Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation

Yasutake Yasuhara

Shigehide Kuhara

Makoto Sato

Kazuya Okamoto

Satoshi Sugiura

Hidekazu Tanaka

Yoshitomo Sakakura

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Manabu Ishii

Koji Kitamura

Masaaki Yamanaka

Yutaka Kato

Kazuto Nogami

Tomoyuki Yoshida

Masateru Iwasa

Tsutomu Igarashi

Taketo Kawakami

Takashi Yanashima

A magnetic resonance diagnostic apparatus is configured in such a manner that: a high-frequency transmission coil transmits a high-frequency electromagnetic wave at a magnetic resonance frequency to an examined subject; a heating coil performs a heating process by radiating a high-frequency electromagnetic wave onto the examined subject at a frequency different from the magnetic resonance frequency; based on a magnetic resonance signal, a measuring unit measures the temperature of the examined subject changing due to the high-frequency electromagnetic wave radiated by the heating coil; and a control unit exercises control so that the measuring unit measures the temperature while the heating coil is performing the heating process, by ensuring that the transmission of the high-frequency electromagnetic wave by the high-frequency transmission coil and the radiation of the high-frequency electromagnetic wave by the heating coil are performed in parallel.

Magnetic resonance diagnostic apparatus

Support information including at least a setting image showing a present configuration of placing a patient on a bed and a present configuration of placing an RF coil for the patient is displayed. As necessary, the support information is displayed while including the position of a virtual magnetic field center corresponding to the position of a magnetic field center in the case of moving the bed into a gantry. The displayed support information is stored at a predetermined timing and can be read arbitrarily. By observing the displayed support information, the operator can promptly and easily determine whether the placement configuration of the patient and that of the RF coil at present are proper or not, and can accurately correct the placement configuration of the patient or the RF coil.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, setting supporting apparatus, and setting supporting method

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of the invention comprises a static magnetic field generation unit which generates a static magnetic field in a gantry, a gradient magnetic field generation unit which applies a gradient magnetic field to a object in the static magnetic field, a radio frequency coil which receives a magnetic resonance signal from the object to which the gradient magnetic field is applied, a contour detection unit which detects a contour of the object, a coil movement unit which moves the radio frequency coil on the basis of the detected contour while the radio frequency coil is placed near and far relative to the object, and an image generation unit which generates a magnetic resonance image on the basis of the received magnetic resonance signal.

MRI with automatic contour-controlled separation between RF coil and object being imaged

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus generates an MR signal from an object to be examined by applying a gradient field pulse generated by a gradient field coil and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse generated by a high-frequency coil to the object in a static field generated by a static field magnet, and reconstructs an image on the basis of the MR signal. The gradient field coil is housed in a sealed vessel. Numerous techniques are disclosed to reduce adverse effects of vibrations caused by rapidly changing gradient coil currents. By judicious use of non-conducting connection components between gantry components at some joint portions requiring electrical contact and at some other portions not requiring electrical contact, the generation of adverse B waves, and/or induced electron flow in response to physical vibration between joint components can be reduced.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Nasushiobara, Japan

Yasutake Yasuhara