Multi-Bore Superconducting Magnet for Extremities MRI
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional MRI scanners, especially whole-body machines, are large, expensive, and inconvenient for extremities scans, causing discomfort and logistical challenges, particularly for elderly and pediatric patients, and are not suitable for small medical clinics due to size, weight, and helium cooling requirements.
Innovation Solution
A multi-bore extremities MRI system with a cryogen-free, conduction-cooled superconducting magnet that includes a scanning bore and one or more non-scanning bores, allowing for comfortable positioning of both legs and enabling easy adjustment with an articulating arm, reducing the need for helium and simplifying installation and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional whole-body MRI scanner is used for extremities scans, then imaging capability is achieved, but the system size, cost, and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the MRI system into specialized components: a compact superconducting magnet system specifically designed for extremities imaging, separate from whole-body scanning equipment. The multi-bore configuration segments the scanning space into a central bore for the extremity being scanned and outer bores for positioning the other leg, creating a focused, smaller-scale system that maintains imaging capability while reducing overall size.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by concentrating the magnetic field and scanning capabilities specifically where needed for extremities imaging, rather than providing uniform whole-body coverage. The superconducting magnet is positioned and configured to optimize field strength and uniformity in the central bore region, allowing high-quality extremities imaging with a smaller, more cost-effective system.
2Measurement precision
If a conventional whole-body MRI scanner is used, then imaging capability is maintained, but patient comfort and accessibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-bore configuration segments the patient positioning space, allowing one leg to be comfortably positioned in the central scanning bore while the other leg rests in the outer bores. This segmentation enables ergonomic positioning that accommodates patient comfort during extremities scans, particularly benefiting elderly and pediatric patients who would find whole-body scanners uncomfortable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates an articulating arm that allows dynamic adjustment of the scanner position and orientation. This enables the MRI system to be positioned at various angles and heights to accommodate different patient sizes, ages, and comfort needs, while maintaining optimal imaging geometry for extremities scans.
3Reliability
If helium cooling is used in the superconducting magnet, then superconductivity is achieved, but operational costs and maintenance complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a cryogen-free cooling system that uses mechanical refrigeration to achieve and maintain the cryogenic temperatures required for superconductivity. The refrigeration unit automatically maintains the superconducting magnet at operating temperature without requiring periodic helium refilling or complex cryogenic infrastructure, making the system self-sufficient and reducing operational costs and maintenance complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional helium-based cryogenic cooling system with a mechanical refrigeration system. This substitution eliminates the need for liquid helium storage, handling, and refilling infrastructure, while providing reliable cooling through solid-state or vapor-compression refrigeration technology, thereby reducing both operational costs and maintenance requirements.
4Weight of stationary object
If a compact extremities MRI system is designed, then system size and cost are reduced, but versatility for different scanning configurations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-bore superconducting magnet system provides universal functionality by enabling various scanning configurations within a compact design. The central bore can scan extremities in standard positions, while the outer bores accommodate alternative positioning needs. The articulating arm further enhances versatility by allowing the scanner to be positioned for different patient orientations and anatomical regions, making the compact system adaptable to diverse clinical scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulating arm provides dynamic positioning capability that allows the compact MRI system to adapt to different scanning configurations. The arm can be articulated to various angles and positions, enabling the scanner to accommodate different patient sizes, ages, and clinical requirements, thereby achieving versatility comparable to larger systems while maintaining a compact footprint.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a compact, affordable, and comfortable MRI solution for extremities scans, enabling timely diagnosis and reducing operational and installation costs, while allowing for scanning in various positions and orientations, including vertical and horizontal configurations.
Implementation Method 1
a cryogen-free, conduction-cooled superconducting magnet
Implementation Method 2
conduction-cooled superconducting magnet
Data Source
AI summary
A method, a system, and an article of manufacture are disclosed for obtaining imaging data from human extremities using an Extremities MRI (EMRI) system configured to accommodate both legs of a patient during scanning by providing multiple bores, including a scanning bore and one or more non-scanning bores, deployed within an actively or passively shielded, Cryogen-Free (CF), cooled superconducting electromagnet. In various embodiments, the non-scanning bores are located between field or main coils and shield coils, and the cross sections of the bores may be circular, oval, or any other appropriate and useful geometric shape. The longitudinal axis of extra bores may or may not be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the scanning bore. In various embodiments, the EMRI system may have a passively shielded superconducting magnet in which the other leg may be placed between the outside of a cryostat of the superconducting magnet and the ferromagnetic shield components.