A method and apparatus for limiting an RF alternating magnetic field in MRI. The method includes: measuring a perpendicular distance between a local coil placed on a scanned part of a patient and the center of a detection hole of a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner; based on the perpendicular distance, determining a deviation between the B1 field strength at the position of the local coil during an MR scan and the B1 field strength at the center of the detection hole; based on the deviation, computing a conversion coefficient for conversion between the B1 field strength at the position of the local coil and the B1 field strength at the center of the detection hole; based on the B1 field strength required when the surface temperature of the local coil is equal to a safe temperature upper limit and the conversion coefficient, computing a maximum permissible field strength of the B1 field at the center of the detection hole. The B1 field may be limited to a smaller but still effective field strength range, reducing wastage of B1 field performance while ensuring patient safety and MR imaging quality

A magnetic resonance imaging system comprises a field generation unit and a supporting structure for providing structural support for the field generation unit, wherein the field generation unit comprises at least one magnet for generating a B0 magnetic field and an opening configured to provide access to an imaging volume positioned in the B0 magnetic field along at least one direction and wherein the at least one direction is angled with respect to a main direction of magnetic field lines of the B0 magnetic field in the imaging volume.

A head-up display and eye-tracker system, suitable for use with a patient in an MRI tube during an MRI procedure. An electronic display assembly includes an outer display tube housing for housing an electronic display device for generating images, the outer tube housing fabricated of an electrically conductive, non-ferrous material. An eye-tracker camera assembly includes an outer camera tube housing for housing an electronic camera sensor, the outer tube camera housing fabricated of an electrically conductive, non-ferrous material. An eyepiece assembly includes an outer housing. A beam splitter assembly includes a beam splitter block having a receptacle holding a beam splitter, the block formed of an electrically conductive, non-ferrous material. The beam splitter reflects light from the display onto the patient's eye, and allows light reflected from the patient's eye to pass to the camera sensor. In another embodiment as a display system, the eye-tracker camera assembly is omitted.

The present disclosure relates to an ear protection system (200) for a medical imaging device. It comprises an ear protection device (210), adapted to be fitted around or in the ears of a patient (P) to be imaged, and at least comprising a first communication interface (211) and at least one sensor device (212) adapted to determine a measurement of noise passing through the ear protection device (210) towards the ears of the patient. The system (200) further comprises a controllable signal emitter (230), adapted to output a proxy signal representing an expected imaging device noise and to be measured by the at least one sensor device (212), and a patient assistance device (220), adapted to assist the patient to fit the ear protection device (210), and at least comprising a second communication interface. During a preparation phase of the patient preceding an imaging phase using the medical imaging device, the ear protection device (210) and the patient assistance device (220) are communicatively connected to each other via the first and second communication interface, and the patient assistance device (220) generates assisting instructions to the patient depending on an evaluation of the proxy signal and the measurement of noise passing through the ear protection device (210) determined by the sensor device (212).

This disclosure provides a device (10) for preparing a patient for examination in a medical magnetic resonance imaging environment. The device comprises: at least one stimulation unit (11), adapted to operate separately from a magnetic stimulation used in the medical magnetic resonance imaging environment, and to intentionally stimulate a nerve and/or a muscle of a peripheral body part of the patient by applying an electrical and/or magnetic stimulation different from the magnetic stimulation used in the medical magnetic resonance imaging environment and being a proxy thereof; and at least one data processing unit (12), adapted to control the at least one stimulation unit to apply the electrical and/or magnetic stimulation to which at least one patient stimulation threshold is assigned; means for using the stimulation for communicating with the patient.

The present disclosure provides a system. The system may include a medical device, a couch, one or more imaging devices, and a control device. The medical device may include a cavity. The couch may be configured to support a subject. The one or more imaging devices may be configured to acquire image data. The image data may indicate at least one of a target portion of the subject or posture information of a user. The control device may be configured to control a movement of the couch based on at least one of position information of the target portion of the subject or the posture information of the user.

Patient headphones (50) for use in a medical scanning modality, comprising a frame member (52), two ear cups (54) that, in an operational state of the patient headphones (50), are arranged to be in contact with one of the patient's ears, and a sensor system (60), the sensor system (60) including optical emitters (64) that are configured for directing electromagnetic radiation to a portion of the patient's skin, and optical sensors (68) that are configured for receiving the electromagnetic radiation being returned from the portion of the patient's skin, and for providing an output signal that corresponds to the received electromagnetic radiation, wherein the output signal is indicative of at least one physiological parameter of the patient and serves as a basis for determining the at least one physiological parameter of the patient; —a patient headphones system (48) for use in a medical scanning modality (10), comprising an embodiment of such patient headphones (50) and a data acquisition and analysis unit (76) that is configured to ac quire output signals of the optical sensors (68) and to analyze the acquired output signals by applying pre-determined criteria related to the output signals, and to provide a trigger output signal (80) if one of the pre-determined criteria is fulfilled; —a medical scanning modality (10) that is configured for contact-free acquisition of scanning data of at least a portion of a subject of interest (20), in particular a patient, comprising an embodiment of such patient headphones system (48), wherein the medical imaging modality (10) is in particular formed as a magnetic resonance imaging system.

In a magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus and an operating method wherein the MR apparatus has a scanner with a patient table that can be moved into a patient receiving region of the scanner, the patient table is held in an extended loading position, and three-dimensional scanning data describing the surface of a patient positioned in the loading position on the patient table are recorded with a 3D camera, which has a field of view that covers the patient table in the loading position. For the determination of at least one patient-related recording parameter, the scanning data are evaluated for the subsequent recording MR data.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acoustic system includes a magnet; an electro-acoustic transducer that includes a coil through which a current flows so that an attractive force or a repulsive force is generated with respect to the magnet, and a vibrating plate that vibrates in response to the attractive force or the repulsive force; and a controller that controls an intensity of a current input to the electro-acoustic transducer according to a position of the electro-acoustic transducer in a magnetic field generated by the magnet.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus includes a housing which has a bore to which a magnetic field for use in an MRI scan is applied, a moving table on which an inspection target may be placed and that enters the bore of the housing, a projector which projects an image onto an inner wall that forms the bore of the housing, and a controller which controls the projection unit and transmits a video signal to the projector.