Magnetic resonance imaging system including a protective cover and a camera
First Claim
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1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprising:
- a MRI device having a bore that accommodates at least a portion of a patient, the bore also having an aperture;
a protective, semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent cover, located at the aperture of the bore, that contains RF shielding preventing an external RF radiation from entering the bore;
wherein the protective, semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent cover when open allows the patient entry access into the bore of the MRI device and when closed provides a radiofrequency (RF) shield that covers the aperture of the bore while also preventing an RF radiation emitted by the MRI device from exiting the bore; and
a camera positioned adjacent to the RF shielding of the protective semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent cover, where the camera is without electromagnetic shielding and the camera is positioned external to the bore and external to an area of RF radiation emitted within the bore, whereby the camera is still in proximity to a strong main static magnetic field produced by a large main magnetic field source that is part of the magnetic resonance imaging system itself, with the camera also being utilized in order to generate an image of at least the portion of the patient during operation of the MRI device where the presence of the RF shielding of the protective, semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent cover does not hinder the clinical usability of the generated image.
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Abstract
A protective cover for an open bore MRI is disclosed. The cover comprises a semi-permeable barrier, MRI shielding, and physical shielding; is at least partially transparent; and it comprises fluid connection means for providing a fluid connection between an inner open bore of said open bore MRI and an environment external to said open bore MRI.
A camera operable in a MRI system is disclosed. The camera can be positioned adjacent to an RF shield (e.g., the protective cover) and external to a bore of the MRI system. The camera can generate an image of at least a portion of a patient during operation of the MRI system.
130 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprising:
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a MRI device having a bore that accommodates at least a portion of a patient, the bore also having an aperture; a protective, semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent cover, located at the aperture of the bore, that contains RF shielding preventing an external RF radiation from entering the bore; wherein the protective, semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent cover when open allows the patient entry access into the bore of the MRI device and when closed provides a radiofrequency (RF) shield that covers the aperture of the bore while also preventing an RF radiation emitted by the MRI device from exiting the bore; and a camera positioned adjacent to the RF shielding of the protective semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent cover, where the camera is without electromagnetic shielding and the camera is positioned external to the bore and external to an area of RF radiation emitted within the bore, whereby the camera is still in proximity to a strong main static magnetic field produced by a large main magnetic field source that is part of the magnetic resonance imaging system itself, with the camera also being utilized in order to generate an image of at least the portion of the patient during operation of the MRI device where the presence of the RF shielding of the protective, semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent cover does not hinder the clinical usability of the generated image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of generating a camera image of at least a portion of a patient positioned in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the method comprising:
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preventing radiofrequency (RF) radiation generated by the MRI system from exiting and RF radiation generated outside of the MRI system from entering a measurement volume of the MRI system via a protective, semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent RF shielding cover, located at an aperture of a bore of the MRI system, that has both an open and a closed state, and when the protective, semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent RF shielding cover is closed, the RF shielding then covers the aperture into the bore and the measurement volume of the MRI system; generating and obtaining a camera image of at least the portion of the patient positioned within the MRI system via a camera that is without electromagnetic shielding and positioned in a location external to an area of the generated RF radiation within the measurement volume, whereby the location of the positioned camera is still in proximity to a large magnet that produces a strong uniform main static magnetic field that is part of the magnetic resonance imaging system itself, and wherein the location of the positioned camera is also immediately adjacent to the RF shielding, of the protective, semi-permeable, and at least partially transparent RF shielding cover; and wherein the presence of the RF shielding does not hinder the clinical usability of the obtained camera image. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification