Movable Integrated Scanner for Surgical Imaging Applications

Abstract

A patient imaging system includes a patient support table, an MRI system including a cylindrical magnet and a PET system including positron detectors mounted in a ring. The magnet defines a cylindrical bore for receiving the patient on the table where the magnet is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis on a slew ring carried on rails allowing longitudinal movement. The PET ring is mounted in the bore for longitudinal movement. The quench tube for the magnet passes through the slew ring with a rotary union at the axis. The shielding covers include a fixed upper part and a lower part which rotates about the axis with the magnet. The magnet is arranged in a two or three room diagnostic configuration in which a holding bay houses the magnet and the diagnostic patients are organized in the three rooms each cooperating with the magnet bay as the magnet is rotated.

1 . Apparatus for obtaining a scanned image of a part of a patient comprising:
 a patient support table;   and a magnetic resonance imaging system for obtaining images of a part of the patient, the magnetic resonance imaging system comprising:   a magnet for use with a control system for controlling and varying the magnetic fields, a radio frequency transmission and detection system for eliciting and detecting from the part of the patient nuclear magnetic resonance signals, in response to the magnetic fields, including an RF probe arranged to be located adjacent to the part of the patient and a computer and display monitor for decoding and displaying the detected signals;   the magnet defining a cylindrical bore arranged such that the part of the patient is positioned in the bore so as to lie in the magnetic field of the magnet while the patient is located in place on the table;   and a positron emission tomography scanning system (PET) for use in conjunction with the magnetic resonance imaging system.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein there is provided relative movement between the magnet and the table. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the PET system is movable relative to the magnet. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the PET system and the magnet are mounted such that the field of view of the magnet coincides with the field of view of the PET of the patient on the table. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the PET includes optical fibers extending along the bore to carry optical signals from scintillation detectors thereof to an exterior control system. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the PET includes a wireless communication system to carry optical signals from scintillation detectors thereof to an exterior control system. 
     
     
         7 . A hybrid imaging system comprising:
 a magnetic resonance scanner; and   a second modality imaging system disposed in the same radio frequency isolation space as the magnetic resonance scanner, the second modality imaging system including radiation detectors configured to detect at least one of high energy particles and high energy photons.   
     
     
         8 . The hybrid imaging system as set forth in  claim 7 , further including magnetic shielding arranged to reduce magnetic fields from the magnetic resonance scanner. 
     
     
         9 . The hybrid imaging system as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the second modality imaging system is a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. 
     
     
         10 . The hybrid imaging system as set forth in  claim 9 , wherein the radiation detectors include photomultiplier tubes and scintillators. 
     
     
         11 . The hybrid imaging system as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the magnetic shielding includes active shielding coils configured to generate a compensatory magnetic field that at least partially cancels the magnetic fields from the magnetic resonance scanner. 
     
     
         12 . The hybrid imaging system as set forth in  claim 7 , further including rails for providing movement of one or both of the magnetic resonance scanner and the a second modality imaging system. 
     
     
         13 . The hybrid imaging system as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the magnetic resonance scanner and the second modality imaging system are physically separate units that are spaced apart by a gap, and the hybrid imaging system further includes a patient bed disposed in the gap between the magnetic resonance scanner and the second modality imaging system and configured to load a patient disposed on the patient bed into either the magnetic resonance scanner or the second modality imaging system. 
     
     
         14 . The hybrid imaging system as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the second modality imaging system includes a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. 
     
     
         15 . The hybrid imaging system as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the magnetic resonance scanner and the second modality imaging system are spaced apart, the hybrid imaging system further including a retractable radio frequency screen selectively extendible between the magnetic resonance scanner and the second modality imaging system.