METHOD AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING APPLICATION INFORMATION FOR A MAGNETIC RESONANCE EXAMINATION OF A PATIENT

Abstract

In a method for providing application information for a magnetic resonance examination of a patient using a magnetic resonance apparatus, position data are provided to a control computer of the apparatus from a mobile accessory unit, wherein the mobile accessory unit is arranged during the magnetic resonance examination at least partially around the patient's body region that is to be examined. The control computer generates application information as a function of the position data from the mobile accessory unit, and emits the application information to a user.

Claims

1. A method for providing application information about a magnetic resonance (MR) examination of a patient, to be conducted in an MR data acquisition scanner of an MR apparatus, said MR data acquisition scanner having a patient-receiving opening therein, said method comprising: placing a mobile accessory unit so as to extend at least partially around a body region of a patient to be examined using said MR data acquisition scanner; from said mobile accessory unit that extends at least partially around said body region, providing a position data input to a computer that operates the MR data acquisition scanner, said position data input describing a position of said body region relative to said patient opening; in said computer, using said position data input to generate at least one item of information associated with operation of said MR data acquisition scanner; and making said at least one item of information available from the computer in electronic form to an operator of the MR data acquisition scanner.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mobile accessory unit is a component of a local MR coil of said MR data acquisition scanner.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said examination involves use of an intervention instrument, and wherein said mobile accessory unit is incorporated in said interventional instrument.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said patient opening has a homogeneity volume therein of said MR data acquisition scanner, and comprising placing said mobile accessory unit so as to extend at least partially around said body region in order to cause said mobile accessory unit to be placed at an edge region of said homogeneity volume.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said patient opening has a homogeneity volume therein of said MR data acquisition scanner, and comprising placing said mobile accessory unit so as to extend at least partially around said body region in order to cause said mobile accessory unit to be placed at least partially outside of said homogeneity volume.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one item of information comprises safety information.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein said safety information identifies an incorrect positioning of said mobile accessory unit relative to said opening of said MR data acquisition scanner.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one item of information is selected from the group consisting of a measurement program that is adjusted dependent on the position of the mobile accessory unit relative to said opening, and a measurement protocol that is adjusted dependent on the position of the mobile accessory unit relative to said opening.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising, in said computer, automatically adjusting said measurement program or said measurement protocol dependent on the position of the mobile accessory unit relative to said opening.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one item of information comprises a designation of a measurement center for said examination, said measurement center being situated at a central region of said mobile accessory unit.

11. A magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus comprising: an MR data acquisition scanner having a patient-receiving opening therein; a computer configured to operate said MR data acquisition scanner; a mobile accessory unit adapted to be placed on a patient in the MR data acquisition scanner so as to extend at least partially around a body region of the patient; said mobile accessory unit that extends at least partially around said body region being configured to provide a position data input to said computer, said position data input describing a position of said body region relative to said patient opening; said computer being configured to use said position data input to generate at least one item of information associated with operation of said MR data acquisition scanner; and said computer being configured to make said at least one item of information available from the computer in electronic form to an operator of the MR data acquisition scanner.

12. A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said storage medium being loaded into a control computer of a magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus comprising an MR data acquisition scanner having a patient opening therein, and a mobile accessory unit that extends at least partially around a body region of a patient to be examined using said MR data acquisition scanner, said programming instructions causing said computer to: receive from said mobile accessory unit that extends at least partially around said body region, a position data input, said position data input describing a position of said body region relative to said patient opening; use said position data input to generate at least one item of information associated with operation of said MR data acquisition scanner; and make said at least one item of information available from the computer in electronic form to an operator of the MR data acquisition scanner.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG. 1 shows an inventive magnetic resonance apparatus having a mobile accessory unit, in a schematic representation.

[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates positioning of the mobile accessory unit in an edge region of a homogeneity volume of the magnetic resonance scanner.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows the basic steps of the inventive method for providing application information for a magnetic resonance examination of a patient.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] FIG. 1 shows schematically a magnetic resonance apparatus 10. The magnetic resonance apparatus 10 has a scanner 11 that has a superconducting basic field magnet 12 for generating a strong and constant basic magnetic field 13. A central region of the basic magnetic field 13 constitutes a homogeneity volume 14, which includes the isocenter 15 of the scanner 11.

[0027] The scanner 11 has a patient receiving region 16 to receive a patient 17. In the present exemplary embodiment, the patient receiving region 16 is configured to be cylindrical and is surrounded cylindrically in a peripheral direction by the scanner 11. In principle, however, a configuration of the patient receiving region 16 deviating therefrom is readily conceivable. The homogeneity volume 14 of the basic magnetic field 13 is situated within the patient receiving region 16.

[0028] The patient 17 can be moved by a patient support 18 into the patient receiving region 16. For this purpose, the patient support 18 has a patient bed or platform 19, which is configured to be movable within the patient receiving region 16.

[0029] The scanner 11 also has a gradient coil arrangement 20 for generating magnetic field gradients that are used for spatial encoding during imaging. The gradient coil arrangement 20 is controlled by a gradient controller 21. The scanner 11 furthermore has a radio-frequency antenna is controlled by a radio-frequency antenna controller 23 so as to radiate radio-frequency magnetic resonance sequences into an examination space that is substantially formed by a patient receiving region 16 of the scanner 11. The radiated radio-frequency magnetic resonance sequences give nuclear spins of certain atoms in the patient 17 a magnetization that causes those nuclear spins to be deflected from the basic magnetic field 13. As those nuclear spins relax and return to the steady state, they emit magnetic resonance signals, which are detected by the same, or a different, radio-frequency antenna from which the excitation signals were radiated.

[0030] For controlling the basic field magnet 12, the gradient controller 21 and for controlling the radio-frequency antenna controller 23, the magnetic resonance apparatus 10 has a control computer 24. The control computer 24 centrally controls the magnetic resonance apparatus 10, such as for the performance of a predetermined imaging gradient echo sequence. Furthermore, the control computer 24 has an evaluation processor (not shown) for evaluating medical image data that are acquired during the magnetic resonance examination. Furthermore, the magnetic resonance apparatus 10 has a user interface 25, which is connected to the control computer 24. Control information such as imaging parameters, as well as reconstructed magnetic resonance images, can be displayed to medical personnel on a display unit 26, for example on at least one monitor, of the user interface 25. In addition, the user interface 25 has an input unit 27 via which information and/or parameters can be entered by the medical personnel during a scanning procedure.

[0031] Furthermore the magnetic resonance apparatus 10 has a mobile accessory unit 28, which in the present exemplary embodiment is formed by a local magnetic resonance coil device 29. The local magnetic resonance coil device 29 is here formed as a local hand coil. In principle the design of the local magnetic resonance coil device 29 is not restricted to a local hand coil. Instead the local magnetic resonance coil device 29 can be formed by further local magnetic resonance coil devices 29, such as a local foot coil, a local shoulder coil, etc.

[0032] FIG. 3 schematically shows a method for providing application information for a magnetic resonance examination on the patient 17. The method is executed automatically and/or autonomously by the control computer 24, wherein for this purpose the control computer 24 has computer programs and/or software which are stored in a memory (not described in detail) of the control computer 24 and are executed by a processor unit (not described in detail) of the control computer 24 for the execution of the inventive method for providing application information for a magnetic resonance examination of the patient 17.

[0033] For the magnetic resonance examination of the body region to be examined, in the present case a hand, of the patient 17 the local magnetic resonance coil device 29, in particular the local hand coil, is arranged around the body region to be examined, in particular the hand, of the patient 17. The patient 17 and the local magnetic resonance coil device 29, in particular the local hand coil device, are here arranged and/or positioned on the patient bed 19 of the patient support device 18 (FIG. 2).

[0034] Because of an anatomical position of the body region to be examined, in particular the hand, of the patient 17 the body region to be examined, in particular the hand, is arranged on a lateral edge of the patient couch 19 when the patient 17 is in a lying position. As a consequence, the body region to be examined, in particular the hand, of the patient 17 is arranged in an edge region of the homogeneity volume 14 of the scanner 11 and/or also at least partially outside the homogeneity volume 14 of the scanner 11 (FIG. 2).

[0035] In a first method step 100, position data for the mobile accessory unit 28 are provided. The position data for the mobile accessory unit 28, in particular the local hand coil, is provided by the control computer 24. In this case the provision can involve a retrieval and/or loading of previously stored position data. Alternatively the provision can be the acquisition of current position data, wherein for this purpose the magnetic resonance apparatus 10 additionally has a position data acquisition unit, such as a position acquisition sensor, for example.

[0036] In principle the provision of position data is known to those skilled in the art from DE 10 2016 203 255, so that a detailed description of the provision of the position data is dispensed with at this point.

[0037] In a further method step 101 application information is generated on the basis of the position data provided. The application information is generated automatically by means of the control computer 24.

[0038] The application information can be safety information, such as in particular an incorrect positioning of the mobile accessory unit 28. For example, the safety information can be an alarm message, if the local magnetic resonance coil device 29, in particular the local hand coil device, directly abuts a housing surrounding the patient receiving region 16. Furthermore the safety information can be an alarm message if the local magnetic resonance coil device 29, in particular the local hand coil, is removed too far from the isocenter 15 of the basic field magnet 12, as can occur in the case of off-center measurements, and/or the safety information comprises an alarm message if the local magnetic resonance coil device 29 experiences an excessively strong curvature during the positioning.

[0039] Furthermore in the further method step 101 the application information can comprise a measurement protocol and/or measurement program for the magnetic resonance examination which are adjusted to the position of the mobile accessory unit 28, in particular the local magnetic resonance coil device 29. The measurement program and/or the measurement protocol are here adjusted automatically and/or autonomously by means of the control computer 24. Measurement parameters can here be adjusted by the control computer 24 to the position of the local magnetic resonance coil device 29, in particular to the position of the local hand coil, which is arranged at least partially in an edge region of the homogeneity volume 14 of the basic field magnet 12. For example, special gradient pulses can be provided, which take account of the position of the local magnetic resonance coil device 29 and generate only a few eddy currents. Furthermore special shim programs can be provided, which during positioning of the local magnetic resonance coil device 29, in particular the local hand coil device, are used at a large distance from the isocenter 15 of the basic field magnet 12.

[0040] Furthermore the application information can include position information for a measurement center, wherein the measurement center can be a central region of the mobile accessory unit 28. In this case the position information for the mobile accessory unit 28 can be used directly to locate and/or position the measurement center, such that additional localizer scans can be advantageously omitted and a time-saving magnetic resonance examination can be performed.

[0041] In a further method step 102 the application information is shown as an output to the user. Preferably the output is controlled by the control computer 24 by means of the display unit 26.

[0042] Alternatively or additionally the mobile accessory unit 28 can be an intervention unit. The intervention unit can be, for example, a catheter for an intervention and/or further intervention units appearing expedient to those skilled in the art. The position information from the intervention unit can here be incorporated, similarly to the above description, into the determination of the application information and can be employed for an adjustment of measurement programs. Furthermore, in the method step 101 application information containing safety information can be generated as a function of the position information from the intervention unit, for example in the case of an incorrect positioning of the intervention unit. Application information which contains position information for a measurement center can take place, similarly to the above description, in the method step 101, such that time-consuming localizer measurements for locating a position of the intervention unit can advantageously be dispensed with.

[0043] Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the Applicant to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of the Applicant's contribution to the art.