Stent and MR imaging process for the imaging and the determination of the position of a stent
AssigneeSimag GmbH
InventorsAndreas Melzer, Martin Busch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a magnetic resonance imaging process for the imaging and determination of the position of a stent introduced into an examination object as well as to the stent so utilized. According to the invention, the stent has at least one passive resonance circuit with an inductance and a capacitance whereby its resonance frequency is essentially equal to the resonance frequency of the applied high-frequency radiation of the magnetic resonance system. A changed signal response is thus produced in a locally defined area in or around the stent which is imaged in spatial resolution.
Claims71
A magnetic resonance imaging process for the imaging and determination of the position of a stent introduced into an examination object, the process comprising the steps of:
- placing the examination object in a magnetic field, the examination object having a stent with at least one passive resonance circuit disposed therein;
- applying high-frequency radiation of a specific resonance frequency to the examination object such that transitions between spin energy levels of atomic nuclei of the examination object are excited;
- and
- detecting magnetic resonance signals thus produced as signal responses by a receiving coil and imaging the detected signal responses;
- wherein, in a locally defined area proximate the stent, a changed signal response is produced by the at least one passive resonance circuit of the stent, the passive resonance circuit comprising an inductor and a capacitor forming a closed-loop coil arrangement such that the resonance frequency of the passive resonance circuit is essentially equal to the resonance frequency of the applied high-frequency radiation and such that the area is imaged using the changed signal response.
A stent imageable by a magnetic resonance imaging system and having a skeleton which can be unfolded, the stent comprising at least one passive resonance circuit having an inductor and a capacitor forming a closed-loop coil arrangement and whose resonance frequency corresponds to a resonance frequency of high-frequency radiation applied by the magnetic resonance imaging system.
A magnetic resonance imaging method for the imaging and determination of the position of a stent with a foldable skeleton introduced into an examination object, the method comprising:
- arranging the examination object in an external magnetic field, the examination object having a stent including at least one passive resonance circuit formed in the skeleton of the stent;
- applying high-frequency radiation of a specific resonance frequency to the examination object, such that transitions between spin energy levels of atomic nuclei of the examination object are excited;
- detecting magnetic resonance signals thus produced as signal responses by a receiving coil, such that, in a locally defined area proximate the stent, one of the signal responses includes a changed signal response produced by the at least one passive resonance circuit, the at least one passive resonance circuit comprising an inductance and a capacitance forming a closed-loop coil arrangement wherein the resonance frequency of the passive resonance circuit is approximately equal to the resonance frequency of the applied high-frequency radiation;
- and
- imaging the produced signal responses in spatial resolution, such that, the locally defined area proximate the stent is imaged using the changed signal response produced.
A stent imageable by a magnetic resonance imaging system and having a skeleton which can be unfolded, the stent comprising at least one passive resonance circuit having an inductance and a capacitance forming a closed-loop coil arrangement and whose resonance frequency corresponds to a resonance frequency of high-frequency radiation applied by the magnetic resonance imaging system;
- wherein the skeleton of the stent is one of the inductance and integrated with the inductance, such that when the stent unfolds, the skeleton of the stent and the inductance unfold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.