Patent ID: 8073524
Filing Date: 2011-12-06
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
1. A method for obtaining an image by magnetic resonance imaging of a part of a patient comprising: providing a plurality of imaging rooms including at least a first imaging room in which magnetic resonance imaging of a patient is carried out and a second imaging room separate from the first imaging room in which separate magnetic resonance imaging of a patient is carried out where only imaging by magnetic resonance imaging is carried out in the first and second rooms so that neither of the first and second imaging rooms contains a second imaging modality; providing a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising: moving the magnet between the first and second imaging rooms so as to define first and second separate imaging positions wherein a first position is in the first room and a second position is in the second room; in an initial step, at each of the first and second imaging positions, using a shim rig to generate a respective one of a plurality of sets of shimming currents for the shimming coils, wherein each set of the plurality of sets of shimming currents are set for the respective position; wherein the plurality of sets of shimming currents for the shimming coils generated by the shim rig are selected to remove in-homogeneities resulting from magnetic in-homogeneities in the local magnet environment at the respective positions; after the initial step, repeatedly moving the magnet to each of the first and second imaging positions as required and carrying out an imaging step at that imaging position of a part of a patient to generate an MR image; the position input system having input the indication of the currently selected position; and the control system acting at each imaging step after the initial step, on receipt of the indication of the currently selected position of the magnet for the imaging step, to extract the respective set of shimming currents which is set in relation to that currently selected position and to apply to the shimming coils the extracted respective set of shimming currents for the currently selected position.