Magnetic resonance imaging
Improved magnetic resonance imaging systems, methods and software are described including a low field strength main magnet, a gradient coil assembly, an RF coil system, and a control system configured for the acquisition and processing of magnetic resonance imaging data from a patient while utilizing a sparse sampling imaging technique.
1. A magnetic resonance imaging system (MRI) comprising:
a main magnet having a field strength less than 1.0 Tesla;
a gradient coil assembly;
an RF coil system; and
a control system configured for acquisition and processing of magnetic resonance imaging data from a human patient and configured to utilize a sparse sampling imaging technique without parallel imaging and to employ simultaneous multiple slice imaging techniques.
2. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the multiple slice imaging techniques comprise simultaneously exciting and simultaneously reading out a plurality of imaging slices or sub-volumes.
3. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 2 , the control system configured to generate a common slice selective gradient and to generate a multiband pulse to excite the plurality of imaging slices or sub-volumes in the presence of the common slice selective gradient.
4. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 1 , the multiple slice imaging techniques comprising generating a multiband pulse by summing multiple RF waveforms with different phase modulation functions.
5. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured for an RF bandwidth to be less than 1800 Hz.
6. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 1 wherein the control system is configured to employ pulse sequences that do not require dephasing pulses.
7. A computer program product comprising a non-transient, machine-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising:
acquiring magnetic resonance imaging data from a human patient through a magnetic resonance imaging system (MRI) having a main magnet with low field strength, a gradient coil assembly and an RF coil system, the acquiring utilizing a sparse sampling imaging technique without parallel imaging and employing simultaneous multiple slice imaging techniques; and
processing the magnetic resonance imaging data, the processing including reconstructing images of the human patient.
8. The computer program product of claim 7 , the operations further comprising exciting and simultaneously reading out a plurality of imaging slices or sub-volumes.
9. The computer program product of claim 8 , the operations further comprising:
generating a common slice selective gradient; and
generating a multiband pulse to excite the plurality of imaging slices or sub-volumes in the presence of the common slice selective gradient.
10. The computer program product of claim 7 , the operations further comprising generating a multiband pulse by summing multiple RF waveforms with different phase modulation functions.
11. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the control system is further configured for an RF bandwidth to be less than 1800 Hz.
12. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the acquiring employs pulse sequences that do not require dephasing pulses.