Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging process and device

Patent 6031373 Issued on February 29, 2000. Estimated Expiration Date:

April 24, 2018. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Method and means for the noninvasive, local, in-vivo examination of endogeneous tissue, organs, bones, nerves and circulating blood on account of spin-echo techniques
Patent #: 4442404
Issued on: 04/10/1984
Inventor: Bergmann

Pulsed field MRI system with non-resonant excitation Patent #: 5057776
Issued on: 10/15/1991
Inventor: Macovski

Inventors

Assignee

Szeles; Josef Constantin

Application

No. 029338 filed on 04/24/1998

US Classes:

324/300, PARTICLE PRECESSION RESONANCE324/303, Using well logging device600/410Magnetic resonance imaging or spectroscopy

Examiners

Primary: Oda, Christine K.
Assistant: Shrivastav, Brij B.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Collard & Roe, P.C.

Foreign Patent References

0 481 211 EP. 04/12/1992
439 756 SU. 04/12/1975
742 839 SU. 04/12/1978
2 227 095 GB. 07/12/1990
WO 95/03550 WO. 02/12/1995

International Class

G01V 003/00

Foreign Application Priority Data

1995-08-28 AT

Abstract

A method and an arrangement for imaging by means of nuclear magnetic resonance. A polarizing, homogenous, static magentic field is caused to act on the body (1) to be imaged, and then this magnetic field is reduced or switched off. Subsequently, a further magnetic field directed transversely to the polarizing magnetic field is caused to act on the body (1), and the magnetic fields forming by means of nuclear magnetic resonance are sensed by means of a SQUID gradiometer (5), and the image is formed from the signals of the gradiometer.

Other References

Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, vol. 30, No. 2, Aug. 1, 1993, Macovski et al "Novel Approaches to Low-Cost MRI" pp. 221-230
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, vol. 15, No. 3, Sep. 1, 1990, pp. 386-391; Stepisnik et al "NMR Imaging in the Earth . . . "
Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 37, No. 11, Nov. 1992; pp. 2133-2138; Seton et al: "DC Squid-Based NMR . . .