Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Massachusetts General Hospital Corporation

Thomas Benner

Thorsten Feiweier

Peter Speier

Swen Campagna

Rene Gumbrecht

Bernd Kuehn

Holger Adolf

Hans-Peter Fautz

Thorsten Speckner

Daniel Nico Splitthoff

Jörg Ulrich Fontius

Michael Wullenweber

Joerg Ulrich Fontius

Matthias Gebhardt

Franz Schmitt

Johann Sukkau

Andreas Potthast

Stephan Stoecker

Andre Jan Willem Van Der Kouwe

Thomas Loeffler

An adjustment method is for a marking laser beam of an imaging modality. The marking laser beam includes a central beam and at least one peripheral beam and extends from a laser source to a detection plane. The detection plane includes a central target position for the central beam and at least one peripheral target position for the at least one peripheral beam and a detection unit. The detection unit is embodied to capture whether the marking laser beam is striking at least one of the target positions. In an embodiment, the method includes a first adjustment of the marking laser beam via an adjusting unit, until it strikes the central target position; and a second adjustment of the marking laser beam via the adjusting unit, until it strikes the at least one peripheral target position. The marking laser beam will also be kept at the central target position.

Adjustment method for a marking laser beam, corresponding adjustment system and imaging modality

In order to reduce the memory footprint used for monitoring specific absorption rate (SAR) in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, a hybrid sliding window method is provided. The method includes receiving a measured value once every first time interval, processing the measured value, and storing a value resulting from the processing in a first memory element. Measured values stored in second memory elements are summed every second time interval, where the first time interval is less than the second time interval. A representation of SAR is calculated every first time interval based on the value resulting from the processing and the sum of the measured values of the second memory elements. When the second time interval is reached, the value stored in the first memory element is moved to one of the second memory elements, and the value stored in the first memory element is reset to zero.

Hybrid averaging method for specific absorption rate supervision

In a method for visualization of information from first and second 3D datasets representing directional information of a subject, wherein some voxels are combined along their respective directional information into multiple fibers, a first item of anatomical information, visible from a first viewing position on a fiber, is determined from the first 3D dataset, and is projected onto a first projection surface at a display dependent on the first viewing position. Upon detected movement away from the first viewing position, a guided movement along the fiber is determined, which is restricted to movement along one fiber. A second viewing position is determined in the subject relative to the selected fiber dependent on the guided movement, and a second item of anatomical information is determined from the first 3D dataset, which is visible from the second viewing position, and is projected onto a second projection surface at the display.

Method and computer for visualization of fibers in medical images

In a method for operating a medical imaging examination apparatus having multiple subsystems controlled by a control computer in a scan sequence, a control protocol for the scan is provided to the control computer, which determines sequence control data for the control protocol that define different functional subsequences of the scan, with different effective volumes assigned to each functional subsequence. Current ambient conditions of the apparatus are determined that are decisive for the determined relevant sequence control data and associated effective volumes. Control signals for the scan are determined from the sequence control data, the effective volumes and the current ambient conditions determined that optimize the functional subsequences of the scan.

Medical imaging apparatus having multiple subsystems, and operating method therefor

In a method for operating a medical imaging apparatus having subsystems, a control protocol assigned to a scan sequence to be performed is provided to a control computer that determines sequence control data for the control protocol, which define different functional subsequences of the scan sequence. Different effective volumes are assigned to each functional subsequence, and current ambient conditions of the apparatus are determined for the sequence control data and associated effective volumes, for a series of states of physiological processes that occur during the scan sequence. Control signals for the scan sequence are determined from the sequence control data, the effective volumes and the current ambient conditions per observed state, that optimize the functional subsequences of the scan sequence locally. During the scan, at least one current state of the observed physiological processes is determined and the control signals used for the ongoing scan are determined from the stored control signals, dependent on the at least one current state.

In a method for operating a medical imaging apparatus having multiple subsystems, a control protocol assigned to a scan sequence to be performed is provided to a control computer that determines sequence control data for the control protocol, which define different functional subsequences of the scan sequence. Different effective volumes are assigned to each functional subsequence, and current ambient conditions of the apparatus are determined for the sequence control data and associated effective volumes. Control signals for the scan sequence are determined from the sequence control data, the effective volumes and the current ambient conditions that optimize the functional subsequences of the scan sequence locally, at least with regard to a sub-region of the respective effective volumes. During the scan, at least one change of a sub-region of a respective effective volume is determined and the control signals used for the ongoing scan are modified, dependent on the change, to maintain the aforementioned optimization.

A method for operating a transmission device of a magnetic resonance device is provided. In order to actuate coil elements of a radiofrequency coil with different phases, phase differences in a reference plane are taken into consideration. In a first calibration measurement to be performed once for each transmission path, a first phase of a transmitted radiofrequency signal is measured by an internal measuring device installed permanently in the transmission device spaced apart from the reference plane. A second phase of the transmitted radiofrequency signal is measured by a second, external measuring device to be connected to the reference plane for the first calibration measurement. At least one phase of the first phase and the second phase is taken into consideration in the phase-accurate actuating of the coil elements and/or for correcting further measurements with the internal measuring device.

Operation of a transmission device of a magnetic resonance device

In a method for operating a medical imaging examination apparatus having multiple subsystems, current ambient conditions in a scan volume of the apparatus are determined and stored in a global ambient condition parameter set. A control computer starts a scan sequence according to a selected scan protocol, and sequence control data that define different functional sub-sequences for the respective subsystems are provided to the control computer. Different effective volumes are assigned to each functional sub-sequence, and respective current sub-regions in the effective volume associated with the respective sub-sequence are determined, in which a volume optimization is to take place. Control signals for the scan sequence are calculated using the sequence control data, the global ambient condition parameter set, and the determined current sub-regions of the affected volumes, in order to optimize the functional sub-sequences at least with regard to the current sub-region of the assigned effective volume.

A method for adjusting a volume level of a communications unit is provided. The communications unit is configured for communication between a medical operator and a patient during a magnetic resonance examination and includes at least one microphone and at least one loudspeaker. The method includes detecting communication signals by the at least one microphone, transmitting the detected communication signals to the at least one loudspeaker, and an acoustic output of the detected communication signals by the at least one loudspeaker. A volume level of the at least one microphone may be automatically adjusted during detection of the communication signals, and/or a volume level of the at least one loudspeaker may be automatically adjusted during the acoustic output of the communication signals.

Method for adjusting a volume level of a communications unit and a communications unit

In a method for determining time windows in a scan sequence, in which values of setting parameters of a scan can be changed during a current scan without adversely affecting the scan data obtained with the scan, comprising the following a scan sequence is loaded into a control computer, that then determines the time windows in the scan sequence in which values of setting parameters can be changed during a current scan, on the basis of an analysis of useful coherences in the scan sequence. The determined time windows are stored or processed so as to be available to operate an imaging apparatus to execute the scan sequence.

Method and medical imaging apparatus of determining time windows in a scan sequence

In a method for automatically supporting an operator in working through an execution sequence protocol with a number of sequence steps, with which a person under examination is being examined in a medical imaging facility, the execution sequence protocol to be carried out for the person under examination is determined, and image data are acquired that show a field of vision of at least a part of the environment of the medical imaging facility and the person under examination, as seen by the operator. A next sequence step of the execution sequence protocol is determined that is to be carried out by the operator. Visual information is created that will inform the operator about the operating step to be carried out, and the visual information is project at a viewing facility for displaying an augmented reality to the operator, in which the field of vision is presented augmented by the visual information.

Method and system for displaying an augmented reality to an operator of a medical imaging apparatus

A medical imaging apparatus includes a detector unit, a patient-receiving area at least partially surrounded by the detector unit, and a motion capture unit. The motion capture unit includes at least one first motion capture sensor for capturing patient monitoring data relating to a motion of the patient, and at least one second motion capture sensor for the capture of further motion data relating to a motion of the first motion capture sensor.

Determining a position and/or a motion of a patient during a medical imaging examination

Methods are provided for measurement of RF excitation pulses by a magnetic resonance device. The methods include the following acts: (1) sending of an RF excitation pulse by a radio-frequency system of the magnetic resonance device, (2) triggering of a receive event for capturing the RF excitation pulse by the control device of the magnetic resonance device, and (3) capturing of the sent RF excitation pulse in the form of excitation data by the radio frequency system. The excitation data may be used for checking process execution sequences.

Measurement of radio frequency excitation pulses

In a computer-implemented method, device and system for controlling an imaging system, a specific absorption rate is calculated with a computation unit and an RF transmission signal of the imaging system is controlled with a control device. The process of controlling of the RF transmission signal includes disconnecting the RF transmission signal when a remaining period during which the RF transmission signal is harmless for the patient has been reduced to zero.

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Erlangen, Germany

Thomas Benner