Medical imaging system comprising a magnet unit and a radiation unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11464469-B2
Application number	US-201716461159-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2017
Priority date	Nov 23, 2016
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

A medical imaging system a magnet unit includes a main magnet and a first housing. In an embodiment, the main magnet is arranged inside the first housing and includes coil elements and at least one coil carrier, the magnet unit defining an examination opening. The first radiation unit is embodied to irradiate the examination object and is arranged on the side of the magnet unit. The magnet unit includes a first region, transparent to radiation emitted by the first radiation unit radially to the examination axis. The first radiation unit is embodied to emit radiation through the first region of the magnet unit in a direction of the examination opening and is furthermore embodied to rotate about the examination opening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A medical imaging system, comprising:
a magnet unit configured for magnetic resonance imaging of an examination object, the magnet unit including a main magnet and a first housing, the main magnet being arranged inside the first housing and the main magnet including coil elements and at least one coil carrier, the magnet unit defining an examination opening along an examination axis such that the magnet unit surrounds the examination opening; and
a first radiation unit configured to irradiate the examination object and arranged on a surface of the magnet unit facing away from the examination opening,
wherein the magnet unit includes a first region, the first region being transparent to radiation emitted by the first radiation unit radially to the examination axis,
the first radiation unit is configured to emit the radiation through the first region of the magnet unit in a direction of the examination opening and the first radiation unit is furthermore embodied to rotate about the examination axis, and
the first region of the magnet unit includes at least one internal window in the first housing and at least one external window in the first housing, the at least one internal window and the at least one external window are transparent to the radiation emitted by the first radiation unit, a material of the at least one internal window and a material of the at least one external window being more transparent than a material of the first housing, wherein
the first radiation unit is a first X-ray source,
the medical imaging system furthermore includes a first X-ray detector, and
the first X-ray source and the first X-ray detector are configured for X-ray imaging of the examination object,
wherein the main magnet, the first X-ray source, and the first X-ray detector are connected such that the main magnet, the first X-ray source, and the first X-ray detector are configured to rotate together simultaneously about the examination axis.

2. The medical imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the coil elements and the at least one coil carrier of the main magnet, are arranged outside the first region of the magnet unit.

3. The medical imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the first region is a funnel in the magnet unit, extending radially to the examination axis, and wherein the first region is transparent to the radiation emitted by the first radiation unit, radially to the examination axis.

4. The medical imaging system of claim 2 ,
wherein the first X-ray detector is arranged on a side of the examination object facing away from the first X-ray source.

5. The medical imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the first region is a funnel in the magnet unit, extending radially to the examination axis, and wherein the first region is transparent to the radiation emitted by the first radiation unit, radially to the examination axis.

6. The medical imaging system of claim 1 ,
wherein the first X-ray detector is arranged on an opposite side of the examination object than the first X-ray source.

7. The medical imaging system of claim 6 , further comprising:
a second radiation unit, the magnet unit including a second region that is transparent to radiation emitted by the second radiation unit, radially to the examination axis, the second radiation unit being arranged on the side of the magnet unit facing away from the examination opening,
the second radiation unit being configured to emit radiation through the second region of the magnet unit in the direction of the examination opening, and
the second radiation unit being configured to rotate about the examination opening.

8. The medical imaging system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a second X-ray detector,
wherein the second radiation unit is a second X-ray source,
wherein the second X-ray detector is arranged on a side of the examination object facing away from the second X-ray source,
and
wherein the second X-ray source and the second X-ray detector are configured for X-ray imaging of the examination object.

9. The medical imaging system of claim 8 , wherein a connecting line runs from the first X-ray source to the first X-ray detector, and another connecting line runs from the second X-ray source and second X-ray detector, the connecting line and the another connecting line enclosing an angle of between 60 and 120 degrees.

10. The medical imaging system of claim 9 , wherein the connecting line and the another connecting line enclose an angle of between 80 and 100 degrees.

11. The medical imaging system of claim 10 , wherein the connecting line and the another connecting line enclose an angle of between 85 and 95 degrees.

12. The medical imaging system of claim 8 , wherein the second X-ray source and the second X-ray detector are connected to the main magnet, the first X-ray source, and the first X-ray detector such that the second X-ray source, the second X-ray detector, the main magnet, the first X-ray source, and the first X-ray detector are configured to rotate together simultaneously about the examination axis.

13. The medical imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the magnet unit is configured to rotate about the examination opening.

14. The medical imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the magnet unit comprises a gradient coil unit, wherein an orientation of the gradient coil unit is fixed relative to the examination opening, and wherein the main magnet is configured to rotate about the examination opening.

15. The medical imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the magnet unit is designed to cool the coil elements of the main magnet via heat conduction.

16. The medical imaging system of claim 15 , wherein waste heat from the coil elements of the main magnet is dissipated by pipes containing a circulating coolant.

17. The medical imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the coil elements of the main magnet are made of an electrically superconducting material, and wherein a critical temperature of the electrically superconducting material is higher than a boiling point of helium.

18. The medical imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one internal window or the at least one external window include beryllium.

19. The medical imaging system of claim 18 , wherein the at least one internal window and the at least one external window include beryllium.

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Inventors

• Fahrig Rebecca
• Leghissa Martino
• Calvert Simon James
• Thomas Adrian Mark

Classifications

• G01R33/3804

  Additional hardware for cooling or heating of the magnet assembly, for housing a cooled or heated part of the magnet assembly or for temperature control of the magnet assembly · CPC title

• A61B6/4417 Primary

  related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities · CPC title

• A61B6/4014

  arranged in multiple source-detector units · CPC title

• A61N2005/1054

  using a portal imaging system · CPC title

• A61B6/4258

  for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation (A61B6/037 takes precedence) · CPC title