JP2009297306A - Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus for easily and correctly positioning stations in a short time, regardless of the kinds and combination of coils concerning a multi-imaging method. <P>SOLUTION: An operator designates an H-F direction image pickup region (Selected Total FOV), which is shorter than the whole length (Total FOV) of a subject, from a whole body scout image displayed on a display part (step 201). A base station is determined in a step 300, and the image pickup positions of the respective stations are automatically calculated based on the number of stations other than the determined base station and the base station. The calculated image pickup positions of the stations, etc., are displayed by reflection on the scout image of a GUI (step 202). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus (MRI apparatus) that measures nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals from protons in a subject and visualizes proton density distribution, relaxation time distribution, and the like.

  In recent years, whole body MRI, in which MRI images of the whole body are captured by repeatedly moving the bed of the MRI apparatus to perform screening tests, has attracted attention. As one type of whole-body MRI imaging, there is a multi-station imaging technique (multi-imaging method) that divides a subject into a plurality of stations (areas) and synthesizes the obtained images to create a whole-body MRI image. It is known. In this imaging method, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, the bed is stopped when an image of each station is captured, and the bed is moved when the station is moved.

JP 2002-198100 A

  In the multi-imaging method, in order to smoothly synthesize a whole body image of a subject from a plurality of station images, it is necessary to provide a certain overlap amount (OL) between the stations. That is, it is necessary to determine an appropriate imaging position in each station. For this reason, it is necessary to consider the following items when determining the imaging position of each station.

  (Item 1): When imaging is performed using a receiving coil having a different emotion distribution for each station, it is necessary to consider the relationship between the FOV (Field 0f View) used for imaging and the sensitivity distribution of the receiving coil.

  (Item 2): In order to minimize the number of times the bed is moved in order to shorten the imaging time, it is necessary to use the minimum number of stations that can image the entire imaging area.

  However, in order to satisfy the above items 1 and 2, station positioning is complicated. At present, there is no complicated station positioning tool, and station positioning is performed manually by an operator, and long-time adjustment is necessary for proper positioning. In addition, the burden on the operator is large.

  Therefore, there is a need for a means for easily and efficiently determining the station position regardless of the local receiving coil to be used.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and a plurality of station position setting methods capable of easily and accurately performing station positioning in a short time regardless of the type of coil and its combination in the multi-imaging method. Is to realize.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

  A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores a sensitivity distribution of a receiving coil that receives a nuclear magnetic resonance signal, a scan setting input unit that sets an imaging range of a subject, and an imaging range of the subject. Based on this, the base station reference position for multi-station imaging is set, the imaging area size of each station forming the multi-station is calculated from the sensitivity distribution of the receiving coil stored in the storage unit, and A multi-station position setting unit configured to set the position of each station based on the imaging range of the subject, the reference position of the base station, and the imaging area size of each station;

  Further, the plurality of station position setting methods in the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of the present invention store sensitivity distribution of a receiving coil that receives a nuclear magnetic resonance signal, input a range to be imaged by the subject, and input the subject Based on the imaging range, set the reference position of the base station that becomes the reference for multi-station imaging, calculate the imaging area size of each station forming the multi-station from the stored sensitivity distribution of the receiving coil, The position of each station is set based on the imaging range of the subject, the reference position of the base station, and the imaging area size of each station.

  According to the present invention, in a multi-imaging method, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and a plurality of station position setting methods capable of easily and accurately performing station positioning in a short time regardless of the type of coil and its combination. Can be realized.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an MRI apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. This MRI apparatus is an apparatus that performs imaging using a multi-imaging method.

  In FIG. 1, the MRI apparatus generates a high-frequency magnetic field in a bed 112 on which a subject 101 is placed, a magnet 102 that generates a static magnetic field, a gradient magnetic field coil 103 that generates a gradient magnetic field in a static magnetic field generation space. An RF transmission coil 104, an RF reception coil 105 that detects an MR signal generated by the subject 101, and a control unit 111 that controls the entire system are provided. The control unit 111 includes a multi-station position setting unit that sets the position of each station forming the multi-station described later.

  The bed 112 can be retracted from the magnet 102 or inserted into the magnet 102, and the operation of the bed 112 is performed by the bed driving unit 113. The bed driving unit 113 is controlled to move at least in the body axis direction (z direction) in accordance with a control signal given from the control unit 111.

  The gradient magnetic field coil 103 is configured by gradient magnetic field coils in three directions of x, y, and z, and a current is supplied from the gradient magnetic field power source 109 to the gradient magnetic field coil 103 in accordance with a signal from the control unit 111 and is orthogonal to each other. Generate a gradient magnetic field. For each gradient magnetic field, a slice selection gradient magnetic field, a phase encoding gradient magnetic field, and a read gradient magnetic field can be set in arbitrary directions.

  The RF transmission coil 104 generates a high-frequency magnetic field in response to a signal from the RF transmission unit 110, and excites protons in the subject 101 with a high-frequency magnetic field having a Larmor frequency. The nuclear magnetization of the excited proton is received by the RF receiving coil 105 as an FID (free induction decay) signal or an echo signal, and detected by the signal detector 106. The detected signal is subjected to processing such as FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) in the signal processing unit 107 and converted to an image signal. The image is displayed on the display unit 108.

  In accordance with commands and signals from the input unit 114 and the signal processing unit 107, the control unit 111 includes a gradient magnetic field power source 109, an RF transmission unit 110, a signal detection unit 106, a bed driving unit 113, a display unit 108, a storage unit 116, Operation control of the laser light source 115 is performed. The control time chart is generally called a pulse sequence.

  In the present invention, the station positioning in the main imaging of whole body MRI is performed by the MRI apparatus, and if necessary, the operator only sets the imaging position of one base station, and the MRI apparatus automatically sets the subsequent stations. The result is reflected in the GUI and displayed.

  Next, the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the overall flowchart of FIG.

  First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the MRI apparatus, the operator designates an imaging area (Selected Total FOV) in the HF direction that is shorter than the total length (Total FOV) of the subject 101 from the whole body scout image displayed on the GUI of the display unit 108 as necessary. (Step 201). This designation is performed by the operator from the input unit 114 (operation setting input unit).

  In step 201, the Selected Total FOV flag is set simultaneously with the specification of the Selected Total FOV. When the Selected Total FOV is not designated, the Total FOV is set as the imaging area. Thereafter, when a start button on the GUI, for example, a start button 804 in FIG. 8 described later is pressed, the process proceeds to step 300 in FIG. 2, and the imaging position of the station is automatically calculated in step 300. The calculated imaging position of the station is reflected and displayed on the GUI scout image (step 202).

  The whole body scout image can be acquired by continuously imaging the subject 101 from the head to the foot with the maximum sensitivity distribution of the reception coil 105 and a predetermined OL using the gantry built-in reception coil 105. In the multi-imaging method, when a local reception coil is used, the local reception coil information is stored in the storage unit 116. The local reception coil information includes position information of the apparatus with respect to the bed 112 and sensitivity distribution thereof.

  Regarding the acquisition of the local receiving coil information, the position information can be realized by measuring the center position of the coil with respect to the bed 112 using a laser beam generated from the laser beam generation source 115, and the sensitivity distribution is stored in the storage unit 116 of the MRI apparatus. It can be obtained from the database stored in. In addition, when the subject 101 is placed on the bed 12 and placed in the gantry, the position of the region of interest marked using laser light or the like is also stored in the storage unit 116.

  As an example of the selected total FOV display, a rectangular area 1101 shown in FIG. 11A and a rectangular area such as the rectangular area 1201 shown in FIG. In this case, the imaging area is within the rectangle 1101 or 1201.

  As a display example of the Total FOV, there is an image region 802 of a whole body scout image shown in FIG. The image area 802 at this time is an imaging area in the HF direction. Processing for performing station positioning in step 300 shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, first, the presence / absence of designation of the imaging region by the operator is checked (step 301). In the process of step 301, it is determined whether or not the flag for selecting the selected total FOV is set, and the process proceeds to the process of step 302 or step 303.

  If the flag is set in step 301, the selected total FOV is set as an imaging target, and the process proceeds to step 302. If the flag is not set in step 301, the total FOV is set as the imaging area and the process proceeds to step 303.

  In step 302, the position coordinates of the start and end of the Selected Total FOV are acquired. In step 303, the position coordinates of the start and end of the total FOV are acquired.

  Acquisition of the position coordinates of the start and end in step 302 can be easily earned by a mouse event on the GUI.

  Further, the start and end points in step 303 can be calculated from a scout image, for example, an area 801 shown in FIG. Since the scout area image 801 is composed of an image area 802 and a blank area that is not so, when scanning is performed from the top to the bottom of the scout image 801 in the GUI, a point having a luminance value first is set as a starting point. A point having the last luminance value can be acquired as the end point.

  The position coordinates of the start and end acquired in steps 302 and 303 are transmitted to the next step 400, the base station is determined, and used for the next base station and station positioning.

  Note that although the start end and the end may be interchanged, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the upper side on the GUI will be described as the start end and the lower side will be described as the end.

  The determination of the base station in step 400 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, it is determined whether or not the position of the local receiving coil is included in the imaging region by referring to the start / end position coordinates and the position information of the local receiving coil (step 401).

  In step 401, when the local receiving coil is included in the imaging region, it is determined that the local receiving coil is used for imaging, and the process proceeds to step 402 where the position of the local receiving coil is set as the reference position of the base station and the number n of base stations is counted. Then, the process proceeds from step 402 to step 403, where the sensitivity distribution of the local receiving coil is set as the imaging area in the HF direction of the base station, and the imaging area in the HF direction of the base station is determined according to the reference position and the sensitivity distribution. .

  In step 401, when the local receiving coil is not used, the process proceeds to step 404, and it is confirmed whether or not the mark position is within the imaging range of the start end and the end. If it is determined in step 404 that the mark position is within the imaging area, the process proceeds to step 405, where the mark position is set as the imaging reference position of the base station. Then, the process proceeds from step 405 to step 407, and an imaging area in the HF direction is determined according to the sensitivity distribution of the receiving coil built in the gantry and the base station imaging reference position.

  In step 404, if the mark position does not fall within the imaging area, the process proceeds to step 406, and a position inside the imaging area, which is separated from the start or end by a distance that is half the sensitivity distribution of the gantry built-in receiving coil. The base station reference position is determined as the base station imaging position. Then, the process proceeds to step 407 to determine the imaging area of the base station in the HF direction.

  Returning to FIG. 3, after the base station is determined in step 400, the process proceeds to step 500 where the number of other stations and their positioning are determined. The process of step 500 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 5, based on the number n of base stations described above, the number of base stations n is divided into one and two or more (step 501).

  First, a case where the number n of stations is 1 will be described. In this case, the location of the base station in the imaging area is confirmed (step 502). In step 502, it is determined whether the base station is at the end, that is, whether the base station is at the start or end, and the process proceeds to step 506 or step 503. In step 502, if the base station is not at the start or end, the process proceeds to step 506. In step 502, if the base station is at the start or end, the process proceeds to step 503.

  In step 503, it is determined whether the base station is near the start or end. When the base station is placed on the start end side, the process proceeds to step 504, and station positioning other than the base station is performed toward the end. If the terminal is at the end, the process proceeds to step 505, and station positions other than the base station are determined toward the starting end.

  The process in step 506 is performed when the base station is not placed at the beginning or end. In this case, the imaging region from the start end to the end is divided into two with reference to the base station. The imaging area between the base station and the base station is set near the end, and the imaging area between the base station and the terminal is set near the start. After the imaging area is divided into two, the process proceeds to step 503.

  Next, the processing of step 504 and step 505 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7A shows a case where the base station Bs is at the starting end. In FIG. 7A, the imaging area BSD in the H-F direction is a known number determined in step 403 or step 407 in FIG. 4 described above. For the imaging region Ds other than the base station, a gantry built-in receiving coil is used. Therefore, the imaging area Ds is divided using the sensitivity distribution of the built-in receiving coil as the upper limit value of the imaging area in the HF direction in one station.

  Here, suppose that Ds is divided into k stations with a dimension GSD. Further, the same value is used for the overlap OL between all stations. The OL can be used as an imaging parameter for each sequence or can be acquired by an operator's input. At this time, the entire imaging area As composed of the base station Bs and the imaging area Ds can be expressed using the following equation (1).

BSD + k × GSD−k × OL = As (1)
When there is only one base station Bs in the Selected Total FOV or the Total FOV, the entire imaging area As becomes the Selected Total FOV or the Total FOV itself. When there are two or more base stations Bs, it is easily obtained by using the information of the receiving coil described above and the position coordinates of the start and end of the selected total FOV or the total FOV. Therefore, the above equation (1) can be rewritten into the following equation (2).

k = (As-BSD) / (GSD-OL) (2)
If the k value of the above equation (2) is a positive integer, the entire imaging area As is divided into (k + 1) stations. Further, since the imaging position of the base station Bs can be determined, the imaging positions p1 to pk of the station in the imaging area Ds can be easily obtained.

  When the k value is a positive decimal, it is necessary to round up to a positive integer (k + 1) so that the entire imaging area As of the entire imaging area As can be imaged. Therefore, the number of stations that divide the imaging region Ds is (k + 1). At this time, the imaging area hfFOV in the HF direction from each station s1 to s (k + 1) (s (k + 1) is not shown) in the imaging area Ds takes into account the balance between the synthesis effect of the whole body image and the imaging time. The same value is desirable. Therefore, the imaging region hfFOV can be obtained by the following equation (3).

hfFOV = (As−BSD) / (k + 1) + OL (3)
Similarly, the imaging positions p1 to p (k + 1) (not shown) of the station in the imaging area Ds are easily obtained.

  In the case of step 505 in FIG. 5, since the base station Bs is at the end, it can be described with reference to FIG. The number of stations and their positioning in this case can be determined by the same method as in step 504 in FIG. However, positioning is performed in the p1 direction from pk or p (k + 1).

  Next, the case where n is larger than 1 will be described. In this case, since a plurality of local receiving coils are used in the imaging region, a plurality of base stations Bs exist, and the imaging region Ds is subdivided in step 600 of FIG. For all the subdivided imaging areas Ds, it is determined whether there is a base station Bs at both the start and end (step 508), and the process proceeds to step 507 or step 502.

  If there is only one base station Bs in the subdivided imaging area Ds, the process proceeds to step 502, and the processes after step 502 are executed. In step 508, if the base station Bs is placed at both the start and end points, the process proceeds to step 507.

  The process of step 600 will be described with reference to the conceptual diagram of FIG. 6 when there are two base stations Bs. The case where there are two base stations Bs in the imaging region can be classified into five patterns from (A) to (E) in FIG.

  In FIG. 6D, since there is an overlapping between the base stations ST1 and ST2, the imaging area of ST1 from the start end can be regarded as being close to the end of one base station described above. The imaging area from ST2 to the end can be regarded as being closer to the start of one base station described above.

  6B, the imaging area between the base stations ST1 and ST2 can be regarded as the pattern of FIG. 6A, and the imaging area from the base station ST2 to the terminal is represented by one of the above-described ones. It can be regarded as the base station close to the beginning.

  In FIG. 6C, the imaging area between the base station ST1 and the base station ST1 can be regarded as being close to the end of one base station, and the imaging area between the base stations ST1 and ST2 is as shown in FIG. It can be regarded as the pattern (A).

  In FIG. 6E, the imaging area between the start end and ST1 can be regarded as being close to the end of one base station described above, and the imaging area between ST1 and ST2 can be regarded as the pattern of FIG. 6-A. The imaging region from ST2 to the end can be regarded as being close to the start end of one base station described above.

  Therefore, if the number of stations and their positioning are determined for the pattern shown in FIG. 6A, the number of stations and their positioning when there are two base stations can be solved. Further, in step 600 of FIG. 5, when the number of base stations is three or more, that is, when three or more local receiving coils are used, the patterns can be classified into five patterns (A) to (E) of FIG. Therefore, if the above idea is used, the number of stations and the position can be determined.

  The pattern of FIG. 6A generated in step 600 of FIG. 5 proceeds to step 507 by the processing of step 508, and is processed in this step 507.

  The number of stations and their positioning at step 507 in FIG. 5 are conceptually shown in FIG. In FIG. 7C, an imaging area Bs1SD in the HF direction of the base station Bs1 is defined as an imaging area Bs2SD in the HF direction of the base station Bs2. These are known numbers in step 403 or step 407 of FIG. 4 described above. As described above, since the gantry built-in type reception coil is used for the imaging region Ds, the imaging region GSD in the maximum H-F direction of each station in Ds becomes the sensitivity distribution of the built-in reception coil. At this time, the imaging region Ds is divided into k stations with a dimension GSD. Further, the same value is used for all overlapping amounts OL between stations. Therefore, the entire imaging area As composed of the base stations Bs1 and Bs2 and the imaging area Ds can be expressed using the following equation (4).

Bs1SD + Bs2SD + k × GSD− (k + 1) × OL = As (4)
The total imaging area As is easily obtained from the imaging positions of the two base stations Bs1 and Bs2 and the imaging areas in the HF direction.

  Therefore, the above equation (4) can be rewritten as the following equation (5).

k = (As−Bs1SD−Bs2SD + OL) / (GSD−OL) (5)
If the k value in equation (5) is a positive integer, the entire imaging area As is divided into (k + 2) stations. Further, since the imaging positions of the base stations Bs1 and Bs2 can be determined, the imaging positions p1 to pk of the stations in the imaging area Ds can be easily obtained.

  Similarly to the above, when the k value is a positive decimal, when rounding up to a positive integer (k + 1), the number of stations dividing the imaging region Ds is (k + 1). When the imaging area hfFOV in the HF direction of each station s1 to s (k + 1) (s (k + 1) is not shown) in Ds is considered using the same value, it can be obtained by the following equation (6).

hfFOV = (As−Bs1SD−Bs2SD + OL) / (k + 1) + OL (6)
Similarly, using the hfFOV, it is possible to easily obtain the imaging positions p1 to p (k + 1) (not shown) of the stations in the imaging area Ds.

  As described above, station positioning with respect to the entire imaging region is automatically determined regardless of the number of base stations Bs. After performing the station positioning, the imaging position of each station is transmitted to the control unit 111 and used for control of the bed 112. Also, the station positioning result is written on the scout image on the GUI so that it can be seen at a glance using, for example, the imaging position of each station, the imaging area in the HF direction, or the OL between stations. (Step 202 of FIG. 2).

  FIG. 8 to FIG. 13 are diagrams showing examples of notation of the imaging region positioning results. However, in the example shown in FIGS. 8 to 13, the imaging area in the direction of each station HF is FOVx. Here, x in FOVx is a station number from the top to the bottom of the scout image. 8 to 10 are examples in the case where the Selected Total FOV is not specified, and FIGS. 11 to 13 are examples in the case where the Selected Total FOV is specified.

  FIG. 8 shows a display result when the local receiving coil is not used and the marker position is specified. As a display example, numerical results as shown in all the figures are displayed, but it is possible to change the displayed numerical values and locations as necessary.

  FIG. 9 shows an example in which a local receiving coil is used at the starting end. FIG. 10 shows an example in which local receiving coils are used at the start end and the center. FIG. 11 shows an example in which a selected total FOV 1101 overlaps two local receiving coils LC1 and LC2, and LC2 is included in the selected total FOV 1101.

  FIG. 12 shows an example in which both the local reception coils LC1 and LC2 are included in the Selected Total FOV 1201. Further, FIG. 13 is an example in the case where neither the local coil nor the mark position is included in the Selected Total FOV 1301.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the station positioning is automatically and easily performed in a short time and accurately only by specifying the imaging area once as necessary on the GUI. Can be done.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, in addition to the local receiving coil information and the marker position described above, the number of stations, the imaging area hfFOV in the HF direction at each station, and the local receiving coil type are set in a predetermined imaging plan. Is registered in the storage unit 116 as a station card (card).

  In addition, a position setting unit is provided in order to determine a base station in an imaging area that does not include a local reception coil or mark position on the card. A coil name, an identification number, etc. are mentioned so that a local receiving coil type may become one-to-one with a local receiving coil. As the value (position value) of the position setting unit, in addition to the direct value input method, it is also possible to indirectly set a rectangle or the like imaged on the scout image by mouse drag and drop.

  The hfFOV can be easily obtained by using the imaging sequence FOV for the COR image and the SAG image, and the AX image using the slice interval, the number of slices and the slice thickness as the slab thickness. Similarly, since the coil name and the like can be obtained from the above-described imaging sequence, no new setting is required for the operator.

  The second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in the following points.

  Difference 1 is a change to steps 403, 406, and 407 in step 400 (FIG. 4) for determining the base station Bs. That is, in steps 403 and 407, the hfFOV of the card is used for the imaging area of the base station Bs in the HF direction, and the position value is used for the position of the base station in step 406.

  Difference 2 is a change to steps 504, 505, and 507 in step 500 (FIG. 5). That is, the number of stations in steps 504, 505, and 507 uses a predetermined value of the card, and the imaging area in the HF direction uses a predetermined hfFOV.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, setting of other base stations can be automatically performed only by setting the position of the base station Bs once as necessary.

  Therefore, the complicated multi-imaging method station positioning can be easily performed regardless of the presence or absence of the local receiving coil, and the imaging time in the multi-imaging method can be shortened.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an MRI apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the whole process flowchart of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process flowchart of the station positioning in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process which determines the base station in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process which performs the number of stations other than the base station in the embodiment of this invention, and its positioning. In an embodiment of the present invention, it is an explanatory view of an imaging field division method when setting a plurality of base stations. In an embodiment of the present invention, it is a figure explaining determination of the number of stations. In an embodiment of the present invention, it is a figure showing an example of station positioning using a total FOV as an imaging region and using a mark position. In an embodiment of the present invention, it is a figure showing an example of station positioning using a total FOV as an imaging region and using one piece of local receiving coil information. In an embodiment of the present invention, it is a figure showing an example of station positioning using a total FOV as an imaging region and using two pieces of local reception coil information. In an embodiment of the present invention, it is a figure showing an example of station positioning using a selected total FOV as an imaging field and using one piece of local receiving coil information. In an embodiment of the present invention, it is a figure showing an example of station positioning which uses a selected total FOV as an imaging field, and uses two local receiving coil information. In an embodiment of the present invention, it is a figure showing an example of station positioning which uses Selected Total FOV as an imaging field, and uses neither local receiving coil information nor a mark position.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Subject, 102 ... Static magnetic field magnet, 103 ... Gradient magnetic field coil, 104 ... RF coil, 105 ... RF probe, 106 ... Signal detection part, 107 ... Signal Processing unit 108... Display unit 109. Gradient magnetic field power source 110. RF transmission unit 111... Control unit 112. Input unit 115 ... Laser light source 116 ... Storage unit 801 ... Scout image 802 ... Subject image in the scout image 803 ... Marker position 804 ... Station positioning start buttons, 1101 to 1301... Selected Total FOV

Claims (10)

In a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus that performs multi-station imaging in which a plurality of regions of a subject are defined as a plurality of stations, and images the plurality of stations,
A storage unit that stores a sensitivity distribution of a receiving coil that receives a nuclear magnetic resonance signal;
A scan setting input unit for setting the imaging range of the subject;
Based on the imaging range of the subject, a base station reference position serving as a reference for multi-station imaging is set, and imaging of each station forming the multi-station is performed from the sensitivity distribution of the receiving coil stored in the storage unit. A multi-station position setting unit that calculates an area size and sets the position of each station based on the imaging range of the subject, the reference position of the base station, and the imaging area size of each station;
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:   2. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores an overlap amount in which the stations overlap each other, and the multi-station position setting unit includes the overlap amount stored in the storage unit, and A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, wherein a position of each station is set based on an imaging range of a subject, a reference position of a base station, and an imaging area size of each station.   The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a whole body image obtained by imaging the subject, and a display unit that displays a multistation position set by the multistation position setting unit on the whole body image. Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus.   3. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reception coil is a local reception coil attached to the subject, and the storage unit stores position information where the local reception coil is attached to the subject. The multi-station position setting unit uses the position of the local reception coil stored in the storage unit as the reference position of the base station.   3. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising light generating means for irradiating light to mark an arbitrary position of the subject, wherein the storage unit stores information on a mark position marked by the light generating means. The multi-station position setting unit uses the mark position stored in the storage unit as a reference position of the base station.   3. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the number of base stations is two or more, and the multi-station position setting unit includes two or more base stations based on an imaging range of a subject input by the operation input unit. The base station to be a reference is determined, an area between the determined reference base station and another base station, an area between the reference base station and the start or end of the imaging range of the subject A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, wherein the position of each station is set. In a plurality of station position setting methods of a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus that performs multi-station imaging that images a plurality of stations with a plurality of areas of a subject as a plurality of stations,
Stores the sensitivity distribution of the receiving coil that receives the nuclear magnetic resonance signal,
Input the range to be imaged by the subject, set the base station reference position as the reference for multi-station imaging based on the input imaging range of the subject, and from the stored sensitivity distribution of the receiving coil Calculating the imaging area size of each station forming the multi-station, and setting the position of each station based on the imaging range of the subject, the reference position of the base station, and the imaging area size of each station. A plurality of station position setting methods characterized by.   8. The plurality of station position setting methods according to claim 7, wherein the storage unit stores an overlap amount in which the stations overlap each other, the stored overlap amount, the imaging range of the subject, and a base station A plurality of station position setting methods, wherein the position of each station is set based on the reference position of each station and the imaging area size of each station. The plurality of station position setting methods according to claim 8, wherein the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus determines whether or not it has a local reception coil attached to the subject as the reception coil, and when the local reception coil is included, The position information where the local reception coil is mounted on the subject is stored, and the multi-station position setting unit uses the position of the local reception coil stored in the storage unit as the reference position of the base station,
When the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus does not have the local receiving coil,
The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus determines whether or not it has light generation means for irradiating and marking an arbitrary position of a subject, and if it has the light generation means, the mark marked by the light generation means A plurality of station setting methods characterized by storing position information and using the stored mark position as a reference position of the base station.   8. The plurality of station position setting methods according to claim 7, wherein the number of base stations is two or more, and a base station serving as a reference among the two or more base stations is determined based on the input imaging range of the subject. And setting the position of each station in the determined area between the reference base station and another base station, and the area between the reference base station and the start end or end of the imaging range of the subject. Multiple station position setting method characterized.

Images