NMR Imaging method and apparatus

Claim 1

A method of forming computed images of materials within a body based on measurements of NMR characteristics of the body comprising the steps of selecting a set of values for at least one parameter including pulse delay τ or repetition time T R to be used in a small number of NMR measurements, making the measurements using those selected parameters in a predetermined NMR pulse sequence and collecting data from which an image of the body can be formed, calculating selected intrinsic parameters from the collected data for each point in a matrix of points in the body, the intrinsic parameters including at least one of spin-lattice relaxation time T 1 , spin-spin relaxation time T 2 and net magnetization or proton density M o , and computing for each point in the matrix a signal representative of a brightness based on the intrinsic parameters an arbitrary set of selectable values and a selected pulse sequence, thereby forming a matrix of brightness signal levels from which an image can be synthesized and displayed.

Claim 2

A method of forming computed images of materials within a body based on measurements of NMR characteristics of the body comprising the steps of selecting a set of values for at least one parameter including pulse delay τ or repetition time T R to be used in a small number of NMR measurements, making the measurements using those selected parameters in a predetermined NMR pulse sequence and collecting data from which an image of the body can be formed, calculating selected intrinsic parameters from the collected data for each point in a matrix of points in the body, the intrinsic parameters including at least one of spin-lattice relaxation time T 1 , spin-spin relaxation time T 2 and net magnetization or proton density M o , and computing for each point in the matrix a signal representative of a brightness based on the intrinsic parameters an arbitrary set of selectable values and a selected pulse sequence, thereby forming a matrix of brightness signal levels from which an image can be synthesized and displayed.

Claim 9

A method of forming computed images of materials within a body based on measurements of NMR characteristics of the body comprising the steps of selecting a set of values for at least one parameter including pulse delay τ or repetition time T R to be used in a small number of NMR measurements, making the measurements using those selected parameters in a predetermined NMR pulse sequence and collecting data from which an image of the body can be formed, calculating selected intrinsic parameters from the collected data for each point in a matrix of points in the body, the intrinsic parameters including at least one of spin-lattice relaxation time T 1 , spin-spin relaxation time T 2 and net magnetization or proton density M o , and repetitively computing for each point in the matrix a signal representative of a brightness based on the intrinsic parameters, a set of selectable parameters and a selected pulse sequence thereby forming a matrix of brightness signal levels from which an image can be synthesized, displaying and observing the synthesized images while concurrently and interactively altering the selectable parameters to obtain images having optimum contrast for visually chosen features.

Claim 10

A method of forming computed images of materials within a body based on measurements of NMR characteristics of the body comprising the steps of selecting a set of values for at least one parameter including pulse delay τ or repetition time T R to be used in a small number of NMR measurements, making the measurements using those selected parameters in a predetermined NMR pulse sequence and collecting data from which an image of the body can be formed, calculating selected intrinsic parameters from the collected data for each point in a matrix of points in the body, the intrinsic parameters including at least one of spin-lattice relaxation time T 1 , spin-spin relaxation time T 2 and net magnetization or proton density M o , and repetitively computing for each point in the matrix a signal representative of a brightness based on the intrinsic parameters, a set of selectable parameters and a selected pulse sequence thereby forming a matrix of brightness signal levels from which an image can be synthesized, displaying and observing the synthesized images while concurrently and interactively altering the selectable parameters to obtain images having optimum contrast for visually chosen features.