阅读说明：本技术 磁共振成像系统以及位置显示方法 (Magnetic resonance imaging system and position display method ) 是由 川尻将 堀雅志 于 2020-10-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：实施方式涉及磁共振成像系统及位置显示方法。实现能够将RF线圈配置于适当的位置。实施方式的MRI系统包括MRI装置和光学拍摄装置,该MRI装置具备具有供被检体载置的顶板的诊视床。所述光学拍摄装置取得包括所述诊视床的图像。所述MRI装置具备显示控制部,该显示控制部基于由所述光学拍摄装置取得的图像,将对配置于所述顶板的下方或内部的第一RF线圈的位置进行表示的信息以示出与载置于所述顶板的所述被检体之间的位置关系的方式进行显示。(Embodiments relate to a magnetic resonance imaging system and a position display method. The RF coil can be arranged at an appropriate position. An MRI system according to an embodiment includes an MRI apparatus including a bed having a top plate on which a subject is placed, and an optical imaging apparatus. The optical photographing device acquires an image including the couch. The MRI apparatus includes a display control unit that displays information indicating a position of a first RF coil disposed below or inside the top plate based on an image acquired by the optical imaging apparatus so as to show a positional relationship with the subject placed on the top plate.)

1. A magnetic resonance imaging system includes a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus having a bed having a top plate on which a subject is placed,

the optical photographing device acquires an image including the couch,

the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a display control unit that displays information indicating a position of a first RF coil disposed below or inside the top plate so as to show a positional relationship with the subject placed on the top plate, based on the image acquired by the optical imaging apparatus.

2. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 1,

the display control unit displays information indicating the position of the first RF coil so as to overlap with the image of the subject acquired by the optical imaging device.

3. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 1,

the display control unit projects and displays information indicating the position of the first RF coil onto the upper side of the subject placed on the top plate.

4. The magnetic resonance imaging system of any one of claims 1 to 3,

the display control unit specifies a position of the first RF coil based on an image acquired by the optical imaging device.

5. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 4,

the display control unit specifies a position of the first RF coil in a state where the subject is not placed on the top plate.

6. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 4,

the display control unit acquires the image by the optical imaging device at a timing when the top plate is detected to be lowered, and specifies the position of the first RF coil using the image.

7. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 4,

the display control unit continues imaging by the optical imaging device after the first RF coil is set, and determines the position of the first RF coil using an image obtained immediately before when the operator of the setting draws a picture from an imaging area of the optical imaging device.

8. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 4,

the display control unit continues imaging by the optical imaging device after the first RF coil is set, and specifies the position of the first RF coil using an image obtained immediately before when the subject is placed on the top plate.

9. The magnetic resonance imaging system of any one of claims 1 to 3,

the first RF coil is buried inside the top plate,

the display control unit determines the position of the first RF coil based on the positional relationship between the top plate and the first RF coil.

10. The magnetic resonance imaging system of any one of claims 1 to 3,

the first RF coil includes a plurality of elements,

the display control unit includes and displays information indicating the position of all or a part of the elements included in the first RF coil in information indicating the position of the first RF coil.

11. The magnetic resonance imaging system of any one of claims 1 to 3,

the first RF coil is an RF coil for imaging a spine.

12. The magnetic resonance imaging system of any one of claims 1 to 3,

the display control unit further displays, on a second RF coil disposed above the subject, information indicating a recommended position at which the second RF coil is disposed, so as to show a positional relationship with the subject placed on the top board.

13. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 12,

the display control unit determines a recommended position for disposing the second RF coil based on the position of the first RF coil.

14. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 12,

the display control unit further displays information indicating a recommended position at which the second RF coil is disposed, so as to be superimposed on the image of the subject acquired by the optical imaging device.

15. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 12,

the second RF coil includes a plurality of elements,

the display control unit includes and displays information indicating a position of all or a part of the elements included in the second RF coil in information indicating a recommended position at which the second RF coil is disposed.

16. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 12,

the display control unit displays information indicating the position of the first RF coil and information indicating a recommended position at which the second RF coil is disposed, so as to show a positional relationship with a second RF coil disposed above the subject.

17. A position display method executed in a magnetic resonance imaging system including a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus having a bed with a top plate on which a subject is placed and an optical imaging apparatus, the position display method comprising the steps of:

the optical photographing device acquires an image including the couch,

the display control unit of the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus displays information indicating a position of a first RF coil disposed below or inside the top plate based on the image acquired by the optical imaging apparatus so as to show a positional relationship with the subject placed above the top plate.

Technical Field

Embodiments relate to a magnetic resonance imaging system and a position display method.

Background

Conventionally, in an examination using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) apparatus, an RF coil (coil) that receives a Magnetic Resonance signal is disposed in the vicinity of a subject to perform Imaging. For example, an RF coil is disposed below or inside a top plate on which a subject is placed, and an RF coil is disposed above the subject to perform imaging. In such imaging, the positional relationship between the RF coil disposed below or inside the top plate and the RF coil disposed above the subject may be shifted, and the image quality of the image obtained by imaging may be degraded.

Disclosure of Invention

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to be able to dispose an RF coil at an appropriate position.

An MRI system (system) according to an embodiment includes an MRI apparatus including a bed having a top plate on which a subject is placed, and an optical imaging apparatus. The optical photographing device acquires an image including the couch. The MRI apparatus includes a display control unit that displays information indicating a position of a first RF coil disposed below or inside the top plate based on an image acquired by the optical imaging apparatus so as to show a positional relationship with the subject placed on the top plate.

Effect

According to the magnetic resonance imaging system and the position display method of the embodiment, the RF coil can be disposed at an appropriate position.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an MRI system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart (flowchart) showing a flow of position display of the RF coil by the display control function of the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of position display of the RF coil by the display control function of the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the position display of the RF coil by the display control function of the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of position display of the RF coil by the display control function of the second embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of position display of the RF coil by the display control function of the second embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the MRI system and the position display method according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(embodiment mode)

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an MRI system according to an embodiment.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the MRI system 100 includes an MRI apparatus 110.

The MRI apparatus 110 includes a static field magnet 1, a gradient magnetic field coil 2, a gradient magnetic field power supply 3, a whole body RF (radio frequency) coil 4, a local RF coil 5, a transmission circuit 6, a reception circuit 7, a gantry 8, a bed 9, an interface (interface)10, a display (display)11, a storage circuit 12, and processing circuits 13 to 16.

The static field magnet 1 generates a static magnetic field in an imaging space in which the subject S is disposed. Specifically, the static field magnet 1 is formed in a hollow substantially cylindrical shape (including a case where a cross section orthogonal to the central axis is elliptical), and generates a static magnetic field in an imaging space formed on an inner peripheral side thereof. The static field magnet 1 is, for example, a superconducting magnet, a permanent magnet, or the like. The superconducting magnet here is constituted by a container filled with a coolant such as liquid helium (helium) and a superconducting coil immersed in the container.

The gradient coil 2 is disposed inside the static field magnet 1, and generates a gradient magnetic field in an imaging space in which the subject S is disposed. Specifically, the gradient magnetic field coil 2 is formed in a hollow substantially cylindrical shape (including a case where a cross section orthogonal to the central axis is elliptical), and includes an X coil, a Y coil, and a Z coil corresponding to X, Y, and Z axes orthogonal to each other. The X coil, the Y coil, and the Z coil generate a gradient magnetic field that linearly changes in each axial direction in the imaging space based on the current supplied from the gradient magnetic field power supply 3. Here, the Z axis is set to a magnetic flux along the static magnetic field generated by the static field magnet 1. The X axis is set along a horizontal direction orthogonal to the Z axis, and the Y axis is set along a vertical direction orthogonal to the Z axis. Thus, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis constitute a device coordinate system unique to the MRI device 110.

The gradient magnetic field power supply 3 supplies a current to the gradient magnetic field coil 2, thereby generating a gradient magnetic field in the imaging space. Specifically, the gradient magnetic field power supply 3 supplies a current to each of the X coil, the Y coil, and the Z coil of the gradient magnetic field coil 2, and generates a gradient magnetic field in the imaging space, the gradient magnetic field varying linearly in the extraction (readout) direction, the phase encoding (encode) direction, and the slice (slice) direction, which are orthogonal to each other. Hereinafter, the gradient magnetic field along the extraction direction is referred to as an extraction gradient magnetic field, the gradient magnetic field along the phase encoding direction is referred to as a phase encoding gradient magnetic field, and the gradient magnetic field along the slice direction is referred to as a slice gradient magnetic field.

Here, the extraction gradient magnetic field, the phase encoding gradient magnetic field, and the slice gradient magnetic field are superimposed on the static magnetic field generated by the static field magnet 1, respectively, and spatial position information is given to the magnetic resonance signal generated from the subject S. Specifically, the extraction gradient magnetic field changes the frequency of the magnetic resonance signal according to the position in the extraction direction, thereby giving the magnetic resonance signal positional information along the extraction direction. In addition, the phase encoding gradient magnetic field changes the phase of the magnetic resonance signal in the phase encoding direction, thereby giving the magnetic resonance signal positional information in the phase encoding direction. In addition, the slice gradient magnetic field gives positional information along the slice direction to the magnetic resonance signals. For example, when the imaging region is a slice region (2D imaging), the slice gradient magnetic field is used to determine the direction, thickness, and number of slice regions, and when the imaging region is a volume region (3D imaging), the slice gradient magnetic field is used to change the phase of the magnetic resonance signal in accordance with the position in the slice direction. Thus, the axis along the lead-out direction, the axis along the phase encode direction, and the axis along the slice direction constitute a logical coordinate system for defining a slice region or a volume region to be imaged.

The whole-body RF coil 4 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the gradient magnetic field coil 2, transmits a radio frequency magnetic field to the subject S disposed in the imaging space, and receives a magnetic resonance signal generated from the subject S due to the influence of the radio frequency magnetic field. Specifically, the whole-body RF coil 4 is formed in a hollow substantially cylindrical shape (including a case where a cross section orthogonal to the central axis is formed in an elliptical shape), and transmits a high-frequency magnetic field to the subject S disposed in the imaging space located on the inner peripheral side thereof based on the high-frequency pulse signal supplied from the transmission circuit 6. The whole-body RF coil 4 receives a magnetic resonance signal generated from the subject S due to the influence of the radio-frequency magnetic field, and outputs the received magnetic resonance signal to the receiving circuit 7.

The local RF coil 5 receives a magnetic resonance signal generated from the subject S. Specifically, a plurality of types of local RF coils 5 are prepared so as to be applicable to each part of the subject S, and when imaging the subject S, the local RF coils 5 are arranged near the surface of the part to be imaged. The local RF coil 5 receives a magnetic resonance signal generated from the subject S under the influence of the radio-frequency magnetic field transmitted from the whole-body RF coil 4, and outputs the received magnetic resonance signal to the receiving circuit 7. The local RF coil 5 may also have a function of transmitting a radio frequency magnetic field to the subject S. In this case, the local RF coil 5 is connected to the transmission circuit 6, and transmits a high-frequency magnetic field to the subject S based on a high-frequency pulse signal supplied from the transmission circuit 6. For example, the local RF coil 5 is a phased array coil (phased array coil) configured by combining a surface coil (surface coil) and a plurality of surface coils as elements (elements).

The transmission circuit 6 outputs a high-frequency pulse (pulse) signal corresponding to a Larmor (Larmor) frequency specific to target nuclei placed in the static magnetic field to the whole-body RF coil 4. Specifically, the transmission circuit 6 includes a pulse generator, a high-frequency generator, a modulator, and an amplifier. The pulse generator generates a waveform of the high-frequency pulse signal. The high frequency generator generates a high frequency signal at a larmor frequency. The modulator modulates the amplitude of the high-frequency signal generated by the high-frequency generator with the waveform generated by the pulse generator, thereby generating a high-frequency pulse signal. The amplifier amplifies the high-frequency pulse signal generated by the modulator and outputs the amplified signal to the whole-body RF coil 4.

The receiving circuit 7 generates magnetic resonance data based on the magnetic resonance signal output from the whole-body RF coil 4 or the local RF coil 5, and outputs the generated magnetic resonance data (data) to the processing circuit 14. The receiving circuit 7 includes, for example, a selector, a preamplifier, a phase detector, and an a/D (Analog/Digital) converter. The selector selectively inputs the magnetic resonance signal output from the whole-body RF coil 4 or the local RF coil 5. The preamplifier power-amplifies the magnetic resonance signal output from the selector. The phase detector detects the phase of the magnetic resonance signal output from the preamplifier. The a/D converter converts an analog (analog) signal output from the phase detector into a digital (digital) signal to generate magnetic resonance data, and outputs the generated magnetic resonance data to the processing circuit 14. Note that, each process described as a process performed by the reception circuit 7 does not necessarily require the reception circuit 7 to perform the entire process, and may be performed in part by the whole-body RF coil 4 and the local RF coil 5 (for example, a process by an a/D converter).

The gantry 8 has a hollow hole (bore)8a formed in a substantially cylindrical shape (including a case where a cross section perpendicular to the central axis is formed in an elliptical shape), and houses the static field magnet 1, the gradient coil 2, and the whole-body RF coil 4. Specifically, the gantry 8 accommodates the static field magnet 1, the gradient field coil 2, and the whole-body RF coil 4 in a state where the whole-body RF coil 4 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the hole 8a, the gradient field coil 2 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the whole-body RF coil 4, and the static field magnet 1 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the gradient field coil 2. Here, the space in the hole 8a of the gantry 8 is an imaging space in which the subject S is disposed during imaging.

The bed 9 has a top plate 9a on which the subject S is placed, and a moving mechanism for moving the top plate 9a in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Here, the vertical direction is a vertical direction, and the horizontal direction is a direction along the central axis of the static field magnet 1. With this configuration, the bed 9 can change the height of the top plate 9a by moving the top plate 9a in the vertical direction. Further, the bed 9 can change the position of the top plate 9a between the space outside the gantry 8 and the imaging space in the hole 8a inside the gantry 8 by moving the top plate 9a in the horizontal direction.

Here, an example in which the MRI apparatus 110 has a structure in which the static field magnet 1, the gradient magnetic field coil 2, and the whole-body RF coil 4 are each formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, so-called tunnel (tunnel) type, is described, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the MRI apparatus 110 may have a so-called open (open) type structure in which a pair of static field magnets, a pair of gradient field coils, and a pair of RF coils are arranged so as to face each other with an imaging space in which the subject S is arranged interposed therebetween. In such an open structure, a space defined by the pair of static field magnets, the pair of gradient field coils, and the pair of RF coils corresponds to a hole in the tunnel structure.

The interface 10 receives various instructions and input operations of various information from an operator. Specifically, the interface 10 is connected to the processing circuit 16, and converts an input operation received from an operator into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal to the processing circuit 16. For example, the interface 10 is realized by a trackball (trackball) for setting an imaging condition and a Region Of Interest (ROI), a switch button (switch button), a mouse (mouse), a keyboard (keyboard), a touch panel (touchpad) for performing an input operation by touching an operation surface, a touch panel (touchscreen) in which a display screen and the touch panel are integrated, a non-contact input circuit using an optical sensor, an audio input circuit, and the like. In this specification, the interface 10 is not limited to only an interface including a physical operation member such as a mouse and a keyboard. For example, the interface 10 also includes a processing circuit that receives an electric signal corresponding to an input operation from an external input device provided separately from the apparatus and outputs the electric signal to the control circuit.

The display 11 displays various information and various images. Specifically, the display 11 is connected to the processing circuit 16, and converts various information and various image data transmitted from the processing circuit 16 into electric signals for display and outputs the electric signals. For example, the display 11 is implemented by a liquid crystal monitor, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor (monitor), a touch panel (touch panel), or the like.

The memory circuit 12 stores various data. Specifically, the storage circuit 12 stores magnetic resonance data and image data. For example, the memory circuit 12 is implemented by a semiconductor memory element such as a ram (random Access memory) or a flash memory, a hard disk (hard disk), an optical disk, or the like.

The processing circuit 13 has a couch control function 13 a. The bed control function 13a outputs a control electric signal to the bed 9 to control the operation of the bed 9. For example, the bed control function 13a receives an instruction to move the top plate 9a in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction from the operator via the interface 10 or an operation panel provided on the gantry 8, and operates the moving mechanism of the bed 9 to move the top plate 9a in accordance with the received instruction. For example, when imaging the subject S, the couch control function 13a moves the top plate 9a on which the subject S is placed to the imaging space in the hole 8a located inside the gantry 8.

The processing circuit 14 has a data collection function 14 a. The data collection function 14a collects magnetic resonance data of the subject S by executing various pulse sequences (pulse sequences). Specifically, the data collection function 14a executes various pulse sequences by driving the gradient power supply 3, the transmission circuit 6, and the reception circuit 7 in accordance with the sequence execution data output from the processing circuit 16. The sequence execution data is data indicating a pulse sequence, and is information specifying the timing at which the gradient magnetic field power supply 3 supplies the current to the gradient magnetic field coil 2 and the intensity of the supplied current, the timing (timing) at which the transmission circuit 6 supplies the radio-frequency pulse signal to the whole-body RF coil 4 and the intensity of the supplied radio-frequency pulse, the timing at which the reception circuit 7 samples the magnetic resonance signal (sampling), and the like. Also, the data collection function 14a receives the magnetic resonance data output from the reception circuit 7 as a result of executing the pulse sequence, and stores in the storage circuit 12. At this time, the magnetic resonance data stored in the storage circuit 12 is given with positional information along each of the extraction direction, the phase encoding direction, and the slice direction from the extraction gradient magnetic field, the phase encoding gradient magnetic field, and the slice gradient magnetic field, and is stored as data representing a two-dimensional or three-dimensional k-space.

The processing circuit 15 has an image generating function 15 a. The image generation function 15a generates various images based on the magnetic resonance data collected by the processing circuit 14. Specifically, the image generating function 15a reads the magnetic resonance data collected by the processing circuit 14 from the storage circuit 12, and generates a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image by performing reconstruction processing such as fourier transform on the read magnetic resonance data. Then, the image generation function 15a causes the generated image to be stored in the storage circuit 12.

The processing circuit 16 has an image pickup control function 16 a. The imaging control function 16a controls each component of the MRI apparatus 110, thereby controlling the entire MRI apparatus 110. Specifically, the imaging control function 16a displays a gui (graphical User interface) for receiving various instructions and input operations of various information from the operator on the display 11, and controls each component of the MRI apparatus 110 in accordance with the input operations received via the interface 10. For example, the imaging control function 16a generates sequence execution data based on imaging conditions input by the operator, and outputs the generated sequence execution data to the processing circuit 14, thereby collecting magnetic resonance data. In addition, for example, the imaging control function 16a controls the processing circuit 15 so as to generate an image based on the magnetic resonance data collected by the processing circuit 14. In addition, for example, the imaging control function 16a reads an image stored in the storage circuit 12 in response to a request from an operator, and displays the extracted image on the display 11.

Here, each of the processing circuits described above is realized by, for example, a processor (processor). In this case, the processing functions of the processing circuits are stored in the storage circuit 12 as a program (program) executable by a computer (computer), for example. Each processing circuit reads and executes each program from the storage circuit 12, and realizes a processing function corresponding to each program. In other words, each processing circuit that reads out the state of each program has each function shown in each processing circuit of fig. 1.

In addition, although the case where each processor is realized by a single processor has been described here, each processing circuit may be configured by combining a plurality of independent processors, and each processor may realize each processing function by executing a program. In addition, the processing functions of the processing circuits may be distributed or combined in a single or multiple processing circuits as appropriate. In the example shown in fig. 1, the example in which the single memory circuit 12 stores the programs corresponding to the respective processing functions has been described, but a plurality of memory circuits may be arranged in a distributed manner and the processing circuit may read the corresponding programs from the individual memory circuits.

The components of the MRI apparatus 110 are divided into an imaging room configured as a shield room for shielding the indoor space from electromagnetic waves and an operation room for operating the MRI apparatus 110. For example, the static field magnet 1, the gradient coil 2, the whole body RF coil 4, the local RF coil 5, the receiving circuit 7, the gantry 8, the bed 9, and the processing circuit 13 are disposed in an imaging room, and the gradient power supply 3, the transmitting circuit 6, the interface 10, the display 11, the storage circuit 12, and the processing circuits 14 to 16 are disposed in an operation room. In the case where a machine room is provided in addition to the imaging room and the operation room, part or all of the gradient magnetic field power supply 3, the transmission circuit 6, the storage circuit 12, and the processing circuits 14 to 16 may be provided in the machine room.

The entire configuration of the MRI apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment is explained above. In addition to the above configuration, the MRI apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment captures an image of the subject S to collect images necessary for the examination when the subject S is examined.

Here, in general, in an examination using an MRI apparatus, an RF coil that receives a magnetic resonance signal is disposed in the vicinity of a subject, and imaging is performed. For example, an RF coil is disposed below or inside a top plate on which a subject is placed, and an RF coil is disposed above the subject to perform imaging. In such imaging, the positional relationship between the RF coil disposed below or inside the top plate and the RF coil disposed above the subject may be shifted, and the image quality of the image obtained by imaging may be degraded.

For example, in parallel imaging (parallel imaging), which is one of high-speed imaging methods performed by an MRI apparatus, a Spine coil (RF coil for imaging the Spine) is disposed below or inside a top plate, and a Body coil (RF coil for imaging the abdomen) is disposed above a subject to perform imaging. Here, the Spine coil and the Body coil are generally each configured by a plurality of elements, but when the two coils are arranged, the positional relationship of the elements may be shifted, and image quality of parallel imaging may be deteriorated.

In this case, the MRI system 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to dispose the RF coil at an appropriate position.

Specifically, the MRI system 100 includes a camera (camera)120 disposed above the bed 9. For example, the camera 120 is mounted on the ceiling of the shooting room. Alternatively, the camera 120 may be attached to an end portion of the gantry 8 or the bed 9, or may be attached to a peripheral wall of the gantry 8 or the bed 9. The camera 120 is an example of an optical imaging device.

In addition, the MRI system 100 includes a projector (projector)130 disposed above the couch 9. For example, the projector 130 is mounted on the ceiling of the shooting room. Alternatively, the projector 130 may be attached to an end of the gantry 8, or may be attached to a wall around the gantry 8 or the bed 9.

The gantry 8 of the MRI apparatus 110 included in the MRI system 100 includes a gantry monitor 8b, and the processing circuit 16 includes a display control function 16 b. The display control function 16b is an example of a display control unit.

In the present embodiment, the camera 120 acquires an image including the bed 9, and the display control function 16b displays information indicating the position of the local RF coil 5 (first RF coil) disposed below or inside the top plate 9a so as to show the positional relationship with the subject S placed on the top plate 9a based on the image acquired by the camera 120.

In the present embodiment, the display control function 16b further displays information indicating a recommended position for disposing the local RF coil 5 (second coil) above the patient so as to show a positional relationship with the patient placed on the top plate 9 a.

With this configuration, when the technician performs the operation of disposing the local RF coil 5 above the subject, the position of the local RF coil 5 disposed below or inside the top board 9a can be grasped even in a state where the subject is placed above the top board 9 a. Thus, in the present embodiment, the RF coil can be disposed at an appropriate position.

Hereinafter, a specific application example of the MRI system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described as an example. In the following embodiments, an example in which a patient is the subject S will be described. In the following embodiments, the work of attaching and detaching the coil to and from the top board 9a and the patient by the technician is referred to as "coil setting".

In the following embodiment, an example is described in which the local RF coil 5 (first RF coil) disposed below or inside the top plate 9a is a Spine coil (RF coil for imaging the Spine), and the local RF coil 5 (second RF coil) disposed above the patient is a Body coil (RF coil for imaging the abdomen). Here, the Spine coil and the Body coil each include a plurality of elements.

(first embodiment)

First, the first embodiment will be explained. In the first embodiment, the display control function 16b displays information indicating the position of the Spine coil disposed below or inside the top plate 9a on the gantry monitor 8b so as to overlap with the patient image acquired by the camera 120.

In the first embodiment, the display control function 16b displays information indicating a recommended position for disposing the Body coil on the Body coil disposed above the patient on the gantry monitor 8b so as to overlap the image of the patient acquired by the camera 120.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of the position display of the RF coil by the display control function 16b of the first embodiment.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, when the coil setting operation is started (step S101), first, the technician arranges a Spine coil on the top board 9a (step S102).

Then, the display control function 16b determines the position of the Spine coil based on the image acquired by the camera 120 (step S103).

In the present embodiment, between the Spine coil disposed on the back surface of the patient and the Body coil disposed on the abdomen of the patient, there is a great advantage in reducing the labor for optimizing the positional relationship of the elements of both coils. In the following, a case (case) in which the patient lies on the back on the top plate 9a of the bed 9 will be described.

In particular, for the Spine coil, when a patient is placed on the top board 9a, it is difficult to specify the position of the element, and in an actual workflow (workflow), the position of the Spine coil is not confirmed by making the lying patient stand up, and therefore it is important to systematically grasp the position of the element of the Spine coil in a state where no patient is present.

When the Spine coil is embedded in the top panel 9a, it is uniquely determined at which position of the top panel 9a the Spine coil is arranged, and therefore this step (step S103) is not necessary. On the other hand, when the position of the Spine coil can be moved to an arbitrary position, it is necessary to know in advance which position of the bed the Spine coil is arranged.

Therefore, the display control function 16b specifies the positions of the top board 9a and the Spine coil based on the image acquired by the camera 120 until the patient is placed on the top board 9a after the Spine coil is disposed below or inside the top board 9a by the technician.

For example, the display control function 16b determines the positions of the top board 9a and the Spine coil using any of the following 3 methods.

Method 1) images are taken by the camera 120 at the timing when the top 9a is detected to be descending, and the positions of the top 9a and the Spine coil are determined using the images thus obtained. This is because the position of the top plate 9a is lowered to load the patient after the Spine coil is provided.

Method 2) after the Spine coil is installed, imaging is continued by the camera 120, and the positions of the top board 9a and the Spine coil are determined using the image obtained immediately before when the technician draws (frame out) from the imaging region of the camera 120. This is because the technician temporarily leaves the imaging room after the Spine coil is installed in order to guide the patient to the imaging room.

Method 3) after the Spine coil is set, the camera 120 continues shooting at a low frame rate (e.g., every 1 second, every 5 seconds, etc.), and positions of the top plate 9a and the Spine coil are determined using an image obtained immediately before the patient enters the picture (frame in) on the top plate 9a at a timing when the patient enters the picture.

Next, the technician mounts the patient on the table top 9a (step S104).

Thereafter, the display control function 16b displays information indicating the position of the Spine coil on the gantry monitor 8b so as to overlap the patient image acquired by the camera 120 (step S105). The display control function 16b further displays information indicating the recommended position for disposing the Body coil on the gantry monitor 8b so as to overlap the patient image acquired by the camera 120 (step S106).

At this time, the display control function 16b includes and displays information indicating the positions of all the elements included in the Spine coil in the information indicating the positions of the Spine coil. In addition, the display control function 16b includes information indicating the positions of all the elements included in the Body coil in information indicating the recommended position at which the Body coil is arranged, and displays the information.

Next, the technician arranges a Body coil above the patient (step S107).

Here, the display control function 16b displays information indicating the position of the Spine coil and information indicating the recommended position at which the Body coil is disposed so as to show the positional relationship with the Body coil actually disposed above the patient.

Specifically, the display control function 16b continuously displays the image of the patient captured by the camera 120 on the gantry monitor 8b, thereby displaying the information indicating the position of the Spine coil and the information indicating the recommended position of the Body coil in a superimposed manner on the image of the Body coil actually placed above the patient. At this time, although the frame rate for acquiring and displaying the video from the camera 120 is not specified, it is preferable to switch the display at a speed that is so high that the technician can recognize the moving image when checking the gantry monitor 8 b.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the position display of the RF coil by the display control function 16b of the first embodiment.

For example, as shown in fig. 3, the display control function 16b displays, on the gantry monitor 8b, a first image 21 including the whole Body of the patient S placed on the top plate 9a and the Body coil 5a actually placed above the patient S, which are acquired by the camera 120, and a second image 22 obtained by enlarging the range in which the Spine coil is placed in the first image 21.

Then, the display control function 16b displays a mark (mark)23 indicating the position of the Spine coil and a mark 24 indicating the recommended position of the Body coil so as to overlap with the second image 22. For example, the display control function 16b displays a mark indicating the corner or center of the coil, a frame-shaped mark indicating the edge of the coil, and the like as a mark 23 indicating the position of the Spine coil and a mark 24 indicating the recommended position of the Body coil.

At this time, the display control function 16b determines the recommended position of the Body coil by using the following method, for example.

Method 1) determines a recommended position so that the center of the coil comes to a specific part of the patient based on information selected by anatomi (imaging part) included in the imaging conditions.

Method 2) determines the recommended position so that the positional relationship between the Spine coil and the Body coil is optimal based on information of the element specified under the imaging conditions.

Method 3) the recommended position is determined so that the positional relationship between the elements of the Spine coil and the elements of the Body coil becomes optimal. For example, the recommended position is determined so that the center of the element of the Spine coil coincides with the center of the Body coil.

In addition, any one of the above methods may be used alone, or a plurality of the methods may be used. In addition, a method selected by the operator may also be used.

Further, the display control function 16b includes a mark 23a indicating the position of each element included in the Spine coil in the mark 23 indicating the position of the Spine coil, and displays the mark. The display control function 16b displays a mark 24a indicating the position of each element included in the Body coil, in a mark 24 indicating the recommended position of the Body coil. For example, the display control function 16b displays, for each element, a mark indicating the corner or center of the element, a frame-shaped mark indicating the edge of the element, and the like as a mark 23a indicating the position of each element included in the Spine coil and a mark 24a indicating the position of each element included in the Body coil.

Thus, the technician can place the Body coil at the optimum position by performing the operation while checking the information indicating the position of the Spine coil displayed on the gantry monitor 8b, the information indicating the recommended position of the Body coil, and the image of the Body coil actually placed.

Here, for example, when a skilled person performs coil arrangement, the coil arrangement is often performed so that a region that the skilled person wants to take an image is an optimum arrangement of elements after the position of the elements is grasped. In such a case, as described above, it is effective to display information indicating the positions of the respective elements of the Spine coil and the Body coil.

In addition, even in a state where the patient lies, since the position of the element of the Spine coil can be grasped by the gantry monitor 8b, the position of the patient can be finely adjusted with respect to the position of the element of the Spine coil.

The Spine coil and the Body coil may be arranged so that the positions of the respective elements overlap. Thus, the elements can be arranged at positions where the development performance in the parallel imaging is improved, and the RF coil can be positioned so as to maximize the performance (performance) of the parallel imaging. For example, when performing parallel imaging, the display control function 16b may calculate a g-factor (factor) (an index indicating the unfolding performance of the parallel imaging) from the positional relationship between the Spine coil and the Body coil, and further display information indicating the calculated g-factor on the gantry monitor 8 b.

In this way, while the coil setting operation is being performed (step S108), the display of the position of the Spine coil and the display of the recommended position of the Body coil by the display control function 16b and the arrangement of the Body coil by the technician are repeated (steps S105 to S107).

Here, in the above-described steps, the processing in steps S103, S105, and S106 is realized by, for example, the processing circuit 16 reading out a predetermined program corresponding to the display control function 16b from the memory circuit 12 and executing the program.

In the first embodiment described above, the display control function 16b is configured to display information indicating the positions of all the elements included in the Spine coil and the Body coil, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

For example, the display control function 16b may display information indicating the position of a part of elements included in the Spine coil. The display control function 16b may display information indicating the position of a part of the elements included in the Body coil.

For example, when the MRI apparatus 110 has a function of selecting an element used for imaging in units called segments (segments) obtained by grouping (grouping) a part of a plurality of elements included in the RF coil, the display control function 16b may display information indicating the position of the selected segment. For example, in the Spine coil and the Body coil, in the case where a plurality of elements are arranged in a matrix, a plurality of elements included in the same column and a plurality of elements included in the same row are grouped into one segment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the position display of the RF coil by the display control function 16b of the first embodiment.

For example, as shown in fig. 4, the display control function 16b displays, on the gantry monitor 8b, a first image 21 including the whole Body of the patient S placed on the top plate 9a and the Body coil 5a actually placed above the patient S, which is acquired by the camera 120, and a second image 22 obtained by enlarging the range in which the Spine coil is placed in the first image 21, in the same manner as in the example shown in fig. 3. In addition, the display control function 16b displays a mark 23 indicating the position of the Spine coil and a mark 24 indicating the recommended position of the Body coil so as to overlap with the second image 22, as in the example shown in fig. 3.

Here, the display control function 16b displays a mark 23b indicating the position of the selected segment in the Spine coil, including the mark 23 indicating the position of the Spine coil superimposed on the second image 22. The display control function 16b displays a mark 24b indicating the position of the selected section in the Body coil, including the mark 24 indicating the recommended position of the Body coil superimposed on the second image 22. For example, the display control function 16b displays, for each segment, a mark indicating the corner or center of the segment, a frame-shaped mark indicating the edge of the segment, and the like as a mark 23b indicating the position of the segment selected in the Spine coil and a mark 24b indicating the position of the segment selected in the Body coil.

Alternatively, for example, when the MRI apparatus 110 has a function of selecting an element used for imaging in units of elements, the display control function 16b may display information indicating the position of the selected element among a plurality of elements included in the Spine coil and the Body coil.

Alternatively, for example, the display control function 16b may display only information on the positions of elements in a portion near the edge of the coil among the plurality of elements included in the Spine coil and the Body coil.

For example, a manufacturer of the MRI apparatus 110 may display information of all elements in some cases due to a reason such as adding a unique technique to the structure of the elements in the RF coil. In this case, as described above, it is effective to display information indicating the position of a part of the elements included in the Spine coil or Body coil.

In the first embodiment described above, the display control function 16b has been described as an example of displaying the image acquired by the camera 120, the information indicating the position of the Spine coil, and the information indicating the recommended position of the Body coil on the gantry monitor 8b, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

For example, the display control function 16b may display the image acquired by the camera 120, information indicating the position of the Spine coil, and information indicating the recommended position of the Body coil on a monitor provided on the bed 9, a portable monitor (portable monitor), a monitor of a portable terminal used by the technician, or the like.

(second embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment will be explained. In the second embodiment, the display control function 16b projects and displays information indicating the position of the Spine coil disposed below or inside the top board 9a onto the top of the patient placed on the top board 9a by the projector 130.

In the second embodiment, the display control function 16b further projects information indicating a recommended position for disposing the Body coil above the patient, onto the patient placed on the top plate 9a, and displays the information by the projector 130.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of the position display of the RF coil by the display control function 16b of the second embodiment.

For example, as shown in fig. 5, when the coil setting work is started (step S201), first, a Spine coil is arranged on the top board 9a by an engineer (step S202).

Then, the display control function 16b determines the position of the Spine coil based on the image acquired by the camera 120 (step S203). For example, the display control function 16b determines the position of the Spine coil by the same method as the first embodiment.

Next, the technician mounts the patient on the table top 9a (step S204).

After that, the display control function 16b projects and displays information indicating the position of the Spine coil on the top of the patient placed on the top board 9a by the projector 130 (step S205). The display control function 16b further projects and displays information indicating the recommended position for disposing the Body coil onto the patient placed on the top plate 9a by the projector 130 (step S206).

At this time, the display control function 16b displays information indicating the positions of all the elements included in the Spine coil, including the information indicating the positions of the Spine coil, as in the first embodiment. In addition, the display control function 16b displays information indicating the positions of all the elements included in the Body coil, including information indicating the recommended positions at which the Body coil is arranged, as in the first embodiment.

Next, the technician arranges the Body coil above the patient (step S207).

Here, the display control function 16b displays information indicating the position of the Spine coil and information indicating the recommended position at which the Body coil is disposed so as to show the positional relationship with the Body coil actually disposed above the patient.

Specifically, the display control function 16b continuously projects the information indicating the position of the Spine coil and the information indicating the recommended position of the Body coil on the patient, thereby displaying the information indicating the position of the Spine coil and the information indicating the recommended position of the Body coil on the Body coil actually placed on the patient.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the position display of the RF coil by the display control function 16b of the second embodiment.

For example, as shown in fig. 6, the display control function 16b projects a mark 33 indicating the position of the Spine coil and a mark 34 indicating the recommended position of the Body coil on the patient S placed on the top board 9a and the Body coil 5a actually placed above the patient S, and displays them. For example, the display control function 16b displays a mark indicating the corner or center of the coil, a frame-shaped mark indicating the edge of the coil, and the like as a mark 33 indicating the position of the Spine coil and a mark 34 indicating the recommended position of the Body coil.

At this time, the display control function 16b determines the recommended position of the Body coil by the same method as that of the first embodiment, for example.

Further, the display control function 16b displays a mark 33a indicating the position of each element included in the Spine coil, including the mark 33 indicating the position of the Spine coil. The display control function 16b displays a mark 34a indicating the position of each element included in the Body coil, in addition to the mark 34 indicating the recommended position of the Body coil. For example, the display control function 16b displays, for each element, a mark indicating the corner or center of the element, a frame-shaped mark indicating the edge of the element, and the like as a mark 33a indicating the position of each element included in the Spine coil and a mark 34a indicating the position of each element included in the Body coil.

Thus, the technician can place the Body coil at the optimum position by performing the operation while checking the information indicating the position of the Spine coil displayed above the patient, the information indicating the recommended position of the Body coil, and the position of the Body coil actually placed.

Here, for example, when a skilled person performs coil arrangement, the coil arrangement is often performed so that a region that the skilled person wants to take an image is an optimum arrangement of elements, after the position of the elements is grasped. In such a case, as described above, it is effective to display information indicating the positions of the elements of the Spine coil and the Body coil.

In addition, even in a state where the patient lies, since the position of the element of the Spine coil can be grasped by the gantry monitor 8b, the position of the patient can be finely adjusted with respect to the position of the element of the Spine coil.

Further, the Spine coil and the Body coil may be arranged so that the positions of the respective elements overlap. Thus, the elements can be disposed at positions where the development performance is improved in the parallel imaging, and the RF coil can be positioned so as to maximize the performance of the parallel imaging. For example, when parallel imaging is performed, the display control function 16b may calculate a g-factor from the positional relationship between the Spine coil and the Body coil, and display information indicating the calculated g-factor by projecting it further onto the patient.

In this way, while the coil setting operation is being performed (step S208), the display control function 16b repeatedly displays the position of the Spine coil, the recommended position of the Body coil, and the arrangement of the Body coil by the technician (steps S205 to S207).

Here, in the above-described steps, the processing in steps S203, S205, and S206 is realized, for example, by the processing circuit 16 reading out a predetermined program corresponding to the display control function 16b from the memory circuit 12 and executing the program.

In the second embodiment described above, the display control function 16b is assumed to display information indicating all the positions of a plurality of elements included in the Spine coil and the Body coil, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

For example, the display control function 16b may display information indicating the positions of some of the elements included in the Spine coil. The display control function 16b may display information indicating the position of some of the elements included in the Body coil.

For example, the display control function 16b displays information indicating the position of the selected segment, information indicating the position of the selected element, information indicating the position of the element in a portion near the edge of the coil, and the like by the same method as the first embodiment.

In the above-described embodiments, the example in which the display control function 16b displays the information indicating the position of the Spine coil and the information indicating the recommended position of the Body coil has been described, but the embodiments are not limited to this.

For example, the display control function 16b may calculate a deviation between the Body coil actually placed above the patient and the recommended position of the Body coil based on the image acquired by the camera 120, and may further present information indicating the magnitude of the calculated deviation. In this case, the display control function 16b may output information indicating the magnitude of the calculated deviation to the upper side of the patient, the upper side of the gantry 8, and the upper side of the bed 9 by sound, for example, via the projector 130.

In the above-described embodiments, the case where the local RF coil 5 disposed above the patient is a Body coil has been described, but the embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the local RF coil 5 disposed above the patient may be an RF coil for other parts such as an RF coil for a foot and an RF coil for a head.

The above description has been given of an example of the MRI system 100 according to the present embodiment. As described in the above-described embodiment, in the present embodiment, the camera 120 acquires an image including the bed 9, and the display control function 16b displays information indicating the position of the local RF coil 5 disposed below or inside the top plate 9a so as to show the positional relationship with the subject S placed on the top plate 9a based on the image acquired by the camera 120.

With this configuration, when the technician performs the operation of disposing the local RF coil 5 above the subject, the position of the local RF coil 5 disposed below or inside the top board 9a can be grasped even in a state where the subject is placed above the top board 9 a. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the RF coil can be arranged at an appropriate position.

In the present embodiment, the display control function 16b displays information indicating a recommended position for disposing the local RF coil 5 (second coil) above the patient so as to show a positional relationship with the patient placed on the top plate 9 a.

With this configuration, the technician can be navigated (navigation) to optimize the positions of the elements of the local RF coil 5 disposed above the patient with respect to the positions of the local RF coil 5 disposed below or inside the top plate 9 a.

Further, the position of the local RF coil 5 can be appropriately adjusted before imaging, and re-imaging due to an error (miss) in coil arrangement can be reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the display control unit in the present specification is realized by the display control function 16b of the processing circuit 16 has been described, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the display control unit in the present specification may be realized by hardware (hardware) alone, software (software) alone, or a mixture of hardware and software, in addition to the display control function 16b described in the embodiment.

The term "processor" used in the above description is a Circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Programmable Logic Device (e.g., a Simple Programmable Logic Device (SPLD)), a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)). The processor realizes the functions by reading out and executing the programs stored in the storage circuit. Alternatively, instead of storing the program in the memory circuit, the program may be directly loaded into the circuit of the processor. In this case, the processor realizes the function by reading out and executing the program loaded into the circuit. The processor of the present embodiment is not limited to being configured as a single circuit, and may be configured as 1 processor by combining a plurality of independent circuits to realize the functions thereof.

Here, the program executed by the processor is provided by being loaded in advance in a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a Memory circuit. The program may be provided as a file that can be installed in these devices or can be executed, and the file may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD (compact Disk) -ROM, FD (Flexible Disk), CD-R (Recordable Disk), or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). The program may be stored in a computer connected to a network (network) such as the internet, and may be provided or distributed by being downloaded (downloaded) via the network. For example, the program is constituted by a module (module) including the above-described functional units. As actual hardware, the CPU reads and executes a program from a storage medium such as a ROM, loads (loads) each module on the main storage device, and generates the module on the main storage device.

According to at least one of the embodiments described above, the RF coil can be disposed at an appropriate position.

Several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.