Efficient multi-station MRI

摘要

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system includes at least one controller configured to first acquire at least MRI locator image data for different portions of patient anatomy at each of different imaging stations for a defined multi-station locator sequence. An operator may interface with a respectively corresponding displayed locator image for each imaging station to set diagnostic scan sequence parameters for subsequent diagnostic MRI scans of corresponding portions of patient anatomy. Diagnostic MRI scan data is automatically acquired at each of the imaging stations in a multi-station diagnostic scan sequence that, if desired, can be seamlessly continued without operator interruption once begun.

主权项

1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprising:
an MRI gantry including a static field magnet, gradient field coils and at least one radio frequency (RF) coil defining an imaging volume, a controllably movable patient bed for moving a patient along an imaging axis of the gantry to different imaging stations for imaging different portions of patient anatomy and an MRI data acquisition system controlling said gradient field coils, RF coils and movable patient bed in response to operator controlled inputs; said MRI data acquisition system including an MRI system controller having at least one computer that executes stored computer program instructions to sequentially move the patient bed to each of the different imaging stations to position each of the different portions of the patient anatomy within the imaging volume in turn, and to acquire all preparatory scan data from all of the different portions of the patient for all of said different imaging stations, the preparatory scan data including at least MRI locator image data; accept operator inputs setting diagnostic scan parameters for said imaging stations based at least in part on acquired preparatory scan data for the imaging stations after acquiring preparatory scan data for at least one of the imaging stations; and only after all preparatory scan data has been acquired from all of said different portions of the patient anatomy, sequentially again move the patient bed to each of the different imaging stations to position each of the different portions of the patient anatomy within the imaging volume in turn, and to acquire diagnostic MRI scan data at each of said imaging stations in a multi-station diagnostic scan sequence using said set diagnostic scan parameters after diagnostic scan parameters for at least one of the imaging stations have been set.