Merging magnetic resonance (MR) magnitude and phase images

1. A system for displaying a composite magnetic resonance (MR) image of a patient wherein a magnitude MR image and a phase MR image are combined into a composite colored display image that simultaneously visualizes both magnitude and phase information without loss of magnitude or phase image information, said system comprising:

a memory configured to store a magnitude MR image and a phase MR image having pixel values based on complex-valued MR image data corresponding to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals received in response to a radio frequency (RF) and magnetic gradient pulse sequence applied to the patient during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan; and

at least one digital data processor system configured to access said memory and:

change pixel values of the magnitude MR image to represent a first display color;

change pixel values of the phase MR image to represent a second display color, different than said first display color; and

generate and display a composite display image of the magnitude and phase MR images by generating and displaying composite display image pixel values representing a combination of said first and second display colors wherein the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image are combined into a composite colored display image that simultaneously visualizes both magnitude and phase information without loss of magnitude or phase image information present in the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said first display color is a cyan color and said second display color is a magenta color.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one digital data processor system is further configured to cause the composite image to be separately displayed concurrently with the magnitude MR image and/or the phase MR image.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein a dynamic range for the first display color and a dynamic range for the second display color are independently controllable by a user.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein brightness for the first display color and brightness for the second display color are independently controllable by a user.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein generating said composite display image comprises generating respective pixel values in the composite image as first scaled values of corresponding changed pixel values in the magnitude MR image and second scaled values of a corresponding changed pixel values in the phase MR image, wherein the first and second scaled values are determined respectively according to first and second scale factors.

7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the first scale factor and the second scale factor are controllable by a user.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said first display color and said second display color are controllable by a user.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the RF and magnetic gradient pulse sequence used to create said complex-valued MR image data includes an ultra-short TE (UTE) sequence.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said composite image is again generated and displayed after a change has been made to at least one of:

(a) a dynamic range of the first display color or the second display color, or

(b) a brightness of the first display color or the second display color, or

(c) a scaling of the first display color or a scaling of the second display color.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein generating said composite image comprises:

determining a first scaling factor for the first display color and a second scaling factor for the second display color, wherein the first and second scaling factors are different; and

determining, for each pixel in the composite image, a respective display color value based upon (a) a corresponding pixel from the first display color of the magnitude MR image scaled according to the first scaling factor and (b) a corresponding pixel from the second display color of the phase MR image scaled according to the second scaling factor.

12. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the digital data processor system is further configured to:

reconstruct the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image from complex-valued MR image data; and

store the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image in the memory.

13. A machine-implemented process for displaying a composite magnetic resonance (MR) image of a patient wherein a magnitude MR image and a phase MR image are combined into a composite colored display image that simultaneously visualizes both magnitude and phase information without loss of magnitude or phase image information, said machine-implemented process comprising:

accessing, using at least one digital data processor, a magnitude MR image and a phase MR image, wherein the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image have pixel values based on complex-valued MR image data corresponding to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals received in response to a radio frequency (RF) and magnetic gradient pulse sequence applied to the patient during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan;

changing pixel values of the magnitude MR image, using at least one digital data processor, to first display color values and changing pixel values of the phase MR image, using at least one digital data processor, to second display color values, different than said first display color; and

generating and displaying, using at least one digital data processor, a composite display image of the magnitude and phase MR images by generating and displaying composite display image pixel values representing a combination of said first and second display colors wherein the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image are combined into a composite colored display image that simultaneously visualizes both magnitude and phase information without loss of magnitude or phase image information present in the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image.

14. The machine-implemented process according to claim 13 , wherein said first display color is a cyan color and said second display color is a magenta color.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing thereon machine-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one digital data processor, causes display of a composite magnetic resonance (MR) image of a patient wherein a magnitude MR image and a phase MR image are combined into a composite colored display image that simultaneously visualizes both magnitude and phase information without loss of magnitude or phase image information by performing machine-implemented processes comprising:

accessing a magnitude MR image and a phase MR image, wherein the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image have pixel values based on complex-valued MR image data corresponding to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals received in response to a radio frequency (RF) and magnetic gradient pulse sequence applied to the patient during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan;

changing pixel values of the magnitude MR image to represent a first display color and changing pixel values of the phase MR image to represent a second display color that is different than said first display color; and

generating and displaying a composite display image of the magnitude and phase MR images by generating and displaying composite display image pixel values representing a combination of said first and second display colors wherein the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image are combined into a composite colored display image that simultaneously visualizes both magnitude and phase information without loss of magnitude or phase image information present in the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image.

16. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, said MRI system comprising:

an MRI gantry including a static magnetic field generator, gradient magnetic field generators, and at least one radio frequency (RF) coil configured to couple with an object located in an imaging volume;

an MRI sequence controller coupled to MRI gantry components and configured to effect an RF and magnetic gradient pulse sequence comprising an MR imaging pulse train to the imaging volume; and

at least one digital data processor system configured to:

receive digital data corresponding to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals responsive to the MR imaging pulse train;

form a magnitude MR image and a phase MR image based upon the received digital data;

change pixel values of the magnitude MR image to represent a first display color;

change pixel values of the phase MR image to represent a second display color that is different than said first display color; and

generate and display a composite display image of the magnitude-and phase MR images by generating and displaying composite display image pixel values representing a combination of said first and second display colors wherein the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image are combined into a composite colored display image that simultaneously visualizes both magnitude and phase information without loss of magnitude or phase image information present in the magnitude MR image and the phase MR image.