Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110160566 | MRI AND ULTRASOUND GUIDED TREATMENT ON A PATIENT - A method is provided for guiding a procedure on a region of interest in a body part of patient, where the body part moves within the patient by breathing, cardiac or other action. The procedure includes radiation therapy, or guidance of a probe for example for biopsy or brachytherapy. The method includes using an MRI system to obtain an MR image of the body part, during the procedure on the body part of the patient, obtaining real time ultrasound images of the body part of the patient as the body part moves within the body of the patient, registering the MR image of the body part with the ultrasound image of the body part so as to locate the region of interest in the ultrasound image of the body part and using the registered images to target the action to the region of interest as the body part moves. | 06-30-2011 |
20120123245 | Multi Transmit/Receive Head Array Coil with Removable Panels - A modular multi-transmit head coil for use in Deep Brain Stimulation procedures includes a mounting frame arranged for attachment to the stereotactic head frame of the patient. An integrated MR stereotactic locating phantom is included as part of the coil structure which has attached MR/CT compatible fiducials on it to correlate pre-op, intra-op and post op images. The frame carries a series of modular removable coil elements in a transceive array that are connected to a set of RF power amplifiers that directly drive the coil elements. A control system including suitable software is arranged to control the signals to the coil elements so as to generate a required RF field with all the coil elements in place and with one or more the coil elements removed to allow access to the patent for the installation of the DBS leads. | 05-17-2012 |
20120268116 | Magnetic Resonance Signal Detection Using Remotely Positioned Receive Coils - The receive coil arrangement includes an inner coil adjacent the part to be imaged so as to maximize the received MR signal and an outer coil, which may be the built in body coil of the magnet, connected by cable to the signal processing system. Both the coils are individually tuned to the common resonant frequency and the receive coil include an arrangement to halt current flow therein during the transmit stage. The first coil has no cable and is arranged to communicate the MR signal therein to the signal processing system through the outer coil by inducing the MR signal onto the outer coil. Despite inherent losses by interfering with the tuning of the loops and in the inductive coupling this magnifies the MR signal and makes the first coil wireless. Arrangements are provided for generating from the output of the second coil separate signals for separate channels of the signal processing unit. | 10-25-2012 |
20120268132 | Magnetic Resonance Signal Detection Using Remotely Positioned Receive Coils - The receive coil arrangement includes an inner local volume coil adjacent the part to be imaged so as to maximize the received MR signal and an outer coil, which may be the built in body coil of the magnet, connected by cable to the signal processing system. Both the coils are individually tuned to the common resonant frequency and the local volume coil include an arrangement to halt current flow therein during the transmit stage. The local volume coil has no cable and is arranged to communicate the MR signal therein to the signal processing system through the outer coil by inductive coupling to the outer coil. Despite inherent losses by interfering with the tuning of the loops and in the inductive coupling this magnifies the MR signal and makes the local volume coil wireless. | 10-25-2012 |
20120286786 | Phased Array MR RF Coil Which is Not Visible in X-Ray Image - An phased array RF coil used for MR imaging is designed so that it remains in place in the field of view of an X-Ray imaging system and comprises a support board on which copper or aluminum conductive traces are carried. The attenuation of the X-Rays caused by the traces is visible in the radiation image but this is compensated by arranging the non-conductive material of the support board such that the attenuation is substantially constant. The phased array includes individual coil loops which are overlapped with the traces being of half thickness at crossing locations of the traces and with one of the loops on one side and the other loop on the second side of the substrate sheet. | 11-15-2012 |
20130221966 | Magnetic Resonance Signal Detection Using Remotely Positioned Receive Coils - The receive coil arrangement includes an inner local volume coil adjacent the part to be imaged so as to maximize the received MR signal and an outer coil, which may be the built in body coil of the magnet, connected by cable to the signal processing system. Both the coils are individually tuned to the common resonant frequency and the local volume coil include an arrangement to halt current flow therein during the transmit stage. The local volume coil has no cable and is arranged to communicate the MR signal therein to the signal processing system through the outer coil by inductive coupling to the outer coil. Despite inherent losses by interfering with the tuning of the loops and in the inductive coupling this magnifies the MR signal and makes the local volume coil wireless. | 08-29-2013 |
20130317343 | Integration of MRI into Radiation Therapy Treatment - Apparatus for radiation therapy combines a patient table, an MRI and a radiation treatment apparatus mounted in a common treatment room with the MR magnet movable from a position outside a radiation shielded door to an imaging position. An RF-shielded door is movable between a position, separating part of the treatment apparatus from the magnet and an open position allowing access of the patient to the treatment apparatus. In one configuration there is a row of treatment rooms and the magnet is mounted to move along a passageway outside the row of radiation shielded doors of the rooms. | 11-28-2013 |
20140180059 | Method for MR-Guided Brachytherapy with Consistent Patient Positioning - In a method for guiding brachytherapy radiation treatment the patient is supported on a table and an MR magnet is brought into the treatment bunker through doors for imaging while the after-loader for the radiation source delivery is stored away in a storage location outside the RF shield. A safety system controls movement of the after-loader and the magnet. Images of the patient obtained while the patient is on the table are used to locate the applicator with respect to the lesion and organs-at-risk. The MR and X-ray compatible patient support table with MR coil integration includes a removable end-extension, which provides pelvic access for applicator insertion. | 06-26-2014 |
20150015254 | Control of SAR Values in MR Imaging - In a method for imaging a body part of a patient particularly in relation to DBS where conductive elements can reduce a safe SAR level, the power in the RF pulses being delivered to the RF transmit coil is measured in real time by a unit associated with the FR transmit coil and is used to stop the supply of RF pulses to the RF coil in the event that the power exceeds a predetermined safe limit. As signal can also be transmitted to the MR control unit to shut off the imaging sequence. | 01-15-2015 |