Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance image processing method

1. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

an image acquisition unit that measures a nuclear magnetic resonance signal in accordance with a predetermined pulse sequence under a plurality of imaging conditions to acquire two or more kinds of images;

a combined image generation unit that combines the two or more kinds of images using a predetermined combination parameter and a combination function to generate a combined image; and

a combination parameter setting unit that sets a combination parameter to be used by the combined image generation unit,

wherein the combination parameter setting unit sets a plurality of division regions in the images acquired by the image acquisition unit and sets the combination parameter satisfying a condition that a difference between a pixel value of a specific tissue and a pixel value of a tissue other than the specific tissue is large based on standard data of the two or more kinds of images at each of the division regions,

wherein the combination function is a discriminant function of outputting a value indicating the specific tissue or a tissue other than the specific tissue, and

wherein the combination parameter setting unit sets the combination parameter so that a condition that a representative value of pixel values in the division regions is a common value to all the division regions is satisfied.

2. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the specific tissue is a blood vessel and the combined image is an image for blood vessel diagnosis.

3. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 2 ,

wherein the combination parameter setting unit sets regions obtained by dividing an imaging region on each cross section vertical to a direction in which blood mainly flows as the division regions.

4. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the image acquisition unit performs imaging under conditions in which at least one of a flip angle, a repetition time, an echo time, and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse phase increment value is different as the plurality of imaging conditions.

5. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the pulse sequence used by the image acquisition unit is a gradient echo-based sequence, and

wherein the image acquisition unit performs the imaging under two or more conditions that at least one of the flip angle and the repetition time is changed as the plurality of imaging conditions.

6. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein at least one of the images acquired by the image acquisition unit is an image in which a difference in one of a proton density, a longitudinal relaxation time, and a transverse relaxation time of the tissue other than the specific tissue is weighted.

7. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the representative value of the pixel values is an average and a variance or a median value and an interquartile range.

8. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the discriminant function is a linear polynomial, and

wherein the combination parameter is a coefficient and a constant term of the linear polynomial.

9. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the combination function is a function of calculating a probability of the specific tissue, and

wherein the combination parameter is a parameter of the function of calculating the probability.

10. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the standard data is data of a pixel value of each of the specific tissue and the tissue other than the specific tissue at each of the division regions acquired by imaging a plurality of subjects in advance using the predetermined pulse sequence or simulating the pixel values obtained in the predetermined pulse sequence.

11. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a quantitative image calculation unit that calculates a quantitative image from the plurality of images captured in the predetermined pulse sequence.

12. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 11 ,

wherein the quantitative image calculation unit further has a function of calculating a weighted image from the quantitative image.

13. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a combination parameter adjustment unit that receives an input from a user and adjusts the combination parameter set by the combination parameter setting unit.

14. A magnetic resonance image processing method of combining two or more kinds of physical property dependent images obtained from a nuclear magnetic resonance signal measured in accordance with a predetermined pulse sequence under a plurality of imaging conditions, using a predetermined combination function and a combination parameter and generating a combined image which is a diagnosis image of a specific tissue, the method comprising:

setting a plurality of division regions in the physical property dependent image;

setting the combination parameter satisfying a condition that a difference between a pixel value of the specific tissue and a pixel value of a tissue other than the specific tissue increases at each of the division regions in the two or more kinds of physical property dependent images acquired by measuring the nuclear magnetic resonance signal, using standard data of the two or more kinds of physical property dependent images; and

generating a combined image using the combination parameter and the combination function;

wherein the combination function is a discriminant function of outputting a value indicating the specific tissue or a tissue other than the specific tissue, and

wherein the combination parameter is set so that a condition that a representative value of pixel values in the division regions is a common value to all the division regions is satisfied.