A new excitation pulse sequence for the acquisition of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data of particular usefulness in Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA).

 

Summary of Invention:

This invention describes a new excitation pulse sequence for the acquisition of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data of particular usefulness in Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA). MRA is a specialized non-invasive MRI approach for imaging the flow of blood within arteries and veins within specific organs or regions of the human body. The successful development of a MRI approach for MRA depends on an ability to image the contrast between flowing blood and surrounding stationary tissues. One MRI method used to enhance the quality and contrast of MRA has been to image a series of thin slabs that can later be linked together to obtain a full set of information. Unfortunately, thin slab methods have suffered from artifacts due to imperfect excitation profiles and the overlap or fall-off of signals at the boundaries. Artifacts may account for losses of up to 50% of the MRI data acquired during MRA, false depictions of vessel lumen diameter, or overestimation of the extent of vascular disease (e.g., stenosis, atherosclerosis). 

In the present invention, a new MRI thin slab data acquisition strategy named SLINKY is described, that interleaves data obtained from adjacent thin slabs, eliminating any variation in signal intensity and artifacts from MRA images. SLINKY pulse sequences for MRA are fully compatible for incorporation within existing and new MRI instrumentation. In comparison to conventional methods, SLINKY allows for a more accurate depiction of vascular morphology without a need for further reconstruction or computation following the use of MRI for MRA.

 

Market Opportunity:

According to the American Heart Association, over 61.8 million Americans suffer from one or more types of cardiovascular disease, with a total direct cost for diagnosis and treatment of $209.3 billion. The current standard for early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease is X-ray angiography, a highly invasive, catheter-based procedure with a risk of adverse side effects. More than 4.5 million X-ray angiograms are performed each year at a cost of greater than $10 billion in the United States. The use of MRI for MRA is a more cost effective, non-invasive, and safer alternative to X-ray angiography. The direct costs of performing MRI for MRA would be less than half those incurred during X-ray angiography. Currently, there are more than 13,000 MRI instruments installed worldwide that could be equipped with SLINKY and this number is expected to grow by about 5% per year for the foreseeable future