Electricity: measuring and testing – Particle precession resonance – Spectrometer components
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-29
2001-04-10
Arana, Louis (Department: 2862)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Particle precession resonance
Spectrometer components
C324S320000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06215308
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a magnetic resonance imaging system (hereinafter referred to as “MRI system”), and more particularly to a MRI system in which considerations, contributing to easy handling, are given to the subject to be examined (hereinafter referred to as “patient”), and also the efficiency of operations, such as a medical treatment to be given to the patient by a doctor, and an examination operation to be effected by a technician or the like (The doctor and the technician will hereinafter be referred to as “doctor or the like”), is improved.
2. Description of the Related Art
A MRI system utilizes nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) phenomena to provide an image of a cross-sectional area of that portion of the patient to be examined for diagnostic purposes. In such a MRI system, in order to produce NMR phenomena on the patient's portion to be examined, it is necessary to produce a strong magnetic field and then to locate the patient's portion to be examined in this magnetic field.
In conventional MRI systems, generally, a bore such as a tunnel is formed in a strong magnetic field, and the patient is put into this bore. In such a system, although the strong magnetic field can be easily formed, the patient must be loaded into the narrow bore, which has invited a problem that the examination can not be carried out easily. Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 62-26052 discloses a MRI system not using a tunnel space, in which one side of a measurement space is open.
In the conventional MRI systems, the measurement space is formed in the tunnel, or is open at its one side with the remaining sides closed by walls. Therefore, when the patient is inserted into the measurement space for examination purposes, he tends to feel oppressed and uneasy, and it has often been difficult to properly examine the patient of claustrophobia. Moreover, the doctors or the like have now more and more wished to give a medical treatment to the patient simultaneously with the examination operation, and particularly when the patient is an emergency one, it is necessary to effect a medical treatment simultaneously with the examination. In such a case, the doctors or the like need to gain access to the patient from the opposite sides of the patient. With the conventional MRI systems, however, it has been impossible to achieve this.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic resonance imaging system capable of decreasing oppressed or uneasy as felt in patients to be examined during examination. And, it is another object of the present invention to provide the magnetic resonance imaging system in which doctors or the like can effect an operation of the examination in easy or a medical treatment at the same time during the examination.
In order to achieve such objects of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic resonance imaging system including a lower body which has a flat upper surface and contains a first magnetic pole, an upper body which has a flat lower surface disposed in opposed relation to the upper surface of the lower body and contains a second magnetic pole, the lower body and the upper body forming an examination space, and a pair of support posts which are provided respectively on sides of the examination space, i.e. both side surfaces of the lower body, these support posts interconnecting the lower body and the upper body, the examination space being open at least toward a bed between the pair of support posts.
And, in order to achieve further the above objects according to the present invention, the support posts are located outside the lower body, the support posts are fixed to the side surfaces of the lower body which extend toward a rear side thereof from a connecting portion of the lower body and the bed, and a space is provided for capable of effecting a medical treatment at the same time during the doctor's examination according to the necessity at the side surfaces thereof between the support posts and the connecting portion of the lower body.
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Katayama Atsushi
Maeda Tsuneo
Ninomiya Atsushi
Ohnuma Mitsuru
Saegusa Masahito
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Arana Louis
Hitachi Medical Corp.
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