Method and system for phase-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging

1. A method for phase-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging, comprising:

to a computerized processor, providing respective complex image data sets for at least two different echo times in a magnetic resonance echo imaging sequence, the respective complex image data sets for the different echo times being reconstructed from magnetic resonance data acquired respectively during the different echo times in said echo imaging sequence;

in said processor, automatically determining at least one complex division image data set by complex division of the respective complex image data sets for the two different echo times, said two different echo times defining an echo time difference, and said at least one complex division image data set having phase components dependent on said echo time difference; and

making said at least one complex division image data set available at an output of said processor in a form for further processing.

2. A method claimed in claim 1 comprising implementing said complex division of the respective complex image data sets in said processor using an algorithm that at least partially compensates, in said at least one complex division image data set, at least one image component of the respective complex image data sets selected from the group consisting of phase components that are independent of said echo time and magnitude components that are independent of said echo time.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising providing, to said processor, a respective complex image data set for each at least three different echo times and, in said processor, implementing complex division of respective pairs of said complex image data sets, to obtain at least two complex division image data sets.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising implementing said echo imaging sequence to obtain said respective complex image data sets for said at least two different echo times, and implementing said echo imaging sequence with a series of echo times that includes echoes having an even echo number in said series and echoes having an odd echo number in said series and, in said processor, implementing said complex division only for complex image data sets that were both acquired with an even echo number in said series, or where both acquired with an odd echo number in said series.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising implementing said echo imaging sequence to acquire said complex image data sets, and implementing said echo imaging sequence using a magnetic resonance data acquisition device comprising a coil array that includes at least two coils, and acquiring the respective complex image data sets with said at least two different echo times respectively from said at least two coils.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising providing, to said processor, a respective complex image data set for each at least three different echo times and, in said processor, implementing complex division of respective pairs of said complex image data sets, to obtain at least two complex division image data sets, and implementing said complex division in said processor only of respective complex image data sets having associated echo times with a same echo time difference.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising providing, to said processor, a respective complex image data set for each at least three different echo times and, in said processor, implementing complex division of respective pairs of said complex image data sets, to obtain at least two complex division image data sets, and in said processor, implementing said further processing by combining at least two of said complex division image data sets.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising implementing said further processing by generating at least one complex, combined division data set by a complex combination of at least two of said complex division image data sets.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising combining said at least two of said complex division image data sets for a same echo time difference, from respective complex image data sets having different echo times.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising implementing said echo imaging sequence to acquire said complex image data sets, and implementing said echo imaging sequence using a magnetic resonance data acquisition device comprising a coil array that includes at least two coils, and acquiring the respective complex image data sets with said at least two different echo times respectively from said at least two coils, and implementing said further processing in said processor by combining respective complex division image data sets for a same echo time difference respectively acquired using different coils, among said at least two coils.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in said processor:

automatically determining a covariance matrix for each of said complex image data sets that represents a measure of noise in image data in the respective complex image data set; and

automatically determining a covariance matrix for said complex division image data set from the respective covariance matrices of the complex image data sets used to generate said complex division image data set.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 comprising generating at least two complex division image data sets by complex division of said respective complex image data sets, and combining said at least two complex division image data sets dependent on the respective covariance matrices of the respective complex division image data sets.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 comprising combining said at least two complex division data sets by determining a geometry factor from the respective covariance matrices thereof, and weighting the respective complex division image data sets with the respective geometry factor when combining the respective complex division image data sets.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising implementing said echo imaging sequence in a magnetic resonance data acquisition device to acquire magnetic resonance data from which the respective complex image data sets for at least two different echo times are reconstructed, and operating said magnetic resonance data acquisition device to acquire said magnetic resonance data with regions of high variances or high geometry factors at respectively different spatial positions in the reconstructed complex image data sets for said different echo times.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 comprising acquiring said magnetic resonance data with a magnetic resonance data acquisition unit that comprises a plurality of respectively different reception coils, and operating said magnetic resonance data acquisition unit to acquire said magnetic resonance data with high variances or high frequency factors at different spatial positions for respectively different coils among said plurality of coils.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in said processor, implementing said further processing to determine at least one of a real phase or a T2* relaxation time, with spatial resolution, for an associated echo time difference obtained from the at least one complex division image data set.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 comprising, in said processor, automatically extrapolating the complex image data sets for respectively different echo times, at a common echo time, using said real phase or said T2* relaxation time.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 comprising, in said processor, determining a covariance matrix for each of said complex image data sets, and combining respective extrapolated complex image data sets dependent on the respective co-variance matrices thereof.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising implementing said further processing of said at least one complex division image data set to identify a phase therein, and determining a real phase image for each division image data set and combining said real phase images.

20. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising reconstructing said respective complex image data sets from magnetic resonance data acquired using an echo imaging sequence selected from the group consisting of a multi-echo imaging sequence, a multi-GRE imaging sequence, a segmented EPI imaging sequence, and a single-shot EPI imaging sequence.

21. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising reconstructing said complex image data sets from magnetic resonance data acquired with said echo imaging sequence, using a partially parallel imaging method.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 comprising selecting said partially parallel imaging method from the group consisting of GRAPPA, SMASH and SENSE.

23. A method as claimed in claim 21 comprising acquiring and reconstructing said complex image data sets using a k-TE GRAPPA method.

24. A magnetic resonance system for phase-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging, comprising:

a magnetic resonance data acquisition unit configured to reconstruct respective complex image data sets from magnetic resonance data obtained during at least two different echo times in a magnetic resonance echo imaging sequence;

a processor supplied with said respective complex image data sets, said processor being configured to automatically determine at least one complex division image data set by complex division of the respective complex image data sets for the two different echo times, said two different echo times defining an echo time difference, and said at least one complex division image data set having phase components dependent on said echo time difference; and

said processor being configured to make said at least one complex division image data set available at an output of said processor in a form for further processing.

25. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said storage medium being loaded into a control and evaluation computer system of a magnetic resonance imaging system, and said programming instructions causing said control and evaluation computer system to:

receive respective complex image data sets for at least two different echo times in a magnetic resonance echo imaging sequence, the respective complex image data sets for the different echo times being reconstructed from magnetic resonance data acquired respectively during the different echo times in said echo imaging sequence;

automatically determine at least one complex division image data set by complex division of the respective complex image data sets for the two different echo times, said two different echo times defining an echo time difference, and said at least one complex division image data set having phase components dependent on said echo time difference; and

make said at least one complex division image data set available at an output of said processor in a form for further processing.