Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device

• US 7,529,575 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Esaote SpA
• Original Assignee: Esaote SpA
• Inventors: Sarasso, Gianni, Contrada, Orfeo, Rezzonico, Fabio
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Ruth S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luong; Peter
• Application Number:
  US10/928,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20050049491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 600/408, 600/436, 600/407, 600/410, 324/309, 324/318, 324/322
• US Class Current: 600/410
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/704 Tables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/04 Positioning of patients; Tiltable beds or the like operating tables A61G13/00; operating chairs A61G15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/422 of the radio frequency field

Abstract

A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device has a magnetic structure which defines a cavity for housing at least part of the body of a patient with a magnetic field which permeates at least part of the cavity, an opening provides access to the imaging cavity from outside of the magnetic structure and electrically conductive and electrically grounded shielding provided at the opening is movable between a first inactive configuration wherein the opening is substantially open and an active configuration in which the opening is at least partially closed by the shielding.

Claims

1. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device, comprising:

a magnetic structure defining an imaging cavity for housing at least part of a body of a patient, the magnetic structure providing a magnetic field for permeating at least part of the imaging cavity during imaging, the magnetic structure comprising an opening for the imaging cavity, said opening providing access to the imaging cavity from outside of the magnetic structure;

shielding means for at least partially closing said opening of the imaging cavity, the shielding means comprising electrically conductive material and being electrically grounded, the shielding means being secured to the magnetic structure substantially adjacent said opening;

guiding means for guiding the shielding means, the shielding means being movable along the guiding means from an inactive configuration in which the opening is substantially open to an active configuration in which the shielding means at least partially closes the opening;

wherein the shielding means comprises an electrically conductive frame provided substantially adjacent the opening for the imaging cavity, the shielding means further comprising a shielding member, said guiding means further comprising a guide provided in said electrically conductive frame, said shielding member being slidably mounted in said guide, the guide being electrically conductive and the shielding member electrically conductive and electrically grounded.

2. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member is made of a rigid material.

3. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member has a length in the active configuration along the guide means which is shorter than the overall length of the opening along the guide means.

4. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding means comprises more than one shielding member, each shielding member having a different length in the direction of the guide means in the active configuration, further comprising coupling means for selectively coupling said shielding members together.

5. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member comprises a curtain made of an electrically conductive tissue material or a foil material which is elastic.

6. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member comprises a curtain defining a roller blind mounted with a roller axis which is perpendicular to the direction along said guide.

7. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member comprises a curtain defining a roller blind having an axis of rotation which is parallel to the direction along at least part of said guide.

8. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member comprises a curtain made of a flexible but inelastic tissue material or foil material, which tissue material or foil material is wound on a rotatable cylinder at one end of the guide of the frame of the shielding means to define a storage position, said rotatable cylinder being oriented with an axis of rotation oriented perpendicular to a direction along said guide, said cylinder being provided with resilient means for winding the shielding member on the cylinder, said resilient means being loaded by unwinding of said cylinder, and further comprising means for locking and unlocking the shielding member while said shielding member extends a predetermined extent along said guide.

9. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the guide comprises an electrically conductive curtain rod which is electrically grounded, said shielding member being supported by said curtain rod by slidable carriers made of electrically conductive material which electrically contact said curtain rod and said shielding member.

10. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1 in which the shielding member is configured as a Venetian blind.

11. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging machine according to claim 1 wherein the shielding member is configured as a sliding, folding door.

12. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member is configured as a bellows.

13. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic structure comprises more than one opening, said openings being separated one from the other by intermediate members of the magnetic structure, said shielding means comprising a shielding member for each of said openings.

14. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein said shielding means comprises at least two shielding members.

15. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 14, wherein the shielding members are mounted in the frame of the shielding means.

16. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding means comprises a set of shielding members which can be mounted at the same time in the frame of the shielding member, said shielding members having different lengths in the direction of sliding in said guide.

17. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 16, wherein at least one of said shielding members has a shaped opening.

18. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 17, wherein said shaped opening is defined by an electrically conductive, compressible frame.

19. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding means comprises more than one shielding member which can be mounted at the same time in the frame of the shielding member, at least one of said shielding members having a side edge which is shaped so as to correspond to a shape of the part of the body of the patient to be examined.

20. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 19, wherein said set of shielding members comprises a plurality of shielding members each having a differently shaped edge.

21. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 1, in which the magnetic structure comprises at least two plane surfaces defining the imaging cavity, the shielding means comprising one or more shielding members, said electrically conductive frame being hinged to the magnetic structure about an axis at a first one of the two planes with said hinge axis being parallel to the said plane, said frame arranged to oscillate between a first position and a second position, said shielding means comprising a shielding curtain, said guide and said shielding curtain being electrically conductive and electrically grounded.

22. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 21, wherein said guide means comprises two guides which are connected together at their ends by side elements, said guides being separated by a distance corresponding to the distance between the first plate and the second plate of the magnetic structure, said shielding curtain being slidably engaged in said sliding guides, the sliding guides and the shielding curtain being electrically conductive and in electrical contact one with the other and the sliding guides being electrically grounded through an electrically conductive hinge, said shielding curtain extending from one guide to the other guide, the lower guide further comprising electrically conductive contact elements which cooperate with electrically conductive contact elements on the lower plate of the magnetic structure so that when the shielding member is in the position for at least partially closing said opening of the magnetic structure, the electrically conductive contact elements at the lower guide come into electrical conductive contact with the electrically conductive contact elements on the second one of the two plates of the magnetic structure.

23. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 22, wherein the side elements connecting together the upper and the lower guides of the frame of the shielding member are also electric conductive and in electrical conductive contact with the said guides and are electrically grounded through said hinge securing the frame of the shielding means to the magnetic structure, while the shielding member further comprises electrical contact elements at edges which are parallel with respect to said side elements of the frame of the shielding means.

24. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 22, wherein the shielding curtain is configured as a roller blind, one of said side elements connecting together one end of the guides, thereby defining a case for housing a roller mechanism of the roller blind with said curtain being wound around a roller of said roller mechanism.

25. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 21, wherein the upper guide of the guiding means is provided with electrically conductive contact elements which cooperate with electrically conductive contact elements on the upper plate of the two plates of the magnetic structure.

26. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 21, wherein said shielding member comprises a rigid electrically conductive panel.

27. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 21, wherein said shielding curtain is configured as a Venetian blind.

28. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 21, wherein the shielding curtain is configured as a sliding folding door.

29. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 21, wherein the shielding curtain is configured as a bellows.

30. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device, comprising:

a magnetic structure defining an imaging cavity for housing at least part of a body of a patient, the magnetic structure providing a magnetic field for permeating at least part of the hinging cavity during hinging, the magnetic structure comprising an opening for the hinging cavity, said opening providing access to the imaging cavity from outside of the magneto structure;

shielding means for at least partially closing said opening of the imaging cavity, the shielding means comprising electrically conductive material and being electrically grounded, the shielding means being secured to the magnetic structure substantially adjacent said opening;

guiding means for guiding the shielding means, the shielding means being movable along the guiding means from an inactive configuration in which the opening is substantially open to an active configuration in which the shielding means at least partially closes the opening;

wherein the shielding mans comprises an electrically conductive frame provided substantially adjacent the opening for the imaging cavity, the shielding means further comprising a shielding member, wherein the opening of the magnetic structure is defined by an upper edge, a lower edge and side edges connecting the lower and upper edges, the frame of the shielding means defining an opening having edges which are substantially parallel to the edges of the opening of the magnetic structure, said guiding means further comprising an upper sliding guide from which the shielding member hangs down, said upper sliding guide being provided in said electrically conductive frame, said shielding member being slidably mounted in said upper sliding guide, the upper sliding guide being electrically conductive and the shielding member being electrically conductive and electrically grounded, the shielding member being provided with electrical contacts at a lower edge opposite to the upper sliding guide.

31. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 30, wherein said upper sliding guide is substantially at the upper edge of the opening of the magnetic structure and the lower guide is substantially at the lower edge of the opening of the magnetic structure, the upper and lower guides each having ends which are connected together by side elements of the frame of the shielding means, the shielding member having upper and lower edges slidably engaged with the upper and lower guides.

32. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 31, wherein at least one of the upper and lower guides is electrically conductive and electrically grounded through the frame of the shielding means to the magnetic structure, said shielding member being electrically conductive and in electrical contact with electrically conductive sliding elements at the edges of the shielding member engaging the upper and lower guides.

33. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 31, wherein at least one of the side elements connecting the upper and lower guides of the frame of the shielding means is electrically conductive and in electrical contact with an electrically conductive contact member at the corresponding edge of the shielding member.

34. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device comprising:

a U-shaped magnetic structure including two opposite poles defining an imaging cavity, said two opposite poles generating a magnetic field, said two opposite poles being supported in a spaced apart relationship by a ferromagnetic yoke having at least two opposite plates to which the poles are secured and a side member connecting the two opposite plates together and maintaining the two plates apart by a predetermined distance, whereby the side member defines the imaging cavity on at least one side, the pores and the pole supporting plates being supported in a cantilevered manner by the side member and the imaging cavity being open on other sides which are perpendicular to the plane of said poles, and

shielding means for at least partially closing said open sides of said imaging cavity, said shielding means comprising an upper guide and a lower guide extending continuously along a perimeter of the opening, the upper guide and the lower guide being connected together by side elements at the two opposite ends of the guides, the guides and the side elements forming a frame of said shielding means, said side elements being provided substantially adjacent corresponding edges of the side member of the yoke, said frame of the shielding means being hinged to the magnetic structure at the ends of the upper guide, said frame being movable about an axis which is substantially parallel to a plane of said side member and to a plane of said upper plate of the yoke, at least one sliding shielding members being provided between the upper guide and the lower guide.

35. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 34, wherein the opposite poles of the magnetic structure are substantially only connected to each other over only a small portion of the perimeter of the poles, a plurality of shielding members being provided which are sufficient to substantially cover an entire open portion of said perimeter of the poles of the yoke.

36. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 34, further comprising flexible shielding members, such as cushions, curtains, and sleeves, which are electrically conductive and which contact the shielding means both mechanically and electrically.

37. A nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device according to claim 34, wherein the shielding member comprises electrically conductive material or comprises at least a layer of electric conductive material, said shielding member further comprising electrical contact elements which are in an electrically conductive relationship with guides, said guides being electrically grounded.