MAGNETIC RESONANCE ELASTOGRAPHY APPARATUS WITH A MAGNETIC RESONANCE UNIT AND AN ELASTOGRAPHY UNIT

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for a magnetic resonance elastography apparatus comprising a magnetic resonance unit and an elastography unit. The elastography unit has a vibration applicator, which has a vibration generator unit, and a coupling unit for coupling the elastography unit with the magnetic resonance unit. The elastography unit has a drive unit for generating a drive moment for the vibration generator unit, and the drive unit is embodied to be magnetic resonance-compatible.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance (MR) elastography apparatus, comprising: a magnetic resonance imager including a main magnet, gradient coil circuitry, and radio-frequency (RF) coil circuitry; and an elastography device including a vibration applicator, the vibration applicator including a vibration generator and a coupler configured to couple the elastography device to the magnetic resonance imager, wherein the elastography device includes a driver configured to generate a drive moment for the vibration generator, and wherein the driver is magnetic resonance compatible.

2. The MR elastography apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driver is magnetic resonance compatible by neither (i) influencing a magnetic resonance measurement performed by the by the magnetic resonance imager, nor (ii) interacting with a magnetic field, a gradient field, or a radio-frequency field generated by the magnetic resonance imager.

3. The MR elastography apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driver comprises a piezo driver.

4. The MR elastography apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driver is arranged within the vibration applicator.

5. The MR elastography apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driver is arranged within the coupler.

6. The MR elastography apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastography apparatus includes a force transmission element configured to transmit a drive moment generated by the driver to the vibration generator.

7. The MR elastography apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the drive transmission element comprises a transmission shaft.

8. The MR elastography apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the drive transmission element includes a flexible transmission shaft.

9. The MR elastography apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coupler includes a connector element that is compatible with a coil connector element of the magnetic resonance imager for receiving a coil connector of a local RF coil associated with the magnetic resonance imager.

10. The MR elastography apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastography apparatus includes an electrical connection between the coupler and the vibration applicator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

[0020] Further advantages, features and details of the disclosure will become apparent from the exemplary embodiments described below as well as with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an example magnetic resonance elastography apparatus with a magnetic resonance unit and an elastography unit, according to various aspects of the disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an example of the elastography unit, according to various aspects of the disclosure; and

[0023] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of an example elastography unit, according to various aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an example magnetic resonance elastography apparatus with a magnetic resonance unit and an elastography unit, according to various aspects of the disclosure. The magnetic resonance elastography apparatus 10 comprises a magnetic resonance unit (or a magnetic resonance imager, device, or system) 11 and an elastography unit 50. The various units as shown and described herein may implement hardware (e.g., processors), software, or a combination of both. Thus, the various units as described herein may alternatively be referred to as circuitry, an apparatus, or a device.

[0025] The magnetic resonance unit (or MR imager) 11 comprises a scanner unit 12 formed by a magnet unit, which comprises a superconducting main magnet 13 for generating a strong and constant main magnetic field 14. The scanner unit 12 also has a gradient coil unit 15 for generating magnetic field gradients that are used for position encoding during an imaging process. The gradient coil unit is controlled by means of a gradient control unit 16 of the magnetic resonance unit 11. The scanner unit 12 further comprises a radio-frequency coil unit 17 for exciting a polarization, which is produced in the main magnetic field generated by the main magnet. The radio-frequency coil unit 17 is controlled by a radio-frequency coil control unit 18 of the magnetic resonance unit 11 and radiates radio-frequency magnetic resonance sequences into an examination space of the magnetic resonance unit 11, which examination space is substantially formed by a patient receiving region 19 of the magnetic resonance unit 11. Here, the radio-frequency coil unit 17 is integrated in a fixed manner within the scanner unit 12.

[0026] In addition, the magnetic resonance unit 11 has the patient receiving region 19 to accommodate a patient 20. In the present exemplary embodiment, the patient receiving region 19 is embodied cylindrically and is surrounded cylindrically in a peripheral direction by the scanner unit 12. In principle, however, it is conceivable for the patient receiving region 19 to be embodied differently. The patient 20 can be pushed and/or moved by means of a patient positioning apparatus 21 of the magnetic resonance unit 11 into the patient receiving region 19. For this purpose, the patient positioning apparatus 21 has a patient table 22, which is embodied such that it is able to move within the patient receiving region 19.

[0027] The magnetic resonance unit 11 further comprises at least one local radio-frequency coil 23, which is designed to receive magnetic resonance signals during a magnetic resonance examination. The local radio-frequency coil 23 is held against the body region of the patient 20 to be examined for a magnetic resonance examination. In the present exemplary embodiment, the local radio-frequency coil 23 is formed by a body coil. In principle, further embodiments of the local radio-frequency coil 23 in an alternative embodiment of the radio-frequency coils 23 are also conceivable, such as for example a head coil, a neck coil, a knee coil, etc.

[0028] For a transmission of the received magnetic resonance signals from the local radio-frequency coil 23 to the magnetic resonance unit 11, and in particular to a control unit 24 of the magnetic resonance unit 11, the local radio-frequency coil 23 has a connector element 25, in particular a coil connector. The connector element 25, in particular the coil connector of the local radio-frequency coil 23 is configured to be compatible with a coil connector element 26 of the magnetic resonance unit 11. The coil connector element 26 may be configured to receive the connector element 25, in particular the coil connector, of the local radio-frequency coil 23. The coil connector element 26 may be arranged on the patient positioning apparatus 21 and connected via the patient positioning apparatus 21 to the control unit 24 of the magnetic resonance unit 11. The patient positioning apparatus 21 may comprise two or more coil connector elements 26 for connecting and/or coupling two or more local radio-frequency coils simultaneously during a magnetic resonance examination. From the patient positioning apparatus 21, the magnetic resonance signals are transmitted to the control unit 24 by means of a data transmission unit (not shown in detail) of the magnetic resonance unit 11.

[0029] For controlling the main magnet 13, the gradient control unit 16, and for controlling the radio-frequency coil control unit 18, the magnetic resonance unit 11 includes the control unit 24. The control unit 24 may include one or more processors, hardware, and/or software, and may be configured to centrally control the magnetic resonance unit 11, such as for example the performance of a predetermined imaging gradient echo sequence. Furthermore, the control unit 24 comprises an evaluation unit (not shown in detail) for evaluating medical image data, which is acquired during the magnetic resonance examination.

[0030] Furthermore, the magnetic resonance unit 11 comprises a user interface 27, which is connected to the control unit 24. Control information, such as for example imaging parameters and reconstructed magnetic resonance images, can be displayed on a display unit 28, for example on at least one monitor, of the user interface 27 for medical operating personnel. In addition, the user interface 27 has an input unit 29 by means of which information and/or parameters can be input by the medical operating personnel during a scanning procedure.

[0031] The magnetic resonance unit 11 as shown can naturally comprise further, fewer, or alternate components that magnetic resonance units 11 typically have. A general mode of operation of a magnetic resonance unit 11 is moreover known to the person skilled in the art, so that a detailed description of the further components is dispensed.

[0032] The elastography unit 50 of the magnetic resonance elastography apparatus 10 comprises a vibration applicator 51, which has a vibration generator unit 52 (FIGS. 2 and 3). During a magnetic resonance elastography examination of a patient 20, the vibration applicator 51 is arranged directly on the patient 20, in particular on the region of the patient 20 to be examined.

[0033] Furthermore, the elastography unit 50 has a coupling unit 53 (e.g., a coupler) for coupling and/or connecting the elastography unit 50 with the magnetic resonance unit 11. The coupling unit 53 has a connector element 54, which in the present exemplary embodiment is embodied to be compatible with one of the coil connector elements of the magnetic resonance unit 11, in particular of the patient positioning apparatus 21 of the magnetic resonance unit 11 (FIGS. 2 and 3). The elastography unit 50 is thus actuated by means of the control unit 24 of the magnetic resonance unit 11, wherein the control signals from the magnetic resonance unit 11, in particular from the control unit 24, are transmitted via the coupling unit 53 to the elastography unit 50. Furthermore, energy is supplied to the elastography unit 50 by means of the coupling unit 53, in particular the connector element 54 of the elastography unit 50 in a connected state of the coupling unit 53, in particular of the connector element 54.

[0034] Moreover, the elastography unit 50 includes a drive unit (e.g. a driver) 55. The drive unit 55 is designed to generate a drive moment for the vibration generator unit 52 during an elastography examination. Here, the drive unit 55 is embodied to be magnetic resonance-compatible. Here, the drive unit 55 is embodied such that the drive unit 55 neither influences a magnetic resonance measurement nor interacts with the magnetic field and/or a gradient field and/or a radio-frequency field of the magnetic resonance unit 11. The magnetic resonance-compatible drive unit 55 may comprise for instance a piezo drive unit 56, in which the piezoelectric effect is used to generate a drive moment (FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a first exemplary embodiment of the elastography unit 50 in detail. In this exemplary embodiment, the drive unit 55 described with reference to FIG. 1. The piezo drive unit 56 is arranged within the vibration applicator 51. Because the piezo drive unit 56 is embodied to be magnetic resonance-compatible, there is no possibility of it influencing and/or interacting with the magnetic field and/or the gradient field and/or the radio-frequency field of the magnetic resonance unit 11.

[0036] The elastography unit 50 in FIG. 2 also has a force transmission element 57, which transmits a driving force and/or a drive moment from the drive unit 55, e.g. the piezo drive unit 56, to the vibration generator unit 52. On account of the arrangement of the drive unit 55, in particular of the piezo drive unit 56 within the vibration applicator 51, the force transmission element 57 is also arranged within the vibration applicator 51. Here, the force transmission element 57 comprises a transmission shaft 58. On account of the arrangement of the drive unit 55, in particular of the piezo drive unit 56 within the vibration applicator 51, a particularly compact force transmission element 57, in particular a compact transmission shaft 58, can be used. Moreover, in a further development of the disclosure, the force transmission element 57 can also have an alternative embodiment to a transmission shaft 58, such as for example a toothed wheel and/or a gear element, etc.

[0037] The elastography unit 50 further has an electrical connection 59, which is arranged between the coupling unit 53 and the vibration applicator 51, in order to transmit control signals from the control unit 24 of the magnetic resonance unit 11 to the vibration applicator 51 and/or to enable the vibration applicator 51 to be supplied with energy via the magnetic resonance unit 11.

[0038] The coupling unit 53 of the elastography unit 50 shown in FIG. 2 is implemented in accordance with the explanations for the coupling unit 53 as shown and described with respect to FIG. 1. In addition, an embodiment of the vibration generator unit 52 is also embodied in accordance with the explanations for FIG. 1.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment of the elastography unit 50. In principle, components, features and functions remaining substantially the same are identified with the same reference characters. The following description includes the differences from the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2, with reference being made to the description of the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2 with respect to components, features, and functions that remain the same.

[0040] The elastography unit 50 shown in FIG. 3 has a drive unit 55, in particular a piezo drive unit 56, which is arranged within the coupling unit 53. As a result, the vibration applicator 51 has a particularly compact design and thus enables a high level of patient comfort during a magnetic resonance elastography examination.

[0041] In addition, the elastography unit 50 in FIG. 3 includes a force transmission element 57. In the present exemplary embodiment, the force transmission element 57 transmits a driving force and/or a drive moment from the drive unit 55, in particular the piezo drive unit 56, within the coupling unit 53 to the vibration generator unit 52 within the vibration applicator 51. The force transmission element 57 is thus arranged between the coupling unit 53 and the vibration applicator 51. The force transmission element 57 has a transmission shaft 60, wherein in the present exemplary embodiment the force transmission element 57, in particular the transmission shaft 60, has a flexible transmission shaft 60, such as for instance a flexible shaft. The flexible transmission shaft 60 is embodied in particular to be bendable and/or pliable, so that the vibration applicator 51 can be positioned on the patient 20 in a flexible manner in relation to the coupling unit 53.

[0042] The connector element 54 of the coupling unit 53 of the elastography unit 50 shown in FIG. 2 may be implemented in accordance with the explanations for the coupling unit 53 as shown and described herein with respect to FIG. 1. In addition, an embodiment of the vibration generator unit 52 may also be implemented in accordance with the explanations for FIG. 1.

[0043] The elastography units 50 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 can naturally comprise further, fewer, or alternate components in which elastography units 50 typically have. A general mode of operation of an elastography unit 50 is moreover known to the person skilled in the art, so that a detailed description of the further components is dispensed.

[0044] Although the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail on the basis of the preferred exemplary embodiments, the disclosure is not limited by the disclosed examples, and other variations may be derived by the person skilled in the art without leaving the scope of protection of the disclosure.