The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 03, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 02, 1995
Charles Lucian Dumoulin, Ballston Lake, NY (US);
Steven Peter Souza, Williamstown, MA (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
A magnetic resonance (MR) active invasive device system employs a small, high-field polarizing magnet, and a large low-field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging magnet for the purpose of generating MR images of blood perfusion in tissue. A subject is positioned in a large low-field MR imaging magnet. A catheter is inserted into the patient at or near the root of a vessel supplying blood to a portion of tissue to be imaged. A fluid, intended to be used as a contrast agent is first passed through the small high-field polarizing magnet, causing a high degree of net longitudinal magnetization to be produced in the fluid. The fluid is then introduced into the subject through the catheter. Radiofrequency (RF) pulses and magnetic field is gradients are then applied to the patient as in conventional MR imaging. Since the fluid has a larger longitudinal magnetization, before the MR imaging sequence, the fluid produces a much larger MR response signal than other tissue. Images acquired during periods of time in which the fluid is flowing and not flowing are mathematically combined to give an MR image whose pixel intensity is related to the degree of tissue perfusion.