Apparatus and method for c-arm mri with electropermanent magnets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023184855-A1
Application number	US-202218078661-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 9, 2022
Priority date	Dec 9, 2021
Publication date	Jun 15, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and apparatus for accessing and imaging at least one body part of interest may position a subject in an imaging system to partially encloses the subject and partially expose the subject, and access at least one body part of the subject that is exposed outside the imaging system for a procedure. The at least one exposed body part is positioned to be imaged by the imaging system.

First claim

1 . An apparatus comprising:
an imaging system that partially encloses a subject and partially exposes the subject, wherein at least one body part of the subject is exposed outside the imaging system while accessed for a procedure and while imaged by the imaging system.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , where the imaging system includes at least one electropermanent magnet and at least one permanent magnet.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , where the imaging system is configured to vary the quasi-static magnetic field for the body part.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system includes a combination of permanent and electropermanent magnets configured to create both a uniform imaging field and imaging gradients in the exposed part of the subject.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system is configured to provide access to and imaging of the at least one exposed body part without moving the subject between the procedure and imaging.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system comprises at least three arrays, wherein at least one of the arrays contains at least one electropermanent magnet to establish quasi-static magnetic fields and magnetic gradients in a field-of-view containing the at least one body part to be accessed.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system comprises a c-shaped arm formed of three arrays, wherein at least one of the arrays contains at least one electropermanent magnet.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a table configured to support the subject and the at least one body part, wherein the imaging system comprises a c-shaped arm and a portion of the table extends outside the c-shaped arm to expose the at least one body part for access.

9 . A method of accessing and imaging at least one body part of interest comprising:
positioning a subject in an imaging system to partially encloses the subject and partially expose the subject, and accessing at least one body part of the subject that is exposed outside the imaging system for a procedure, wherein the at least one body part is exposed outside the imaging system while imaged by the imaging system.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the imaging system includes at least one electropermanent magnet.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the imaging system includes a combination of permanent and electropermanent magnets configured to create both a uniform imaging field and imaging gradients in the exposed part of the subject.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the imaging system is configured to provide access to and imaging of the at least one exposed body part without moving the subject between the procedure and imaging.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the imaging system comprises at least three arrays, wherein at least one of the arrays contains at least one electropermanent magnet to establish quasi-static magnetic fields and magnetic gradients in a field-of-view containing the at least one body part to be accessed.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the imaging system comprises a c-shaped arm formed of three arrays, wherein at least one of the arrays contains at least one electropermanent magnet.

15 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising a table configured to support the subject and the at least one body part, wherein the imaging system comprises a c-shaped arm and a portion of the table extends outside the c-shaped arm to expose the at least one body part for access.

Assignees

• Weinberg Medical Physics Inc

Inventors

• Weinberg Irving N
• Udalov Oleg

Classifications

• A61B5/055

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

• G01R33/383 Primary

  using permanent magnets · CPC title

• A61B5/704

  Tables · CPC title

• A61B5/702

  Posture restraints · CPC title

• G01R33/445 Primary

  MR involving a non-standard magnetic field B0, e.g. of low magnitude as in the earth's magnetic field or in nanoTesla spectroscopy, comprising a polarizing magnetic field for pre-polarisation, B0 with a temporal variation of its magnitude or direction such as field cycling of B0 or rotation of the direction of B0, or spatially inhomogeneous B0 like in fringe-field MR or in stray-field imaging · CPC title