readable storage medium is generally provided in the form of hardware, and the Memory may include a Random Access Memory (RAM) or a Non-Volatile Memory (NVM), such as at least one disk Memory.

The Processor of the above processing program may be a general-purpose Processor, including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), and the like; but also Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other Programmable logic devices, discrete Gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components.

Of course, with the wide application of cloud servers, the software program may be installed on a cloud platform to provide corresponding services, and therefore, the computer-readable storage medium is not limited to the form of local hardware.

In another preferred embodiment, the frequency drift correction method of S1 to S3 may be integrated into the control unit of the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus in the form of a frequency correction program. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus should comprise a conventional magnetic resonance scanner and a control unit in which, in addition to the above-mentioned frequency correction procedure, also imaging sequences necessary for enabling CEST imaging and other software procedures are stored. Before imaging by using the magnetic resonance imaging device, a rate correction procedure needs to be executed to correct the center frequency of the magnetic resonance imaging device, and then a CEST imaging sequence is called, and a magnetic resonance scanner performs magnetic resonance CEST imaging according to the corrected center frequency. The magnetic resonance scanner can be realized by adopting the prior art, belongs to mature commercial products and is not described any more. The frequency correction procedure can also be directly integrated into the control system of the magnetic resonance scanner without an additional control unit.

The following description will be given based on the above method and with reference to examples to show specific technical effects thereof so that those skilled in the art can better understand the essence of the present invention.