Scan Position Identifier for MRI Subject Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical imaging techniques require extra steps and time to define scan start and end positions, often leading to unnecessary patient dose and inefficiency due to reliance on technologist judgment and manual adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A movable subject support with a scan position identifier that generates signals for start and end scan positions based on the location of the subject, allowing for independent alignment and reduced need for manual adjustments, thereby simplifying the scanning process and optimizing scan volume accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual positioning techniques are used to define scan start and end positions, then the scan can be performed, but extra steps and time are consumed and patient dose increases
Solution Approach 1:
The subject support automatically identifies scan positions using markers and sensors without requiring technologist intervention for manual positioning. The system self-determines the start and end positions based on detected marker locations, eliminating the need for technologists to manually position the support or calculate scan parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with an automated optical/electronic detection system. Instead of technologists visually aligning lasers or manually moving the support, sensors detect marker positions and automatically calculate scan parameters, substituting mechanical/manual operations with automated detection and computation.
2Ease of operation
If default scan length is used, then scanning is simplified, but unnecessary patient dose is administered
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from marker detection to automatically determine the optimal scan length. Sensors detect the positions of markers placed on the patient, and this information feeds into the scan parameter calculation, allowing the system to adjust the scan length to match the actual patient anatomy rather than using a fixed default value.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes scan parameters (start position, end position, length) based on detected marker locations. Instead of using a fixed default scan length, the system calculates and adjusts the scan parameters to match the specific patient and examination requirements, optimizing the radiation dose for each case.
3Measurement precision
If technologist manually monitors and stops the scan in real-time, then scan coverage can be optimized, but the process requires close attention and reaction time
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines and executes the optimal scan parameters without requiring continuous technologist monitoring. The automated marker detection and parameter calculation system performs the function that would otherwise require manual real-time supervision, freeing the technologist from intense focus during the scanning process.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple manual adjustment steps are required to define scan positions, then positioning can be performed, but device complexity and操作流程 complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex manual positioning steps and replaces them with a simplified marker-based system. Instead of requiring technologists to perform multiple manual adjustments and calculations, the system uses detected marker positions to directly determine scan parameters, removing the intermediate complex steps while maintaining or improving positioning accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A subject support (118) for an imaging system (100) includes a moveable portion (122) that includes a surface (204) on which the subject is loaded and that is configured to move into an examination region of the imaging system where the subject is to be scanned. The support further includes a scan position identifier (126) that generates a signal indicative of at least one of a start scan position or an end scan position for a predetermined region of interest of the subject based on a location of the region of interest on the moveable portion of the subject support for an arbitrary relative position of the moveable portion with respect to the examination region.