Method for Determining Sodium Values Describing the 23Na+ Content and Local Coil

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This patent describes a method for accurately measuring the sodium (23Na+) content in specific regions within a patient's body using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The technique involves taking specialized sodium images and comparing them to reference images from known sodium concentrations. The method can use a special local coil with an integrated phantom, allowing simultaneous acquisition of both patient and reference data.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Non-invasive assessment of sodium concentration in tissues for diagnosing or monitoring diseases such as kidney disorders, hypertension, or cystic fibrosis.
• Tracking changes in sodium content in the brain for neurological research or conditions like stroke, tumors, or epilepsy.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of therapies aimed at regulating sodium balance in organs.
• Quantitative imaging in clinical and research settings to gain insights into metabolic and cellular processes involving sodium.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables precise and non-invasive measurement of sodium content in specific regions of the body.
• Improves diagnostic capabilities for diseases related to sodium imbalance.
• Provides standardized, reproducible results by using integrated phantoms for direct reference during MRI scanning.
• Improves comparison between patient data and reference standards, enhancing the reliability of sodium quantification.
• Potentially accelerates research into diseases and physiological processes involving sodium ions.

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Patent Abstract

In a method to determine at least one sodium value describing the 23Na+ content in at least one region of interest in a target region in the body of a patient, at least one sodium image data set of the target region is acquired with a magnetic resonance imaging device using sodium-23 imaging, the sodium image data set including image data dependent on the occurrence of sodium. The at least one region of interest is defined for which the sodium value is to be determined in the sodium image data set. The sodium value is determined by comparison of the image data in the region of interest with reference image data of at least one subject with a defined 23Na+ content, the reference image data having been acquired with the same sequence. A local coil can be used to implement the method that has a phantom integrated therein that allows the sodium image data set and the reference image data to be acquired together.