Patent · US Expired

Magnetic resonance imaging system with pointing device

US5365927A · kind A · utility

113Cited by
6References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 2, 1993
Grant dateNov 22, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 2, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R33/563
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system for use in a medical procedure employs an open main magnet allowing access to a portion of a patient within an imaging volume, for producing a main magnetic field over the imaging volume; a set of open gradient coils which provide magnetic fields gradients over the imaging volume without restricting access to the imaging volume; a radiofrequency coil set for transmitting RF energy into the imaging volume to nutate nuclear spins within the imaging volume and receive an MR response signal from the nuclear spins; and a pointing device for indicating the position and orientation of a plane in which an image is to be acquired; an image control means for operating power supplies for the gradient coils and the RF coils to acquire an MR signal from the desired imaging plane; and a computation unit for constructing an image of the desired imaging plane. The MR imaging system is intended to operate to provide images to a physician during medical procedures to guide the physician in his procedures.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.