Imris, Inc.

Sino Canada Health Engineering Research Institute (Hefei) Ltd.

Sino Canada Health Engineering Research Institute Ltd.

John Saunders

Haoqin Zhu

Gong Zhang

Gordon A Klimenko

Labros Petropoulos

Darrell Van Mol

James J Schellenberg

Gordon Scarth

Wayne Schellekens

Jonathan Li

David Graves

John Van Heteren

Mehran Fallah-Rad

Brendan Guyot

Meir Dahan

Michael Lang

Jeff Winter

Gord Klimenko

Tony Lentz

Hong Yu

Lindley Ward

Ryan Sparkes

Victoria Hornblower

Andrew Goertzen

Hongxiang Yi

Philippe Magown

Wayne Schelllekens

In order to improve both spatial resolution and sensitivity for brain research and clinical activity, we have designed a combined PET/MRI insert for brain scanning, referred to herein as a 'BrainPET insert' that can be fit onto and into a suitable MRI system. The BrainPET Insert comprises, in order, a receive (Rx) coil positioned within and adjacent to a transmit (Tx) coil and a PET ring, wherein both the Rx coil and the Tx coil are within the PET ring.

BrainPET system for simultaneous MRI and PET imaging

Apparatus for imaging during surgical procedures includes an operating room for the surgical procedure and an MRI for obtaining images periodically through the surgical procedure by moving the magnet up to the table. The magnet wire is formed of a superconducting material such as magnesium di-boride or Niobium-Titanium which is cooled by a vacuum cryocooling system to superconductivity without use of liquid helium. The magnet weighs less than 1 to 2 tonne and has a floor area in the range 15 to 35 sq feet so that it can be carried on the floor by a support system having an air cushion covering the base area of the magnet having side skirts so as to spread the weight over the entire base area. The magnet remains in the room during surgery and is powered off to turn off the magnetic field when in the second position remote from the table.

Moveable MRI system RF coil arrangement

Moveable MRI system

Moveable MRI moving apparatus

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.

Integration of MRI into radiation therapy treatment

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.

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.

Radiation therapy of a lesion within a patient is guided to take into account movement of the lesion caused by respiration and/or cardiac effects by using MRI to image the patient while on the treatment support to obtain a series of images of a location of the lesion within the patient while obtaining data relating to respiration and/or cardiac function of the patient to generate lesion movement data as a function of respiration and/or cardiac function. After the magnet is removed from the bunker, during the radiation therapy, real time data relating to respiration and/or cardiac function of the patient is used to guide the radiation therapy using the lesion movement data obtained during the imaging.

MRI guided radiation therapy

A patient imaging system includes a patient support table, an MRI system including a cylindrical magnet and a PET system including positron detectors mounted in a ring. The magnet defines a cylindrical bore for receiving the patient on the table where the magnet is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis on a slew ring carried on rails allowing longitudinal movement. The PET ring is mounted in the bore for longitudinal movement. The quench tube for the magnet passes through the slew ring with a rotary union at the axis. The shielding covers include a fixed upper part and a lower part which rotates about the axis with the magnet. The magnet is arranged in a two or three room diagnostic configuration in which a holding bay houses the magnet and the diagnostic patients are organized in the three rooms each cooperating with the magnet bay as the magnet is rotated.

Movable integrated scanner for surgical imaging applications

A patient imaging system includes a patient support table and an MRI system including a cylindrical magnet. The magnet defines a cylindrical bore for receiving the patient on the table where the magnet is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis on a slew ring carried on rails allowing longitudinal movement. The magnet is arranged in a two or three room diagnostic configuration in which a holding bay houses the magnet and the diagnostic patients are organized in the three rooms each cooperating with the magnet bay. A control system is provided for inputting data defining different locations or conditions of the magnet relative to its environment and for each of the different conditions data is stored defining a respective set of shimming parameters so that the control system automatically inputs the shimming parameters and adjusts the shimming as the magnet is moved or a secondary imaging system is brought up to the magnet.

Control of magnetic field homogeneity in movable MRI scanning system

Signals in an RF field, such as that of an MRI system, are communicated through an inner conductor having an outer shield with a dielectric material therebetween and an outer cable jacket. Current in the shield caused by the RF field from the transmit body coil is reduced by providing a second dielectric material around the shield conductor and a plurality of segmented shield conductor portions formed of non-magnetic braid or wrapped non-magnetic foil tape outside the second dielectric material and inside the jacket at spaced positions along the cable, with the portions being electrically separated from each other and from the shield so that the segmented shield conductor portions act to shield the outer shield conductor to reduce the generation of current thereon while the electrical separation of the segmented shield conductor portions each from the others prevents the generation of a current along the portions.

Floating segmented shield cable assembly

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Winnipeg, Canada

John Saunders