UIC-2010-120 – Rapid MRI with High Motion Tolerance

The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) market was worth $858.2 million in 2008. MRI is critical for medical diagnosis in a number of disorders. MRI uses magnetism, radio waves, and computer to produce images of body structures. A magnetic field aligns the protons of hydrogen atoms, which are then exposed to a beam of radio waves. As radio waves spin various protons in the body, the protons emit a signal that is detected by the receiver of the MRI scanner. Received information is processed by a computer to produce an image. Dr. Zhou’s PROPELLER technique presents a more efficient system configuration for MRI. The proposed invention produces MRI using a steer-PROPELLER pulse sequence (steer-PROP), an alternative to the GRASE-PROPELLER sequence. The unique pulse sequence may improve data acquisition efficiency without increasing blade-width, thereby achieving a superior image quality. The technology also addresses a long-standing problem in a fast imaging pulse sequence known as GRASE (gradient and spin echo). Steer-PROP combines novel software and an original hardware adjustment technique. Jonathan Gortat jgortat@otm.uic.edu (312) 413-1643