Julien Sngas1, Torbjoern Vik1, Jens von Berg1, Peter Koken1, Juergen Gieseke2, 3, Vincent Denolin4, Roy Knig3, Stefan Sunaert5
1Philips Research Laboratories, Hamburg, Germany; 2Philips Healthcare, Best, Netherlands; 3Radiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; 4Philips Healthcare, Brussels, Belgium; 5Medical Imaging Center, Radiology, Catholic University of Leuven, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
MRI based monitoring of cerebral diseases such as brain tumors and multiple-sclerosis requires a precise comparison of the signal intensity and structure between baseline and follow-up exams. To minimize visual changes due to variations in patient positioning and scan planning, an accurate replication of the baseline acquisition geometry is desired. If done manually by visual inspection of the baseline images, this is a very tedious, time-consuming procedure with limited accuracy. In this work, we propose a general approach for automated scan planning in follow-up exams that only requires the baseline diagnostic images as input, with no further restrictions on the baseline exam as far as types of MR sequences, of MR scanner (vendor, field strength) or of planning (automated or manual) are concerned. Results from a preliminary study based on a retrospective analysis of volunteer and patient scans are presented.
Keywords