Pivotable Patient Table for MRI Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical imaging apparatuses, such as magnetic resonance tomographs, face challenges in providing adequate access for operating physicians during interventions due to the limited space within the patient tunnel, which restricts the movement and positioning of patients for effective imaging and intervention access.
Innovation Solution
A patient table with a pivoting apparatus that allows rotation about a vertical axis, integrated with a support apparatus, enables the patient table to be positioned and rotated within the imaging apparatus, maintaining access for the physician while minimizing space usage and interference with the imaging process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the patient tunnel is kept small to limit structural requirements, then the magnet structure is compact and cost-effective, but access for operating physicians during interventions is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patient table is made rotatable about a vertical axis, transforming from a static to a dynamic positioning system. This allows the table to be rotated to different angular positions, enabling physicians to access patients from multiple directions while maintaining a compact tunnel structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of expanding the tunnel opening width (2D solution), the invention adds rotational capability along a vertical axis (3D movement). This allows access improvement without increasing the tunnel's cross-sectional area, effectively solving the contradiction by moving to another dimension.
2Ease of operation
If the patient table is made rotatable about a vertical axis, then access for operating physicians is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patient table serves multiple functions: it supports patient positioning for imaging and simultaneously provides rotational capability for physician access. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate access mechanisms, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotational function is merged with the patient table structure itself, rather than being a separate add-on system. The pivoting apparatus is integrated into the table's support mechanism, combining positioning and access functions into a single unified system.
3Volume of stationary object
If the positioning unit is arranged outside the patient tunnel, then space inside the tunnel is saved and imaging interference is reduced, but the patient table structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning unit with motor components is extracted from the patient tunnel interior and placed outside. This removes potentially interfering elements from the imaging zone while maintaining the necessary positioning functionality through the external arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient table structure acts as an intermediary, transmitting positioning forces from the external positioning unit to the patient table. This allows the positioning function to be external while maintaining precise control of the table position.
Data Source
AI summary
A patient table for a medical imaging apparatus, and a system including a patient table and an imaging apparatus are provided. The patient table has a pivoting apparatus that is configured to pivot a patient about a vertical axis in an examination position.