MAGNETIC RESONANCE EXAMINATION SYSTEM WITH A MOVEABLE PATIENT CARRIER

Abstract

A magnetic resonance examination system in which the patient carrier is mounted moveably in a direction transverse to the support surface and an RF antenna having a fixed geometrical relation to the support surface.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance examination system comprising an examination zone a magnet to apply a static magnetic field in the examination zone a patient carrier with a support surface an RF antenna having a fixed geometrical relation to the support surface, wherein the patient carrier is mounted moveably in a direction transverse to the support surface.

2. A magnetic resonance examination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnet has a supporting frame and is provided with a bridge member mounted to the supporting frame and moveably in the direction transverse to the support surface and wherein the bridge member supports the patient carrier.

3. A magnetic resonance examination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnet is a cylindrical shaped magnet with a bore in which the examination zone is located, wherein skirt pieces are provided between the bridge member and the bore's inner wall or the patient carrier and the bore's inner wall.

4. A magnetic resonance examination system as claimed in claim 3, in which the skirt pieces are flexibly mounted to the bridge member or the patient carrier.

5. A magnetic resonance examination system as claimed in claim 3 in which the skirt pieces are formed from a flexible material, formed as flexibly coupled skirt elements, or formed as inflatable skirt elements.

6. A magnetic resonance examination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a drive system is provided to control the movement of the patient carrier, the drive system having one or more actuators to drive the patient carrier and a drive-control module to control the actuators.

7. A magnetic resonance examination system as claimed in claim 6, in which the patient carrier is further mounted moveably parallel to the support surface.

8. A magnetic resonance examination system as claimed in claim 6, provided with a scan control module to control the acquisition of magnetic resonance signals and wherein the drive-control module is coupled to the scan control and configured to drive the patient carrier to compensate motion caused by the acquisition of the magnetic resonance signals.

9. A magnetic resonance examination system as claimed in claim 6, further provided with a gradient coil to apply temporary gradient magnetic field in the examination zone, a gradient amplifier to supply electrical current to the gradient coil, the scan control module having a gradient controller to control the gradient amplifier and wherein the drive control module is coupled to the gradient controller so as to control the movement of the patient carrier to compensate motion due to switching of the gradient magnetic field.

10. A magnetic resonance examination system as claimed in claim 6, comprising an RF module to generate RF fields in the examination zone, a gradient module to generate gradient magnetic fields in the examination zone, wherein the drive system is configured to drive the actuators such that material waves are generated in a subject placed on the support surface and wherein the RF module and the gradient module are configured to acquired magnetic resonance elastography signals that are generated from the subject due to the material waves.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically a magnetic resonance imaging system in which the invention is used;

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a front elevation of a magnetic resonance imaging system in which the invention is used and

[0027] FIG. 3 shows a side elevation a magnetic resonance imaging system in which the invention is used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0028] FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically a magnetic resonance imaging system in which the invention is used. The magnetic resonance imaging system includes a main magnet with a set of main coils 10 whereby the steady, uniform magnetic field is generated. The main coils are constructed, for example in such a manner that they from a bore to enclose a tunnel-shaped examination space. The patient to be examined is placed on a patient carrier which is slid into this tunnel-shaped examination space. The magnetic resonance imaging system also includes a number of gradient coils 11, 12 whereby magnetic fields exhibiting spatial variations, notably in the form of temporary gradients in individual directions, are generated so as to be superposed on the uniform magnetic field. The gradient coils 11, 12 are connected to a gradient control 21 which includes one or more gradient amplifier and a controllable power supply unit. The gradient coils 11, 12 are energised by application of an electric current by means of the power supply unit 21; to this end the power supply unit is fitted with electronic gradient amplification circuit that applies the electric current to the gradient coils so as to generate gradient pulses (also termed gradient waveforms) of appropriate temporal shape. The strength, direction and duration of the gradients are controlled by control of the power supply unit. The magnetic resonance imaging system also includes transmission and receiving antennae (coils or coil arrays) 13, 16 for generating the RF excitation pulses and for picking up the magnetic resonance signals, respectively. The transmission coil 13 is preferably constructed as a body coil 13 whereby (a part of) the object to be examined can be enclosed. The body coil is usually arranged in the magnetic resonance imaging system in such a manner that the patient 30 to be examined is enclosed by the body coil 13 when he or she is arranged in the magnetic resonance imaging system. The body coil 13 acts as a transmission antenna for the transmission of the RF excitation pulses and RF refocusing pulses. Preferably, the body coil 13 involves a spatially uniform intensity distribution of the transmitted RF pulses (RFS). The same coil or antenna is generally used alternately as the transmission coil and the receiving coil. Typically, a receiving coil includes a multiplicity of elements, each typically forming a single loop. Various geometries of the shape of the loop and the arrangement of various elements are possible The transmission and receiving coil 13 is connected to an electronic transmission and receiving circuit 15.

[0029] It is to be noted that is that there is one (or a few) RF antenna elements that can act as transmit and receive; additionally, typically, the user may choose to employ an application-specific receive antenna that typically is formed as an array of receive-elements. For example, surface coil arrays 16 can be used as receiving and/or transmission coils. Such surface coil arrays have a high sensitivity in a comparatively small volume. The receiving coil is connected to a preamplifier 23. The preamplifier 23 amplifies the RF resonance signal (MS) received by the receiving coil 16 and the amplified RF resonance signal is applied to a demodulator 24. The receiving antennae, such as the surface coil arrays, are connected to a demodulator 24 and the received pre-amplified magnetic resonance signals (MS) are demodulated by means of the demodulator 24. The pre-amplifier 23 and demodulator 24 may be digitally implemented and integrated in the surface coil array The demodulated magnetic resonance signals (DMS) are applied to a reconstruction unit. The demodulator 24 demodulates the amplified RF resonance signal. The demodulated resonance signal contains the actual information concerning the local spin densities in the part of the object to be imaged. Furthermore, the transmission and receiving circuit 15 is connected to a modulator 22. The modulator 22 and the transmission and receiving circuit 15 activate the transmission coil 13 so as to transmit the RF excitation and refocusing pulses. In particular the surface receive coil arrays 16 are coupled to the transmission and receive circuit by way of a wireless link. Magnetic resonance signal data received by the surface coil arrays 16 are transmitted to the transmission and receiving circuit 15 and control signals (e.g. to tune and detune the surface coils) are sent to the surface coils over the wireless link.

[0030] The reconstruction unit derives one or more image signals from the demodulated magnetic resonance signals (DMS), which image signals represent the image information of the imaged part of the object to be examined. The reconstruction unit 25 in practice is constructed preferably as a digital image processing unit 25 which is programmed so as to derive from the demodulated magnetic resonance signals the image signals which represent the image information of the part of the object to be imaged. The signal on the output of the reconstruction is applied to a monitor 26, so that the reconstructed magnetic resonance image can be displayed on the monitor. It is alternatively possible to store the signal from the reconstruction unit 25 in a buffer unit 27 while awaiting further processing or display.

[0031] The magnetic resonance imaging system according to the invention is also provided with a control unit 20, for example in the form of a computer which includes a (micro)processor. The control unit 20 controls the execution of the RF excitations and the application of the temporary gradient fields. To this end, the computer program according to the invention is loaded, for example, into the control unit 20 and the reconstruction unit 25.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a front elevation of a magnetic resonance imaging system in which the invention is used. FIG. 2 shows the magnet frame 101 in which the main coils, gradient coil and the RF body coil are mounted. The main coils are cylindrical and form the bore 115. Within the bore 115 the examination zone 111 is located from which magnetic resonance signal from the patient to be examined can be acquired. The homogeneity region 117 is a generally spherical or ellipsoidal region in which the main magnetic field has a high degree of spatial homogeneity. Typically a main magnet field homogeneity of 2ppm over a 25cm radius spherical volume is achieved. Also the gradient magnetic fields only have very small deviations from linearity. The magnet frame 101 is placed on the floor 109 of the examination room. The patient table top 14 is mounted on the bridge member 103. The bridge member is mounted to be moveable in the direction transverse to the surface of the table top, in this example in the vertical direction. The actuators 105 are provided mounted to the frame and operate to move the bridge member in the transverse direction, i.e. up and down as shown by the double arrows.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a side elevation of a magnetic resonance imaging system in which the invention is used. In FIG. 3, the patient to be examined is shown on the table top 14, but still located outside the examination zone 111 of the magnetic resonance examination system. The table top 14 rests on a pedestal 113 and can be translated into the examination zone in the magnet frame 101. The RF coil array 17 is already placed on the patient's body. The RF coil array 17 may be actually be directly placed on the patient's body, or a separate coil support may be mounted to the table top 14 to which the RF coil array can be attached. The skirt pieces 107 are shown flexibly mounted to the bridge member 103 and reach onto the inner wall of the examination zone. During movement of the bridge member, the skirt pieces cover the gap between the bridge member and the inner wall and also between the table top and the inner wall. The actuators 105 are hydraulic actuators that are driven by a hydraulic system 113 that is located in the pedestal 113. Alternatively, piezo-electric actuators can be employed together with an electrical drive and control module to control the actuators to drive the bridge member to be displaced in the vertical direction. The drive and control module 113 may also be combined with the motion control 32 for controlling the table to be moved longitudinally into and out of the bore.