Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus has a gantry including various coils such as a static field coil and gradient field coils, a top board for supporting an examinee and moving the examinee into and out of an opening of the gantry, and an approximately cylindrical RF coil defining a hollow space therein. The RF coil is set to the top board, with an axis of the hollow space extending at an angle to the horizontal. The examinee's imaging site is inserted into the hollow space of the RF coil to have sectional images picked up. Since the RF coil is set to the top board with the axis of the hollow space inclined relative to the horizontal, sectional images may be picked up by using the approximately cylindrical RF coil while allowing the examinee to take a comfortable posture without enlarging the RF coil.

Abstract: A gantry defines an opening, and a surface coil is mounted in a predetermined position inside the opening. In tomography using this MRI apparatus, an examinee supported on a top board is moved into the opening. At this time, the top board is movable without being obstructed by the surface coil. The surface coil receives NMR signals from a photographed site lying directly over the surface coil. Sectional images are prepared based on the NMR signals received. When shifting the site to be photographed, the operator in a scanner control room gives an instruction to move the top board, thereby adjusting a photographing position. It is unnecessary for the examinee to move on the top board, or for the operator to move from the scanner control room to the photographing room. The examinee entering the gantry opening is illuminated by light from a light projector. A position of the top board when the light illuminates the site to be photographed is regarded as a starting point.