Method and apparatus for determining the azimuthal orientation of a medical instrument from MR signals
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsPeter Speier, Frank Wacker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical apparatus, includes a medical instrument with an acquisition unit for a magnetic resonance signal, the acquisition unit exhibiting a non-constant sensitivity profile in the azimuthal direction relative to an axis of the medical instrument. An azimuthal orientation of the medical apparatus is determined by an evaluation unit from magnetic resonance signals received by the acquisition unit.
Claims18
A medical apparatus, for use with a magnetic resonance imaging system that generates a magnetic resonance image from magnetic resonance signals in an imaging volume, said medical apparatus comprising:
- a medical instrument configured for introduction into said imaging volume, said medical instrument having a longitudinal axis and said medical instrument being non-rotationally symmetric around said longitudinal axis;
- an acquisition unit attached in a fixed physical relation to said medical instrument, said acquisition unit having a reception sensitivity profile for said magnetic resonance signals that is non-constant in a plane substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, and said acquisition unit receiving said magnetic resonance signals in said imaging volume and generating an output signal therefrom;
- and
- an evaluation unit in communication with said acquisition unit and supplied with said output signal from said acquisition unit, said evaluation unit being configured to electronically determine from the magnetic resonance signal received by said acquisition unit, a rotational orientation of said medical instrument in said plane, around said longitudinal axis, by identifying said rotational orientation due to said sensitivity profile being non-constant in said plane.
A method for determining the azimuthal orientation of a medical instrument, comprising the steps of:
- introducing a medical instrument into an imaging region of a magnetic resonance imaging system, said medical instrument having a longitudinal axis, said medical instrument being non-rotationally symmetric around said longitudinal axis, and said medical instrument carrying an acquisition unit in fixed relation relative to said axis, said acquisition unit having a reception sensitivity profile for said magnetic resonance signals that is non-constant in a plane substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis;
- detecting said magnetic resonance signals with said acquisition unit in generating an output signal therefrom;
- and
- from said output signal, electronically determining a rotational orientation of said medical instrument in said plane, around said longitudinal axis, dependent on said reception sensitivity profile of said acquisition unit being non-constant in said plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.