Method and magnetic resonance apparatus for acquiring magnetic resonance data with a prospective motion correction

1. A method for acquiring magnetic resonance data with motion correction, comprising:

(a) in a control computer of a magnetic resonance scanner, establishing an examination volume in a subject from which magnetic resonance signals are to be acquired by operation of said magnetic resonance scanner;

(b) in said control computer, establishing a navigator volume in the examination subject, that is not identical to the established examination volume, from which navigator signals are to be acquired by operation of said magnetic resonance scanner;

(c) in said control computer, generating navigator control signals based on the established navigator volume and, from said control computer, emitting said navigator control signals to said magnetic resonance scanner and thereby operating said magnetic resonance scanner to acquire at least one navigator signal, serving as a navigator reference signal, from said navigator volume at a time t0;

(d) from said control computer, also operating said magnetic resonance scanner with said navigator control signals to acquire at least one further navigator signal from said navigator volume at time t1>t0;

(e) in said control computer, determining navigator volume motion of the established navigator volume as a difference between the further navigator signal and the navigator reference signal;

(f) in said control computer, setting data acquisition parameters based on said navigator volume motion and the established examination volume, and generating examination control signals that electronically represent the set data acquisition parameters and, from said control computer, emitting said examination control signals to said magnetic resonance scanner and thereby operating said magnetic resonance scanner according to said set data acquisition parameters to acquire a magnetic resonance signal from said examination volume; and

(g) compiling a data record of magnetic resonance signals from said established examination volume by, from said control computer, repeating (d) through (f) until all signals for said data record have been acquired from said established examination volume, and making said data record available in electronic form as a data file from said control computer.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (b), establishing said navigator volume to be smaller than said established examination volume.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (b), establishing said navigator volume as a partial volume of said established examination volume.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (a), establishing a head of the examination subject as said examination volume and, in (b), establishing a partial volume within the head above a jaw of the subject as said navigator volume.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (a), establishing a head of the examination subject as said examination volume and, in (b), establishing a partial volume within the head above a nose of the subject as said navigator volume.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (b), establishing said navigator volume as a partial volume of the established examination volume that is rigid.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising applying extracorporeal markers to the examination subject at said established examination volume, said markers exhibiting marker motion, due to motion of said examination volume, that is different from said navigator volume motion, said markers being detectable in an image reconstructed from said magnetic resonance signals, and, in said control computer, implementing a correction in said image due to said examination volume motion, dependent on positions of said markers detected in said image.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (e), determining said navigator volume motion by, in said control computer, bringing said further navigator signal and said navigator reference signal into registration with each other.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (b), establishing said navigator volume with an alignment in said examination subject that is dependent on a predetermined area of said examination subject.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said examination control signals define an operating sequence for said magnetic resonance scanner in which navigator echoes are produced and wherein said method comprises, in (d), operating said magnetic resonance scanner with said navigator control signals to acquire said at least one navigator signal from said navigator echoes.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (g), using the further navigator signal acquired in (d) as the navigator reference signal in (e).

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (c) and (d), acquiring each of said at least one navigator reference signal and said at least one navigator signal as a 3D data record.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (b), establishing said navigator volume automatically based on landmarks of said examination subject provided to said control computer.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in (f), operating said magnetic resonance scanner to acquire said magnetic resonance signal according to a pulse sequence, represented by said examination control signals, that causes gradient magnetic fields, with respective gradient values, to be activated, and including said gradient values in said magnetic resonance data acquisition parameters that are set.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in said control computer, reconstructing image data from said data record and displaying an image of the examination volume, represented by said image data, at a display in communication with said control computer.

16. A magnetic resonance apparatus comprising:

a magnetic resonance scanner;

a control computer of the magnetic resonance scanner, configured to (a) establish an examination volume in a subject from which magnetic resonance signals are to be acquired by operation of said magnetic resonance scanner;

said control computer being configured to (b) establish a navigator volume in the examination subject, that is not identical to said examination volume, from which navigator signals are to be acquired by operation of said magnetic resonance scanner;

said control computer being configured to (c) generate navigator control signals based on the established navigator volume and, from said control computer, emit said navigator control signals to said magnetic resonance scanner and thereby operate said magnetic resonance scanner to acquire at least one navigator signal, serving as a navigator reference signal, from said navigator volume at a time t0;

said control computer being configured to (d) also operate said magnetic resonance scanner with said navigator control signals to acquire at least one further navigator signal from said navigator volume at time t1>t0;

said control computer being configured to (e) determine navigator volume motion of the established navigator volume from a difference between the further navigator signal and the navigator reference signal;

said control computer being configured to (f) set magnetic resonance data acquisition parameters based on said navigator volume motion and the established examination volume, and generate examination control signals that electronically represent the set data acquisition parameters and, from said control computer, emit said examination control signals to said magnetic resonance scanner and thereby operate said magnetic resonance scanner according to said set magnetic resonance data acquisition parameters to acquire a magnetic resonance signal from said examination volume; and

said control computer being configured to compile a data record of magnetic resonance signals from said examination volume by (d) through (f) until all signals for said data record have been acquired from said examination volume, and to make said data record available in electronic form as a data file from said control computer.

17. A magnetic resonance apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein said control computer is configured to reconstruct image data from said data record and to display an image of said examination volume, represented by said image data, at a display in communication with said control computer.