Patent ID: 8442617

Claim:
A method for imaging of a part of a patient comprising: providing 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; providing 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; wherein the magnet is mounted on a magnet support arranged so that the magnet is movable longitudinally along its axis; providing 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 X-Ray imaging zone; an X-Ray support base; wherein the upper patient support portion of the patient support table is 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 and also be used with an X-Ray tube under the upper patient support and a detector above the upper patient support; wherein the X-Ray imaging system is mounted for movement relative to the patient support table; in an MR imaging step, moving the magnet longitudinally along its axis to a first imaging position in which the magnet bore surrounds the upper patient support portion while the patient support portion remains supported on the table support base; in the MR imaging step, moving the X-Ray imaging system to a position remote from the magnet and from the upper patient support portion; in the MR imaging step, causing the upper patient support portion to cooperate with the magnet during magnetic resonance imaging; in and X-Ray imaging step, moving the magnet longitudinally along its axis to 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: in the X-Ray imaging step, moving the X-Ray imaging system to a position at the upper patient support portion; in the X-Ray imaging step, causing, the upper patient support portion to cooperate with the X-Ray imaging system during X-Ray imaging.