Patent ID: 6586934
Filing Date: 2003-07-01
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
A method of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging, which method comprises:a) generating a static magnetic field in an imaging volume; b) introducing a part of a body in said imaging volume for examination in a first imaging position; c) generating magnetic field gradients in several different spatial directions to select a scan slice of the body under examination and to phase-encode nuclear spins in the selected slice; d) generating sequences of electromagnetic signals to excite the nuclear spins of the body part introduced in the imaging volume; e) receiving resonance signals emitted by the nuclear spins and processing the received resonance signals to extract information therefrom and to reconstruct corresponding images which relate only to a predetermined limited region of the body part to be examined; f) displacing the body part to be examined a predetermined extent from said first imaging position to a second imaging position, parameters associated with said displacement being stored; g) repeating said steps c) through f) for further regions of the body part under examination corresponding to further relative positions between the body and the imaging volume, by displacing the body part in predetermined directions relative to the imaging volume; and h) limiting the useful imaging volume permeated by the magnetic field to ensure proper Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging, in all spatial directions with reference to the predetermined limited region of the body part under examination, the body part under examination being displaced relative to said imaging volume in the three spatial directions.