Positioning cushion for a medical imaging examination, and medical imaging apparatus with a positioning cushion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016367167-A1
Application number	US-201615185715-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 17, 2016
Priority date	Jun 17, 2015
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A positioning cushion for patient undergoing an imaging procedure in a medical imaging apparatus, with a first positioning unit that has a foam material and a second positioning unit, wherein the second positioning unit has at least one fluid cushion able to be filled with a fluid.

First claim

We claim as our invention:

1 . A positioning cushion for positioning a subject at a positioning site, said positioning cushion comprising:
a first positioning unit comprising a foam material; a second positioning unit comprising a fluid cushion having a port allowing selective filling, at said positioning site, of said fluid cushion with a fluid; and said first positioning unit and said second positioning unit being adapted to receive a subject thereon to position said subject at said positioning site.

2 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 1 wherein said port comprises a valve opening allowing selective filling and emptying of said fluid cushion.

3 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first positioning unit comprises a first surrounding frame and said second positioning unit comprises a second surrounding frame, said first surrounding frame and said second surrounding frame being connected to each other.

4 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 3 wherein said first surrounding frame and said second surrounding frame are connected to each other by a connection selected from the group consisting of thermal molding and welding.

5 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second positioning unit comprises a pre-shaped envelope in which said fluid cushion is situated.

6 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second positioning unit has an emptied state in which said fluid cushion contains no fluid, and wherein said second positioning unit comprises an envelope that assumes a predefined position in said emptied state.

7 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first positioning unit comprises a foam cushion formed of said foam material, said foam cushion having a recess therein.

8 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first positioning unit comprises two foam cushions, formed of said foam material, that are separate from each other.

9 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 1 comprising a third positioning unit comprising a stabilizer that provides overall stability to said first and second positioning units.

10 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 9 wherein said first positioning unit comprises a first positioning layer, said second positioning unit comprises a second positioning layer, and said third positioning unit comprises a third positioning layer forming said stabilizer.

11 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 9 wherein said third positioning unit is situated between said first positioning unit and said second positioning unit.

12 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 9 wherein said first positioning unit has a first surrounding frame, said second positioning unit has a second surrounding frame, and third positioning unit has a third surrounding frame, said first, second and third surrounding frames being connected to each other.

13 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first positioning unit comprises a foam cushion formed of said foam material, said foam cushion having a sloping slide surface, and wherein at least a portion of said fluid cushion of said second positioning unit is disposed on said sloping side surface.

14 . A positioning cushion as claimed in claim 13 wherein said second positioning unit comprises an envelope in which said fluid cushion is disposed, and wherein said foam cushion comprises a central exterior area and wherein said envelope rests against said central exterior area.

15 . A medical imaging apparatus comprising:
a medical data acquisition scanner; a patient support adapted to receive a patient thereon and to move said patient into and out of said medical data acquisition scanner; a positioning cushion in said patient table adapted to position said patient on said patient table, as a positioning site; and said positioning cushion comprising a first positioning unit comprising a foam material, a second positioning unit comprising a fluid cushion having a port allowing selective filling, at said positioning site, of said fluid cushion with a fluid, and said first positioning unit and said second positioning unit being adapted to receive a subject thereon to position said subject at said positioning site.

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Inventors

• Candidus Yvonne
• Driemel Daniel
• Endner Lukas
• Fischer Hubertus
• Kraus Wolfgang
• Kundner Thomas
• Zigann Martin
• Zink Stephan

Classifications

• A61B5/055

  involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging · CPC title

• A61B5/704 Primary

  Tables · CPC title

• A61B5/0555 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• G01R33/30

  Sample handling arrangements, e.g. sample cells, spinning mechanisms · CPC title