Method for detecting presence of ferromagnetic objects in a medical patient
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsArthur C. Leuthold, Ronald T. Wakai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Medical patients are screened prior to magnetic resonance imaging by using a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer to detect the unknown presence of an implanted ferromagnetic object. The patient is placed on a table which vibrates at approximately five Hertz. The magnetometer is sequentially held stationary at a plurality of positions adjacent to the patient being vibrated. The magnetic field intensity is measured at each position with the magnetometer and the magnetic field measurements are used to determine the presence and location of a ferromagnetic object within the patient.
Claims12
A method for detecting presence of an unknown ferromagnetic object in an animal, which method comprises:
- (a) placing a magnetometer in a stationary position and adjacent to the animal;
- (b) moving the animal with respect to the magnetometer;
- (c) measuring a magnetic field with the magnetometer while the animal is being moved, to produce thereby a magnetic field measurement;
- and
- (d) determining, from the magnetic field measurement produced by the magnetometer, whether a ferromagnetic object is present within the animal.
A method for screening a medical patient prior to magnetic resonance imaging to detect the presence of an unknown ferromagnetic object, which method comprises steps of:
- vibrating the the medical patient;
- sequentially holding a magnetometer stationary at a plurality of positions adjacent to the medical patient;
- at each one of the plurality of positions, measuring a magnetic field with the magnetometer while the medical patient is being vibrated, to produce thereby a plurality of magnetic field measurements;
- and
- determining, from the plurality of magnetic field measurements produced by the magnetometer, whether a ferromagnetic object is present within the medical patient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.