阅读说明：本技术 一种减少图像失真的磁共振平面回波成像方法 (Magnetic resonance plane echo imaging method for reducing image distortion ) 是由 张志勇 陈浩 于 2021-09-13 设计创作，主要内容包括：本申请提供一种减少图像失真的磁共振平面回波成像方法。使用两个射频脉冲α和β在不同时刻分别将纵向磁化矢量翻转到横向平面,得到可观测的横向磁化矢量。通过梯度脉冲在两个不同的回波链中分别重聚出通过α和β翻转纵向磁化矢量得到的横向磁化矢量。在两个梯度回波链之前分别采集导航回波信号,通过两个导航回波信号的幅值差异校正两个梯度回波链信号的幅值差异。使用低秩矩阵重建方法矫正两个梯度回波链采集的信号,得到两幅图像数据,对两幅图像数据取平均值,得到最终图像。本申请的技术方案相比于现有技术中的单次扫描方法,显著提高了成像精度,有效减少图像的畸变和失真。同时,与现有技术中的多次扫描方法相比,成像效率显著提升。(The application provides a magnetic resonance planar echo imaging method for reducing image distortion. And (3) respectively overturning the longitudinal magnetization vector to a transverse plane at different moments by using two radio frequency pulses alpha and beta to obtain an observable transverse magnetization vector. Transverse magnetization vectors, which are obtained by inverting the longitudinal magnetization vectors by α and β, are each refocused in two different echo trains by means of gradient pulses. And respectively acquiring navigation echo signals before the two gradient echo chains, and correcting the amplitude difference of the two gradient echo chain signals through the amplitude difference of the two navigation echo signals. And correcting signals acquired by the two gradient echo chains by using a low-rank matrix reconstruction method to obtain two image data, and averaging the two image data to obtain a final image. Compared with a single scanning method in the prior art, the technical scheme of the application obviously improves the imaging precision and effectively reduces the distortion and the distortion of the image. Meanwhile, compared with a multi-scanning method in the prior art, the imaging efficiency is obviously improved.)

1. A magnetic resonance planar echo imaging method for reducing image distortion is based on a first radio frequency pulse with a flip angle alpha, a second radio frequency pulse with a flip angle beta, a spin echo module, a first gradient echo chain and a second gradient echo chain, wherein the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain are used for acquiring a planar echo signal, and the method is characterized by specifically comprising the following steps of:

exciting a first part of magnetization vectors to a transverse plane and keeping a second part of magnetization vectors in a longitudinal plane by using the first radio frequency pulse excitation layer;

exciting the second part of magnetization vector to a transverse plane by using the second radio-frequency pulse excitation layer surface after a period of delay;

step three, applying the spin echo module;

step four, re-gathering the first part of magnetization vectors by using gradient pulses, and detecting signals of the first part of magnetization vectors in the transverse direction in the first gradient echo chain to obtain first signals;

step five, the second part of magnetization vectors are re-gathered by using gradient pulses, and signals of the second part of magnetization vectors in the transverse direction are detected in the second gradient echo chain to obtain second signals;

and sixthly, alternately storing the first signal and the second signal along the phase coding direction, recombining the first signal and the second signal into k space, and further obtaining a final image.

2. The method of reduced image distortion magnetic resonance planar echo imaging according to claim 1, wherein the flip angle of the first radio frequency pulse is 47 °; the flip angle of the second radio frequency pulse is 122 °.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step two, the delay is of a length equal to the time interval between the centers of the first and second gradient echo chains.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the spin echo module comprising 180 ° rf pulses is applied in step three to obtain a distortion reduced T₂The image is weighted.

5. A magnetic resonance planar echo imaging method with reduced image distortion as claimed in claim 4, wherein in step three, a diffusion weighting gradient is applied across the 180 ° rf pulse to obtain a diffusion weighted image with reduced distortion.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein in step three, the spin echo module is not applied to obtain a distortion reduced T₂Weighted image.

7. The image distortion reduction magnetic resonance planar echo imaging method according to claim 1, wherein in step six, navigator echo signals are acquired before the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain, and the amplitude difference between the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain is corrected by the amplitude difference between the two navigator echo signals, and the navigator echo is a gradient echo without phase encoding.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step six, the signals of the first gradient echo train and the second gradient echo train are reconstructed by a MUSSELS method to obtain two image data, and the two image data are averaged to obtain the final image.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the fourth and fifth steps, the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain use different polarity phase encoding gradients, and the signals of the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain are reconstructed into images respectively, and the magnetic field distribution is estimated from the two images to correct the image distortion.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a third RF pulse and a third gradient echo chain, wherein the first gradient echo chain, the second gradient echo chain and the third gradient echo chain are used to acquire signals, and in the fourth and fifth steps, the momentum of the phase encoding gradient is selected to be 3/(γ) in_H*FoV_PE) Wherein γ is_HIs the gyromagnetic ratio, FoV, of the hydrogen nucleus_PEImaging a field of view size for the phase encoding direction.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and in particular, to a Magnetic Resonance planar echo Imaging method for reducing image distortion.

Background

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology can detect a clear anatomical structure of a tissue in a living body and an image reflecting organic lesions without damage, provides physiological information satisfying different diagnosis requirements, and is one of the most commonly used medical detection means nowadays. Magnetic resonance Planar Echo Imaging (EPI) only needs one radio frequency excitation to complete the scanning and acquisition of the whole two-dimensional k-space data, and a complete two-dimensional image can be obtained within tens of milliseconds, so that the EPI-magnetic resonance Imaging (EPI) method is one of the MRI techniques with the highest Imaging speed at present. The EPI breaks through the limitation of the scanning speed to the application of the MRI technology, and further expands the application range of the MRI technology. EPI has been widely used in magnetic resonance imaging scans such as diffusion imaging, perfusion imaging, and functional imaging, and is an important tool for clinical disease diagnosis and scientific research.

EPI is however extremely sensitive to magnetic field inhomogeneities and chemical shift artifacts, where image distortions and signal losses tend to occur, especially at air and tissue interfaces, such as the forehead, eye orbit, etc. in brain scans. Although non-cartesian sampling trajectories such as helical sampling can also effectively shorten the sampling time of MRI data, these non-cartesian sampling methods are also sensitive to imperfections in magnetic resonance gradient performance, and stability needs further study. On the other hand, some of the correction information acquired by pre-scanning or multiple scans can correct or reduce image distortion caused by magnetic field inhomogeneity, but reduce scanning efficiency and face possible inconsistency between the multiple scans.

In the prior art, a single scan EPI or a multiple shot scan EPI method is often used.

The conventional single-scanning EPI realizes continuous and rapid coding sampling of a k space through continuous gradient echo sampling and phase coding blip gradient, so that data filling of the whole k space can be completed in one-time excitation scanning, and a two-dimensional image is obtained. However, the gradient echo sampling method cannot re-focus the evolution phase generated by the magnetic field inhomogeneity like the spin echo, and as the spatial encoding proceeds, the phase difference gradually accumulates, resulting in distortion and distortion of the final image. A prior art single scan EPI sequence is shown in fig. 1.

The existing multi-excitation scanning EPI method divides a k space into a plurality of sections for phase coding, can shorten the time interval of phase coding dimension, reduces the accumulation of phase difference caused by nonuniform magnetic field, can effectively reduce EPI image distortion and improve resolution ratio, but the k space is divided into a plurality of sections of data which need multi-excitation scanning and is combined, cannot be filled in single excitation scanning, and is easily interfered by the motion of a detection part to generate motion artifacts. Although the motion artifact problem of multi-scan EPI can be improved by the techniques such as PROPELLER, the scanning time is prolonged by the multiple excitation scanning mode, the scanning efficiency is reduced, and the method is not applicable to some scenes with high requirements on time resolution, which also limits the improvement and further application of the EPI image quality. A prior art k-space filling trajectory is shown in fig. 2.

Therefore, those skilled in the art have made an effort to develop a magnetic resonance planar echo imaging method that can reduce image distortion, not only shorten the time for spatial encoding, reduce the accumulation of nonuniform phases of the magnetic field, and reduce distortion of the image, but also ensure the scanning efficiency without increasing the number of scans or the scanning time.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to achieve the above object, the present application provides a magnetic resonance planar echo imaging method with reduced image distortion, which is based on a first radio frequency pulse with a flip angle α, a second radio frequency pulse with a flip angle β, a spin echo module, and a first gradient echo chain and a second gradient echo chain for acquiring planar echo signals, and is characterized by specifically comprising the following steps:

exciting a first part of magnetization vectors to a transverse plane and keeping a second part of magnetization vectors in a longitudinal plane by using the first radio frequency pulse excitation layer;

exciting the second part of magnetization vector to a transverse plane by using the second radio-frequency pulse excitation layer surface after a period of delay;

step three, applying the spin echo module;

step four, re-gathering the first part of magnetization vectors by using gradient pulses, and detecting signals of the first part of magnetization vectors in the transverse direction in the first gradient echo chain to obtain first signals;

step five, the second part of magnetization vectors are re-gathered by using gradient pulses, and signals of the second part of magnetization vectors in the transverse direction are detected in the second gradient echo chain to obtain second signals;

and sixthly, alternately storing the first signal and the second signal along the phase coding direction, recombining the first signal and the second signal into k space, and further obtaining a final image.

Optionally, the flip angle of the first radio frequency pulse is 47 °; the flip angle of the second radio frequency pulse is 122 °.

Optionally, in the second step, the length of the delay is a time interval between centers of the first gradient echo train and the second gradient echo train.

Optionally, in step three, the spin echo module comprising a 180 ° radio frequency pulse is applied to obtain a distortion reduced T₂The image is weighted.

Optionally, in step three, a diffusion weighting gradient is applied across the 180 ° rf pulse to obtain a distortion-reduced diffusion weighted image.

Optionally, in step three, the spin echo module is not applied to obtain a distortion reduced T₂Weighted image.

Optionally, in the fourth step and the fifth step, the momentum of the phase encoding gradient is selected to be 2/(γ)_H*FoV_PE) Wherein γ is_HIs the gyromagnetic ratio, FoV, of the hydrogen nucleus_PEImaging a field of view size for the phase encoding direction.

Optionally, in the fourth step and the fifth step, the momentum of the phase encoding gradient is selected to be 4/(γ)_H*FoV_PE) Wherein γ is_HIs the gyromagnetic ratio, FoV, of the hydrogen nucleus_PEImaging a field of view size for the phase encoding direction.

Optionally, in step six, before the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain, a navigator echo signal is respectively acquired, and the amplitude difference between the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain signal is corrected by the amplitude difference between the two navigator echo signals, where the navigator echo is a gradient echo that is not phase-encoded.

Optionally, in the sixth step, the signals of the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain are reconstructed by using an MUSSELS method to obtain two image data, and the two image data are averaged to obtain the final image.

Optionally, in the fourth step and the fifth step, the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain adopt phase encoding gradients with different polarities, and reconstruct signals of the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain into images respectively, and estimate magnetic field distribution through the two images, thereby correcting image distortion.

Optionally, the method further includes a third radio frequency pulse and a third gradient echo chain, signals are acquired by using the first gradient echo chain, the second gradient echo chain and the third gradient echo chain, and in the fourth step and the fifth step, the momentum of the phase encoding gradient is selected to be 3/(γ:)_H*FoV_PE) Wherein γ is_HIs the gyromagnetic ratio, FoV, of the hydrogen nucleus_PEImaging a field of view size for the phase encoding direction.

Compared with a single scanning method in the prior art, the technical scheme provided by the application obviously improves the imaging precision and effectively reduces the distortion and the distortion of the image through a plane echo imaging method based on multi-radio-frequency excitation. Meanwhile, the technical scheme of the application still belongs to single scanning, so compared with a multi-scanning method in the prior art, the imaging efficiency of the technical scheme of the application is obviously improved.

The conception, specific structure and technical effects of the present application will be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to fully understand the purpose, characteristics and effects of the present application.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art single scan EPI sequence;

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a prior art k-space filling trajectory;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a pulse sequence for one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic k-space filling trajectory of an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a layer 9 human brain image using an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a layer 9 human brain image using the prior art;

FIG. 7 is a layer 15 human brain image using an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a layer 15 human brain image using the prior art.

Detailed Description

The technical contents of the preferred embodiments of the present application will be more clearly and easily understood by referring to the drawings attached to the specification. The present application may be embodied in many different forms of embodiments and the scope of the present application is not limited to only the embodiments set forth herein.

The general design idea of the application is as follows:

1. and (3) respectively overturning the longitudinal magnetization vector to a transverse plane at different moments by using two radio frequency pulses alpha and beta to obtain an observable transverse magnetization vector.

2. Transverse magnetization vectors, which are obtained by inverting the longitudinal magnetization vectors by α and β, are each refocused in two different echo trains by means of gradient pulses.

3. And respectively acquiring navigation echo signals before the two gradient echo chains, and correcting the amplitude difference of the two gradient echo chain signals through the amplitude difference of the two navigation echo signals.

4. And reconstructing signals acquired by the two gradient echo chains by using an MUSSELS method to obtain two image data, and averaging the two image data to obtain a final image.

Wherein the momentum of the phase-encoded blip gradient can be chosen to be 2/(γ)_H*FoV_PE) Or 4/(gamma)_H*FoV_PE). Wherein gamma is_HIs the gyromagnetic ratio, FoV, of the hydrogen nucleus_PEImaging a field of view size for the phase encoding direction. Thereby further reducing image distortion and obtaining a higher resolution image.

Phase encoding blip gradients with different polarities are used in the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain respectively, signals of the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain are reconstructed into images respectively, magnetic field distribution is estimated through the two images, and image distortion is corrected.

And exciting the signals by using three pulses, acquiring the signals by using three gradient echo chains, and reconstructing to obtain an image.

Wherein, in particular, a spin echo module comprising a 180 DEG radio frequency pulse is applied to obtain a distortion reduced T₂Weighting the image; applying diffusion weighting gradients on both sides of the 180 ° rf pulse to obtain a distortion-reduced diffusion weighted image; no spin echo module is applied to obtain distortion reduced T₂Weighted image.

Specifically, the present embodiment is a magnetic resonance planar echo imaging method for reducing image distortion, which is based on a first radio frequency pulse with a flip angle α, a second radio frequency pulse with a flip angle β, a spin echo module, and a first gradient echo chain and a second gradient echo chain for acquiring planar echo signals. Wherein the flip angle of the first radio frequency pulse is 47 degrees; the flip angle of the second rf pulse of 122 ° specifically comprises the steps of:

exciting a first part of magnetization vectors to a transverse plane by using a first radio frequency pulse excitation layer, and keeping a second part of magnetization vectors in a longitudinal plane;

exciting a second part of magnetization vector to a transverse plane by using a second radio frequency pulse excitation layer after a period of delay; the length of the delay is the time interval between the centers of the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain;

step three, applying a spin echo module; wherein a spin echo module comprising a 180 DEG radio frequency pulse is applied to obtain a distortion reduced T₂Weighting the image; applying diffusion weighting gradients on both sides of the 180 ° rf pulse to obtain a distortion-reduced diffusion weighted image; no spin echo module is applied to obtain distortion reduced T₂Weighted image.

Step four, a first part of magnetization vectors are reunited by using gradient pulses, and signals of the transverse first part of magnetization vectors are detected in a first gradient echo chain to obtain first signals;

step five, a second part of magnetization vectors are reunited by using the gradient pulses, and signals of the transverse second part of magnetization vectors are detected in a second gradient echo chain to obtain second signals;

wherein, in the fourth step and the fifth step, the momentum of the phase encoding gradient can be selected to be 2/(γ)_H*FoV_PE) Or 4/(gamma)_H*FoV_PE) Wherein γ is_HIs the gyromagnetic ratio, FoV, of the hydrogen nucleus_PEThe field of view size is imaged for the phase encode direction. In some embodiments, three pulsed excitation signals are used and three gradient echo trains are used to acquire the signals, where the momentum of the phase encoding gradient can be chosen to be 3/(γ_H*FoV_PE)。

And step six, alternately storing the first signal and the second signal along the phase coding direction, recombining the first signal and the second signal into k space, and further obtaining a final image. Specifically, the navigation echo signals are respectively acquired before a first gradient echo chain and a second gradient echo chain, the amplitude difference of the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain is corrected through the amplitude difference of the two navigation echo signals, and the navigation echo is a gradient echo without phase encoding. Meanwhile, signals of the first gradient echo chain and the second gradient echo chain are reconstructed by an MUSSELS method to obtain two image data, and the two image data are averaged to obtain a final image.

As shown in fig. 3, the plane echo imaging sequence based on multi-RF excitation provided in this embodiment includes a first RF pulse with a flip angle α, a second RF pulse with a flip angle β, a spin echo module including 180 ° RF pulses, and two gradient echo chains (a first gradient echo chain and a second gradient echo chain) for acquiring plane echo signals, where RF corresponds to the RF pulses, G_ROGradient pulses applied corresponding to the readout direction, G_PEThe applied gradient pulse corresponding to the phase encoding direction, and the Gss corresponding to the gradient pulse applied in the slice selection direction. FIG. 4 shows a k-space filling trajectory, k, corresponding to the multi-RF excitation-based planar echo imaging sequence provided in this embodiment_xCorresponding to the readout direction k-space, k_yThe signals acquired by the two gradient echo trains fill the k-space in accordance with the alternating combination in fig. 4, corresponding to the phase encoding direction k-space.

A contrast measurement of a head scan was performed on a healthy volunteer on a 3T magnetic resonance imaging system equipped with 32-channel head array receive coils using a prior art single plane echo imaging sequence and a plane echo imaging sequence according to an embodiment of the present application. Two sequences were used in the test: a planar echo imaging sequence based on the prior art and a planar echo imaging sequence according to the present embodiment. In a control experiment of two echo planar imaging sequences, the imaging field of view is 240X 240mm²Excitation layer thickness of 5mm, TR of 4000ms, TE of 92ms, echo spacing of 0.57ms, in-plane resolution of 2.5X 2.5mm²The number of acquisition layers was 19. For a planar echo imaging sequence based on the prior art, a radio frequency pulse with a flip angle of 90 ° is used to excite a signal, then a spin echo module containing a 180 ° radio frequency pulse is applied, and a gradient echo chain is used to acquire the signal, the length of the gradient echo chain being 96. For the plane echo imaging sequence according to the present embodiment, a radio frequency pulse with a flip angle of 47 ° and a radio frequency pulse with a flip angle of 122 ° are used to excite signals, then a spin echo module containing 180 ° radio frequency pulses is applied, and signals are acquired using two gradient echo chains, each of which has a length of 48 and a phase encoding gradient amplitude twice that of the plane echo sequence based on the prior art. For the plane echo imaging sequence according to this embodiment, the signals acquired by the two gradient echo chains are reconstructed by using the MUSSELS method to obtain two image data, and the two image data are averaged to obtain a final image.

FIGS. 5 to 8 show the results of experiments conducted on volunteers using the above two sequences. Wherein fig. 5 is a 9 th layer image using the plane echo imaging sequence according to the present embodiment, fig. 7 is a 15 th layer image using the plane echo imaging sequence according to the present embodiment, fig. 6 is a 9 th layer image using the plane echo imaging sequence based on the prior art, and fig. 8 is a 15 th layer image using the plane echo imaging sequence based on the prior art. In fig. 5, compared with fig. 6, the shape distortion of the forehead portion in fig. 5 is reduced (the position indicated by the arrow). In fig. 7, it is clear that the shape distortion of the eye in fig. 7 is reduced (the position indicated by arrow b) and the signal accumulation is also improved (the position indicated by arrow a) compared to fig. 8.

The foregoing detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that numerous modifications and variations can be devised by those skilled in the art in light of the present teachings without departing from the inventive concepts. Therefore, the technical solutions available to those skilled in the art through logic analysis, reasoning and limited experiments based on the concepts of the present application should be within the scope of protection defined by the claims.