Hybrid MRI and method
AssigneeAllegheny-Singer Research Institute
InventorMark Doyle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An MRI includes a cylindrical housing having a long axis in which a patient is positioned essentially in parallel with the long axis of the cylindrical housing. The MRI includes an electromagnetic receiver coil system positioned about a cylindrical housing and aligned with the long axis of the cylindrical housing. The MRI includes an electromagnetic imaging gradients coil system positioned about the cylindrical housing and aligned with the long axis of the cylindrical housing. The MRI includes a main magnet having its north pole and south pole positioned about the housing, which produces a magnetic field through the housing perpendicular to the long axis of the cylindrical housing. A method for examining a patient.
Claims11
An MRI comprising:
- a cylindrical housing having a long axis in which a patient is positioned essentially in parallel with the long axis of the cylindrical housing;
- an electromagnetic receiver coil system aligned with the long axis of the cylindrical housing;
- an electromagnetic imaging gradients coil system positioned about the cylindrical housing and aligned with the long axis of the cylindrical housing;
- a main magnet having its north pole and south pole positioned about the housing, which produces a magnetic field through the housing perpendicular to the long axis of the cylindrical housing;
- and
- a computer which causes the imaging coil system to apply imaging gradients and radio frequency transmission pulses to the patient to obtain k-space data and which converts electrical voltage signal information from the receiver coil system into digital values which are stored in arrays within a memory of the computer along with information pertaining to which k-space lines were acquired.
(canceled)
A method for examining a patient comprising the steps of:
- switching an electromagnetic imaging gradient coil system to apply imaging gradients and radio frequency transition pulses to the patient, the electromagnetic imaging gradient coil system positioned about a cylindrical housing having a long axis in which the patient is positioned essentially in parallel with the long axis of the cylindrical housing, the patient located in a magnetic field produced by a main magnet having its north pole and south pole positioned about the housing, which produces a magnetic field through the housing perpendicular to the long axis of the cylindrical housing;
- receiving the pulses at an electromagnetic receiver coil system positioned about the body region of the patient and aligned with the long axis of the cylindrical housing to obtain k-space data;
- and
- converting electrical voltage signal information from the detector coil system into digital values which are stored in arrays within a memory of a computer alone with information of which k-space lines were acquired.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.