Abstract: Nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can include use of an electrical transceiver coil system comprising an array of segmented loops. The array can be arranged about a portion of an imaging subject and arranged to provide surgical access to a region of the imaging subject from at least one direction. The segmented loops can establish a volumetric radio frequency (RF) excitation field across a volume-of-interest associated with the imaging subject in response to the segmented loops receiving specified transmit phases providing a non-90-degree relative phase between segmented coil loops at adjacent ones of the segmented loops. All or at least some of the segmented loops can provide outputs indicative of an RF signal from the imaging subject, the RF signal elicited in response to RF excitation. The transceiver coil system can facilitate pre-operative, intra-operative, or post-operative MR imaging, such as facilitating access for a surgical procedure.

Abstract: In a method for guiding brachytherapy radiation treatment the patient is supported on a table and an MR magnet is brought into the treatment bunker through doors for imaging while the after-loader for the radiation source delivery is stored away in a storage location outside the RF shield. A safety system controls movement of the after-loader and the magnet. Images of the patient obtained while the patient is on the table are used to locate the applicator with respect to the lesion and organs-at-risk. The MR and X-ray compatible patient support table with MR coil integration includes a removable end-extension, which provides pelvic access for applicator insertion.

Abstract: For use in MR imaging of a patient a plurality of surface electrodes such as ECG or defibrillator are provided for obtaining electrical signals for determining electrical activity within the body of the patient and remain in place during the MR imaging. The surface electrodes include a quick disconnect wire for carrying the signals to a signal processing system to be removed during the MR imaging to prevent heating. Each electrode comprises a conductive layer divided by slits into separate side by side sections to reduce eddy currents which are induced in the surface electrodes when they are exposed to variations in the magnetic field. The sections all are connected through the layer to the conductive location to allow the signal therefrom to be connected to the communication conductor.

Abstract: In MR imaging in a suite of rooms including a diagnostic room and a second surgical room, the magnet includes a diagnostic table separable from a docking station of the magnet and the second room includes a second surgical table. An imaging control computer controls operation of the imaging system and a movement control computer controls operation of the magnet moving system and the patient support table. During imaging in the surgical room, the diagnostic table is separated and docked at a secondary docking station while an emulating computer system cooperate with the imaging control computer system by emulating outputs from the disconnected diagnostic table for controlling operation of the imaging system.

Abstract: A head clamp for Magnetic Resonance and X-ray imaging is generally C-shaped including a base and two legs carrying pin clamp members. A course and fine adjustment system allows one of the clamp members to move inwardly relative to the other and then to be finely adjusted so as to apply a clamping force to the skull. The C-shaped support member comprises a truss with a C-shaped inner band adjacent the skull, an outer band generally following the shape of inner band and a plurality of openings defining spaced bars between the inner band and the outer band. The adjustment system comprises a screw that adjusts the width of the C-shaped member at the base and at one leg and includes a gauge to measure force applied with the mechanism located outside the field of view of the head both vertically and horizontally.

Abstract: Apparatus for radiation therapy combines a patient table, an MRI and a radiation treatment apparatus mounted in a common treatment room with the MR magnet movable from a position outside a radiation shielded door to an imaging position. An RF-shielded door is movable between a position, separating part of the treatment apparatus from the magnet and an open position allowing access of the patient to the treatment apparatus. In one configuration there is a row of treatment rooms and the magnet is mounted to move along a passageway outside the row of radiation shielded doors of the rooms.

Abstract: An phased array RF coil used for MR imaging is designed so that it remains in place in the field of view of an X-Ray imaging system and comprises a support board on which copper or aluminum conductive traces are carried. The attenuation of the X-Rays caused by the traces is visible in the radiation image but this is compensated by arranging the non-conductive material of the support board such that the attenuation is substantially constant. The phased array includes individual coil loops which are overlapped with the traces being of half thickness at crossing locations of the traces and with one of the loops on one side and the other loop on the second side of the substrate sheet.

Abstract: A system for detecting a position of an object such as a surgical tool in an image guidance system includes a camera system with a detection array for detecting visible light a processor arranged to analyze the output from the array. Each object to be detected carries a single marker with a pattern of contrasted areas of light and dark intersecting at a specific single feature point thereon. The pattern includes components arranged in an array around the specific location arranged such that the processor is able to detect an angle of rotation of the pattern around the location and which are different from other markers of the system such that the processor is able to distinguish each marker from the other markers.

Abstract: In a MRI system housed within a room there is provided a movable magnet and additional components for other procedures on the patient, a control system is provided for the relative movement of the magnet and components. This includes a plurality of magnetic field sensors mounted on the components for measuring the magnetic field at the location of the component and an optional camera positioning system so that the control system can estimate relative positions of the components relative to the magnet from the sensed field strengths from the set of sensors to avoid collisions during the movements.

Abstract: A receive coil for MRI includes a stacked pair of coil elements to communicate the respective MR signals therein to the signal processing system in separate channels. This greatly increases image SNR and penetration depth and in parallel imaging. The coils are arranged in a stacked relationship so as to be at least partly and preferably wholly overlapped and lying in the same or closely adjacent planes. The coils include tuning capacitors to a common resonant frequency. The coils are connected by a conductor arranged such that the signals of the first and second coils are decoupled. The conductor can form a common portion of the coils including a capacitance of in the common portion arranged. The coils can be connected by two conductors one of which is a short and the other contains a capacitor. In both cases the connection conductors provide the decoupling.

Abstract: The receive coil arrangement includes an inner coil adjacent the part to be imaged so as to maximize the received MR signal and an outer coil, which may be the built in body coil of the magnet, connected by cable to the signal processing system. Both the coils are individually tuned to the common resonant frequency and the receive coil include an arrangement to halt current flow therein during the transmit stage. The first coil has no cable and is arranged to communicate the MR signal therein to the signal processing system through the outer coil by inducing the MR signal onto the outer coil. Despite inherent losses by interfering with the tuning of the loops and in the inductive coupling this magnifies the MR signal and makes the first coil wireless. Arrangements are provided for generating from the output of the second coil separate signals for separate channels of the signal processing unit.

Abstract: In MR imaging in a suite of rooms including a diagnostic room and a second surgical room, the magnet includes a diagnostic table separable from a docking station of the magnet and the second room includes a second surgical table. An imaging control computer controls operation of the imaging system and a movement control computer controls operation of the magnet moving system and the patient support table. During imaging in the surgical room, the diagnostic table is separated and docked at a secondary docking station while an emulating computer system cooperate with the imaging control computer system by emulating outputs from the disconnected diagnostic table for controlling operation of the imaging system.

Abstract: An apparatus for intra-operative MRI includes a patient table with a movable magnet and an RF coil having an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion is formed of a foam material flexible to different shapes with a pair of stiffeners formed of connected pivotal elements extending from a central back-bone embedded in the top sheet of the foam to hold the flexible material in the different shapes and is carried at one end of a flexible foam arm attached to a side rail of the table and stiffened by a longitudinal stiffener. A head clamp is attached to the table with a C-shaped holder for the skull clamp pins. The lower coil is movable by flexing about longitudinal lines to different curvatures and is held channel shaped by the C-shaped holder. It is attached at one longitudinal end to an adjustable mount connected to the head clamp.

Abstract: An RF coil used for MR imaging is designed so that it remains in place in the field of view of an X-Ray imaging system and comprises a support board on which copper conductive traces and copper printed capacitors are carried. The attenuation of the X-Rays caused by the copper traces is visible in the radiation image but this is compensated by arranging the non-conductive material of the support board such that the attenuation of substantially the whole of the RF coil located within the field of view is substantially constant throughout the field of view.

Abstract: Apparatus for radiation therapy combines a patient table, an MRI and a radiation treatment apparatus mounted in a common treatment room with the MR magnet movable through a radiation shielded door to an imaging position. An initial MR image and an initial X-ray image is used to generate an RT program for the patient to be carried out in a plurality of separate treatment steps. Before carrying out the procedure, a registration step is performed using a phantom by which X-ray images are registered relative to MR images to generate a transformation algorithm required to align the MR images of the part of the patient relative to the X-ray images. Prior to each separate treatment step a current MR image of the part of the patient is obtained and the transformation algorithm data is used from the current MR image is used in guiding the RT treatment step.

Abstract: In MR imaging, the patient is placed on the table in a configuration convenient for a surgical procedure and while in the configuration the patient is moved into the field of view by moving the magnet longitudinally and the table is moved in the bore relative to the magnet so as to optimize the part to be imaged within the field of view of the magnet. After imaging the table is moved back to the preset position and removed from the magnet for the surgical procedure to commence or continue. The movement includes movement along the longitudinal axis; transverse movement side to side; rolling movement about a longitudinal axis; tilting movement about a transverse axis and bending movement of the table relative to at least one transverse hinge line in the table at a position spaced from the ends of the table.

Abstract: A head clamp for Magnetic Resonance and X-ray imaging is generally C-shaped including a base and two legs carrying pin clamp members. A course and fine adjustment system allows one of the clamp members to move inwardly relative to the other and then to be finely adjusted so as to apply a clamping force to the skull. The C-shaped support member comprises a truss with a C-shaped inner band adjacent the skull, an outer band generally following the shape of inner band and a plurality of openings defining spaced bars between the inner band and the outer band. The adjustment system comprises a screw that adjusts the width of the C-shaped member at the base and at one leg and includes a gauge to measure force applied with the mechanism located outside the field of view of the head both vertically and horizontally.

Abstract: The receive coil arrangement includes an inner local volume coil adjacent the part to be imaged so as to maximize the received MR signal and an outer coil, which may be the built in body coil of the magnet, connected by cable to the signal processing system. Both the coils are individually tuned to the common resonant frequency and the local volume coil include an arrangement to halt current flow therein during the transmit stage. The local volume coil has no cable and is arranged to communicate the MR signal therein to the signal processing system through the outer coil by inductive coupling to the outer coil. Despite inherent losses by interfering with the tuning of the loops and in the inductive coupling this magnifies the MR signal and makes the local volume coil wireless.

Abstract: A patient table for a common imaging system including Magnetic Resonance and X-Ray retains the patient stationary in position prior to, during and subsequent to the imaging and includes a base, a patient support portion cantilevered from the base and a mattress. A safety system is provided for controlling the operation of the magnet and MR system and the X-Ray systems to allow effective safe operation and controls the movement of the magnet to the table and the movement of the X-Ray imaging systems to and from the table to locations where they do not interfere with the MR imaging.

Abstract: A modular multi-transmit head coil for use in Deep Brain Stimulation procedures includes a mounting frame arranged for attachment to the stereotactic head frame of the patient. An integrated MR stereotactic locating phantom is included as part of the coil structure which has attached MR/CT compatible fiducials on it to correlate pre-op, intra-op and post op images. The frame carries a series of modular removable coil elements in a transceive array that are connected to a set of RF power amplifiers that directly drive the coil elements. A control system including suitable software is arranged to control the signals to the coil elements so as to generate a required RF field with all the coil elements in place and with one or more the coil elements removed to allow access to the patent for the installation of the DBS leads.