Method for measuring the nuclear magnetic resonance

US4558277A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Bruker Medizintechnik GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Hans Post · Schriesheim, DE
• Dieter Ratzel · Rheinstetten, DE
• Peter Brunner · Graz, AT

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 11, 1983
• Grant date: Dec 10, 1985
• Expiry date: Mar 11, 2003

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R33/56
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

For the purpose of limiting NMR spectroscopy to a selected area of a body the said area is prepared by applying first a homogeneous magnetic field passing through the entire body and superimposing thereafter upon the said magnetic field a first magnetic field of identical orientation whose strength varies in a first sense (first field gradient), exciting thereafter all the selected nuclear spins present within the body and in addition, selectively, only the nuclear spins present in a first body plane containing the volume element and extending vertically to the said first field gradient so that the selected nuclear spins contained in this body plane are returned to the direction of the homogeneous magnetic field while the nuclear spins outside this plane receive an orientation differing from the sense of the homogeneous magnetic field. This process is repeated twice, using each time a different gradient field, so that thereafter only the nuclear spins located within the volume element selected by means of the three gradient fields are parallel to the homogeneous magnetic field and can be excited by means of one or more pulses to obtain an oscillation generating an induction signal.