MR system and invasive device for interventional procedures

• US 5,951,472 A
• Filed: 10/29/1997
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Van Vaals, Johannes J., Groen, Johannes P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Ruth S.
• Application Number:
  US08/960,249
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 600/411, 600/423, 600/424, 324/309, 324/318, 324/322
• US Class Current: 600/411
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/285 Invasive instruments, e.g. catheters or biopsy needles, specially adapted for tracking, guiding or visualization by NMR
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/287 involving active visualization of interventional instruments, e.g. using active tracking RF coils or coils for intentionally creating magnetic field inhomogeneities
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56308 Characterization of motion or flow; Dynamic imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56509 due to motion, displacement or flow, e.g. gradient moment nulling G01R33/567 takes precedence

Abstract

An MR system for interventional procedures, includes an MR device and an invasive device. The MR device is arranged to acquire images of a part of an object. A part of the invasive device can be imaged in an MR image by providing a coil or a conductor loop which has two non-magnetic conductors which are situated at some distance from one another underneath the surface of the invasive device. A reduction of artefacts due to the movement of a patient or the invasive device can be obtained by sampling an MR signal, whereby an auxiliary magnetic field is periodically applied during the time in which the plurality of lines in k-space are scanned.

Claims

1. An MR system for interventional procedures, comprising:

a magnet for generating a steady magnetic field in an object,

means for generating temporary magnetic fields in the object, the temporary magnetic fields having gradients in orthogonal directions,

means for generating RF pulses in the object,

means for measuring MR signals from the object,

an invasive device for introduction into the object, and which comprises means for generating an auxiliary magnetic field and

control means for generating signals controlling the means for generating temporary magnetic fields, the means for generating RF pulses, and the means for generating the auxiliary magnetic field, so that the measurement of MR signals for determining an image of an object comprises scanning k-space along a plurality of lines, with the auxiliary magnetic field being periodically applied a plurality of times during the scanning of k-space, and

processing means both for processing measured MR signals to determine an image of the object, and also for processing changes in the measured MR signals induced by the periodically applied auxiliary magnetic field to determine a position of the invasive device within the image of object.

2. An MR system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means generates signals so that the time during which the auxiliary magnetic field is applied in each periodic period is shorter than the time for scanning a single line in k-space space being scanned two times, the processing means being further arranged to determine a position of the invasive device by subtraction of two measured MR signals.

3. An MR system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control means generates signals for fast MR imaging sequences.

4. An MR system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control means generates signals for an MR keyhole technique.

5. An MR system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control means generates signals so that the position of a next slice to be imaged in the object is determined from the position of the invasive device, determined by the processing means.

6. An MR system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control means generates signals so that the position of a next slice to be imaged in the object is determined from the position of the invasive device, determined by the processing means.

7. An MR system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means generates signals for fast MR imaging sequences.

8. An MR system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control means generates signals for an MR keyhole technique.

9. An MR system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control means generates signals so that the position of a next slice to be imaged in the object is determined from the position of the invasive device, determined by the processing means.

10. An MR system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means generates signals so that the position of a next slice to be imaged in the object is determined from the position of the invasive device, determined by the processing means.

11. The MR system of claim 1 wherein the control means generates signals so that during the scanning of k-space each line of the k-space is scanned twice, once with and once without the auxiliary magnetic field applied.

12. The MR system of claim 11 wherein during the scanning of k-space each line of the k-space is scanned with and scanned without the auxiliary magnetic field applied before additional lines of k-space are scanned.

13. The MR system of claim 1 wherein the control means generates signals so that during the scanning of k-space three lines of the k-space are scanned with and the same three lines of k-space are scanned without the auxiliary magnetic field applied before additional lines of k-space are scanned.

14. The MR system of claim 1 wherein the processing means processes changes in the measured MR signals by subtraction of a first and a second measured MR signal, the first and the second measured MR signals corresponding to the same line in the k-space, the first MR signal measured with and the second MR signal measured without the auxiliary magnetic field applied.