Methods for detecting abnormalities and degenerative processes in soft tissue using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

摘要

The present invention provides methods to detect degenerative processes and abnormalities in soft tissues at high spatial resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio and short scanning times, based on quantitative tissue properties. These methods might provide a useful tool to detect and assess abnormalities in soft tissues and to monitor disease progression.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method of noninvasively detecting structural abnormalities in a subject's soft tissue, the method comprising
acquiring, via a magnetic resonance imaging system, magnetic resonance images and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters from said soft tissue and calculating, by a computer, non-water tissue volume (TV) and volume of interacting protons (VIP) values in said subject's soft tissue from said magnetic resonance imaging parameters by using algorithms that combine proton density (PD) and T1 map data, calculating, by a computer, said subject's water pool and non-water pool concentrations from said subject's TV and VIP values, comparing, by a computer, said subject's water pool and non-water pool concentrations to water pool and non-water pool concentrations from soft tissue TV and VIP values obtained from a healthy control subject, determining, by a computer, a difference between said test subject's water pool as well as non-water pool concentrations and said healthy control subject's water pool and non-water pool concentrations; and determining, by a computer, structural abnormalities in said test subject's soft tissue responsive to said difference.