Oxford: Correcting variations in image intensity in MRI

05 Nov 2008 | News

Business Lead, Development Opportunity

Oxford University’s tech transfer company, Isis Innovation, is looking for companies interested in the commercialisation of a new method for correcting image intensity variations in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). According to Isis, this method speeds diagnosis and lowers costs, without causing a loss of clinical information.

Intensity variations in MRI images cause the same tissue to have brightness variations across the image. In severe cases this can result in ineffective image registration and segmentation, inefficient use of the radiologist’s time and delayed diagnosis.

Current methods to correct the image based on a series of body and surface coil calibration images require excessive scanning time or afford little improvement. The Oxford invention uses a new approach that requires a minimal increase in scan and processing time, and reduces the need for on-screen image manipulation by the radiologist. Moreover, this approach does not remove any clinically important information.

Subject of a patent application in the USA, the technique has been tested on a variety of MRI configurations and anatomies, and could be implemented on existing 1.5 T and new 3.0 T MRI systems.


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