Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation

Yasutoshi Ishihara

Kazuya Okamoto

Satoshi Aida

Takuji Suzuki

Katsuhiko Fujimoto

Mariko Shibata

Yoshiharu Ishibashi

Kozo Sato

Masaaki Umeda

Hidehiro Watanabe

A magnetic resonance imaging system measures the temperature of a morbid region to be heated in thermotherapy and controls a scan unit to execute an imaging operation in synchronism with heating by a heating device, and generates measurement temperature data on the basis of the phase change of magnetic resonance signals at different generation times obtained by the imaging operation.

Magnetic resonance imaging system and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus

An absolute temperature measuring pulse sequence is executed and, subsequently, a relative temperature measuring pulse sequence is repeatedly executed. Since while a relative temperature can be measured from phase information, an absolute temperature requires frequency information, a time required in the relative temperature measuring pulse can be made shorter than that required in the absolute temperature measuring pulse sequence. Since the relative temperature reveals a temperature variation, if an absolute temperature at a given time is known, an absolute temperature at a subsequent time can be calculated from the relative temperature. Thus, a local internal temperature of the subject can be measured, with a shorter temporal resolution, with the use of the absolute temperature and relative temperature.

Temperature monitoring method, temperature monitoring apparatus and magnetic resonance apparatus

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus capable of measuring a temperature increase due to an application of RF magnetic fields for data acquisition purpose, and notifying an information on the measured temperature increase regularly to an operator, so as to secure the safety of a body to be examined. In this magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, the image data acquisition operation is controlled to acquire a phase information associated with a temperature change in an interior of the body to be examined, by displacing either an observation start timing or a radio frequency magnetic field application timing for a prescribed magnetic resonance signal in the magnetic resonance signal sequence from a normal timing for acquiring image data.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus with temperature measurement

An ultrasonic wave medical treatment apparatus capable of preventing the displacement of the focal point of the ultrasonic waves from the treatment target portion within the patient, eliminating a need for re-positioning of the ultrasonic wave applicator with respect to the patient, and taking MR images to be utilized during the treatment at a high resolution. In this apparatus, the ultrasonic wave applicator can be integrally incorporated within a treatment table for carrying the patient into the MRI gantry for taking the MR images. The surface coil for taking the MR images can be provided on a surface film of a water bag in the ultrasonic wave applicator, or on a body cavity probe on which the ultrasonic transducer is also provided. The mixing rate of the coupling fluid can be adjusted, and the impedance matching between the ultrasonic transducer and the driving circuit can be maintained by minimizing the reflected electric power from the ultrasonic transducer.

Ultrasonic wave medical treatment apparatus suitable for use under

A non-invasive measurement of a temperature distribution within a target body using a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, capable of realizing a high speed and a high precision measurement, and accounting for a displacement of the target body during the measurement. The chemical shift data from the target body at each voxel in an imaging target region on the target body are collected with and without a temperature change of the target body, a difference between the chemical shift data collected with the temperature change and the chemical shift data collected without the temperature change at each voxel, and a temperature distribution image is constructed and displayed according to the difference calculated. The chemical shift data are preferably collected by using a phase mapping imaging sequence.

Growing community of inventors

Nagaoka, Japan

Yasutoshi Ishihara