Patent ID: 8190235

Claim:
Apparatus for imaging of a part of a patient comprising: a patient support table, the patient support table comprising; a table support base for mounting in a fixed position in an imaging suite; and an upper patient support portion on which the patient can lie with the part of the patient exposed for imaging; the upper patient support portion being mounted for controlled movement thereof relative to the table support base; a magnetic resonance imaging system for obtaining images of the part of the patient, the magnetic resonance imaging system comprising: a magnet for use with a control system for controlling and varying a magnetic field of the magnet; a radio frequency transmission and detection system for eliciting and detecting from the part of the patient nuclear magnetic resonance signals, in response to the magnetic field, including RF coils arranged to be located adjacent to the part of the patient; and a computer and display monitor for decoding and displaying an image obtained from the detected signals; the magnet defining a coil surrounding a horizontal axis and defining a cylindrical bore extending between axial ends of the coil of the magnet with an imaging zone in the bore between the ends; the upper patient support portion of the patient support table being cantilevered from the table support base in a direction longitudinal of the axis so as to extend into the bore from one end of the magnet to the imaging zone; wherein the magnet is mounted on a magnet support arranged so that the magnet is movable between a magnetic resonance imaging position in which the magnet bore surrounds the patient support portion while the patient support portion remains supported on the table support base and a remote position in which the magnet is removed from the upper patient support portion by a distance such that the upper patient support portion is out of the magnetic field of the magnet; and an X-Ray imaging system comprising: an X-Ray source; an X-Ray receptor; the X-Ray source and the X-Ray receptor being arranged to define an imaging zone; an X-Ray support base; wherein the X-Ray imaging system is mounted for movement relative to the patient support table; wherein there is provided a safety control system for controlling movements of the magnet and the X-Ray imaging system; wherein the safety control system includes sensors for detecting the following conditions and a status display for an operator which includes indication of the following conditions: Enablement of movement of the magnet; The X-Ray imaging system and patient support table being in park position; Enablement of movement of the X-Ray imaging system; Enablement of movement of the patient support table; The X-Ray imaging system being powered down to reduce RF noise during the MRI.