This technology is a hybrid motion correction technique that uses retrospective and prospective techniques to prevent blurring, ghosting, and deformation in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
MRI machines are among the most expensive forms of medical imaging equipment, often costing over $500 per hour of operation, and are fundamental for both daily clinical applications and scientific studies. However, even the slightest of subject movement can significantly negatively impact fMRI scanning, causing blurring and deformation of acquired images. Currently, the standard method for motion correction is to simply remove any contaminated volumes that are acquired during movement. While there are additional methods that attempt to correct motion either retrospectively or prospectively, there are currently no methods which are able to correct motion both in real-time and during subsequent image processing.
This technology is a hybrid motion correction technique for fMRI that utilizes a combination of head motion tracking inside the scanner and navigator echo shots optimized for accurate motion measurements during slice acquisition. It uses a custom modified inverse Fourier transform algorithm for in-plane retrospective motion correction and a projection for out-of-plane prospective motion correction. The algorithm has shown a significant reduction in blurring, ghosting, and deformation of acquired slices in initial simulations.
Patent Pending
IR CU18404
Licensing Contact: Ron Katz