Method of detecting and compensating for faults in an MRI process

1. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set; and

generating images from the modified data set;

wherein the removed data are replaced after the scanning procedure has finished.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating data during performance of an MRI scan to provide the received MRI scan data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data are analyzed by a human operator after a scanning procedure.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the generated data are likely undesirable, based on the comparison.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one statistical boundary is two-dimensional.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one statistical boundary is three-dimensional.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the at least one statistical boundary includes establishing at least one threshold for the data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein establishing at least one threshold for the data includes establishing at least one threshold for derivatives of the data.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining whether the generated data are likely undesirable includes identifying data as undesirable if the data exceed a predetermined number of the at least one threshold.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one statistical boundary includes a value based on object bandwidth.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one statistical boundary includes a value based on slew rate.

12. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set; and

generating images from the modified data set;

wherein the removed data are replaced before the scanning procedure has finished.

13. The method of claim 12 ,

further comprising generating data during performance of an MRI scan to provide the received MRI scan data,

wherein the data are analyzed by a computer controlling an MRI scanning apparatus during a scanning procedure.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining whether the generated data are likely undesirable, based on the comparison.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one statistical boundary is two-dimensional.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one statistical boundary is three-dimensional.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining the at least one statistical boundary includes establishing at least one threshold for the data.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein establishing at least one threshold for the data includes establishing at least one threshold for derivatives of the data.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein determining whether the generated data are likely undesirable includes identifying data as undesirable if the data exceed a predetermined number of the at least one threshold.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one statistical boundary includes a value based on object bandwidth.

21. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one statistical boundary includes a value based on slew rate.

22. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set; and

generating images from the modified data set;

wherein replacing the removed data with substitute data includes averaging values of adjacent data points.

23. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set; and

generating images from the modified data set;

wherein replacing the removed data with substitute data includes transposing data from a corresponding symmetrically-opposing point in K-space.

24. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set; and

generating images from the modified data set;

wherein the substitute data includes data corresponding to adjacent data points.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein replacing the removed data with substitute data includes replacing the entire phase encode level corresponding to the data that are likely to be undesirable with adjacent encode levels.

26. The method of claim 24 , wherein replacing the removed data with substitute data includes replacing phase encode levels corresponding to consecutive data points that are likely to be undesirable with a polynomial interpolation of phase encode levels based on data adjacent to the consecutive data points.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the polynomial interpolation is a linear interpolation.

28. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set; and

generating images from the modified data set;

wherein the at least one statistical boundary includes a value based on background noise.

29. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set;

generating images from the modified data set;

performing a first scan; and

determining expected scan boundaries for a later based on results of the first scan;

wherein the at least one statistical boundary includes a value based on the expected scan boundaries.

30. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set;

generating images from the modified data set;

performing a first scan; and

determining expected scan boundaries for a later based on results of the first scan;

wherein the first scan is a T1 scan, and the expected scan boundaries are T2 scan boundaries.

31. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set; and

generating images from the modified data set;

wherein observing the data in K-space includes observing K-space in the time domain; and

wherein determining whether the generated data are likely undesirable includes marking as undesirable a phase encode level corresponding to the data that have been determined to be likely undesirable based on observation of K-space in the time domain.

32. The method of claim 31 , further comprising marking a component in time corresponding to the likely undesirable data.

33. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set; and

generating images from the modified data set;

wherein observing the data in K-space includes observing K-space in the time domain; and

further comprising observing K-space along a phase encode direction.

34. The method of claim 33 , wherein determining whether the generated data are likely undesirable includes marking as undesirable data points corresponding to the data determined to be likely undesirable based on observation of K-space along the phase encode direction.

35. The method of claim 34 , further comprising marking a component in time corresponding to the likely undesirable data.

36. The method of claim 33 , further comprising comparing data determined to be undesirable based on observation of K-space in the time domain with data determined to be likely undesirable based on observation of K-space along the phase encode direction, to provide a verified comparison result.

37. The method of claim 36 , wherein determining whether the generated data are likely undesirable includes making a final determination as to whether the generated data are likely undesirable based on the verified comparison result.

38. The method of claim 37 , wherein removing data that have been determined to be likely undesirable is based on the final determination.

39. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set;

generating images from the modified data set; and

observing K-space along a phase encode direction.

40. The method of claim 39 , wherein determining whether the generated data are likely undesirable includes marking as undesirable data points corresponding to the data determined to be likely undesirable based on observation of K-space along the phase encode direction.

41. The method of claim 40 , further comprising marking a component in time corresponding to the likely undesirable data.

42. A method of detecting and compensating for MRI scan errors, comprising:

receiving MRI scan data;

determining at least one statistical boundary for the generated data;

observing the data in K-space;

comparing the observed K-space data to the determined at least one statistical boundary;

removing data that are likely undesirable, based on the comparison result;

replacing the removed data with substitute data to modify the data set;

generating images from the modified data set; and

observing the K-space data in the spectral domain;

wherein observing the K-space data in the spectral domain includes selecting an area of the K-space spectrum in which only noise is expected.

43. The method of claim 42 , further comprising comparing an average data level in the selected area of the K-space spectrum to a threshold level.

44. The method of claim 43 , wherein the threshold level corresponds to an expected noise level in the selected area of the K-space spectrum.

45. The method of claim 43 , wherein the threshold level is an expected noise level in the selected area of the K-space spectrum.