JP2543537Y2 - MRI head fixture - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a head fixing device, and more particularly, to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method for obtaining a tomographic image of a subject using a magnetic resonance (MR) phenomenon. A) a head fixture for MRI used in the apparatus;

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an MRI apparatus is for obtaining a cross-sectional image of a subject by utilizing an MR phenomenon, and among them, a tomographic image of a human head can be obtained by using a bed on which the subject is placed. And a head coil arranged around the subject's head. Then, when obtaining the tomographic image, it is necessary to fix the subject's head and keep it still in the head coil for a predetermined time (3 minutes to 5 minutes).

As a head fixing device for fixing the subject's head, for example, a negative pressure fixing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-98335 is known. In this structure, a lattice-shaped fixture is placed on a bed and covers the entire head of the subject, and a bead layer made of special beads is interposed between the fixture and the head. The shape of the head of the subject is shaped by the bead layer, and the bead layer is immobilized by applying a negative pressure to increase the holding power of the head.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned negative pressure fixing device, when a negative pressure is applied to the bead layer, the bead layer is reduced in size as a whole, so that there is a gap between the head coil and the bead layer. As a result of the gap, the holding force for holding the head is reduced, and it is difficult to securely fix the head. Further, since the bead layer is interposed between the head and the fixture on the bed side, the relative movement between the head and the coil for the head cannot be sufficiently prevented.

Further, in the above-mentioned negative pressure fixing device, it is necessary to provide a negative pressure generating means for applying a negative pressure to the bead layer, so that the structure becomes complicated and expensive. Further, in the above-mentioned negative pressure fixing device, since the fixing device covers the entire back of the head, the center of gravity of the head in the head coil is increased, and the stability is reduced. The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and enhances the holding force of the head in a state where the mounted state of the head is stable, and prevents the relative movement of the head with respect to the head coil as much as possible. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive head fixing device which can be used.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an MRI head fixing device according to the present invention comprises a subject's head and an MRI head.
A frame portion formed of an inflatable bag filled between the coil for the head of the RI device and covering the periphery of the occipital region and the base of the neck with the substantially central portion of the occipital region of the subject exposed. A pair of band portions extending from the upper portion of the frame portion and covering the both heads and frontal portion of the subject while exposing the eyelids and the pinna portion, and detachably attached to each other, and a lower portion of the frame portion And a pair of covering portions extending from the portion and covering both cheeks with the lips and the nose exposed.

[0007]

According to the MRI head fixing device having the above structure, the subject is laid on the bed of the MRI apparatus while the fixing device is mounted, and the entire fixing device is expanded, so that the head coil and the subject's coil are fixed. By closing the gap between the head and the head, the head of the subject can be directly fixed to the inner periphery of the head coil, so that the relative movement of the head with respect to the head coil is prevented as much as possible. be able to.

Further, since the occipital region is provided with a frame portion that exposes a substantially central portion of the occipital region, the occipital region of the occipital region is directly mounted on the head pedestal. Can be prevented, and the stability of the head can be improved.

[0009]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the MRI head fixing device of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1 (A) is a perspective view from the front side of the subject's face, and FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the back of the head.

Referring to FIG. 1, a fixture 10 of this embodiment is mounted on a subject's head 1. The fixture 10 is
For example, it is formed of a bag made by molding vinyl chloride or the like into a bag shape, and is filled with a fluid such as air to expand to a predetermined size and expand the head 1 and M (not shown).
It is configured to close the gap between the head coil of the RI device and the coil. Note that the fixture 10 in the present embodiment has an L dimension, an M dimension, and a size corresponding to the size of the head 1 of all subjects.
It is desirable to prepare various sizes such as S size and for children. In addition, it is desirable that the disposable material be used in principle because it comes into direct contact with the subject's head 1 and face.

The fixing device 10 includes a frame 11 that covers the periphery of the occipital region 2 and the base of the neck 3 with a substantially central portion of the occipital region 2 of the subject exposed, and extends from an upper portion of the frame 11. A pair of band portions 13 which cover both sides of the subject and the forehead of the subject with the eyelid 4 and the pinna portion 5 exposed, and which are detachably attached to each other by the magic tape 12;
A pair of covering portions 14 extending from the lower side of the frame portion 11 and covering both cheeks with the lips 6 and the nose 7 exposed are provided. An air valve 15 for introducing air into the inside of one of the cover portions 14 is provided.
Specifically, by introducing air from an air supply source (not shown) through the air, the inside can be filled with air and expanded.

According to the above configuration, as shown, the fixture 10
The subject is laid on the bed of the MRI apparatus (not shown) with the head mounted, the head 1 of the subject is inserted into the head coil of the MRI apparatus, and air is introduced from the air valve 15 to fix the fixture 10. The head 1 can be fixed to the inner periphery of the head coil without causing the subject to feel pain by expanding the head to a predetermined size.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the fixture 10
The subject is laid on the bed of the MRI apparatus while the fixture is inflated, and the entire fixture 10 is expanded, thereby closing the gap between the head coil and the subject's head 1. Can be fixed to the inner periphery of the head coil, so that relative movement of the head 1 with respect to the head coil can be prevented as much as possible.

A frame 1 exposing a substantially central portion of the back of the head 2
As a result, the back of the head 2 is placed directly on the head mounting table, so that the center of gravity of the head 1 is prevented from becoming high in the head coil, and the stability of the head 1 is reduced. Can be improved. Moreover, since the eyelid 4, the auricle 5, the lip 6, and the nose 7 are exposed when the fixing device 10 is mounted, the discomfort of the subject can be reduced.

Further, since the fixture 10 is formed of an inflatable bag, there is an advantage that manufacturing costs can be reduced. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to increase the holding force of the head 1 in a state where the mounted state of the head 1 is stable, and to prevent the relative movement of the head 1 with respect to the head coil as much as possible. An inexpensive head fixing device 10 can be provided.

The above-described embodiment is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. For example, the fixture 1 may be formed using a fluid other than air.
It goes without saying that various design changes can be made within the gist of the present invention, such as by inflating the tube 0 or by forming the fixing device with a bag directly connected to the fluid supply pipe.

[0017]

As described above, according to the head fixing device for MRI of the present invention, the subject is laid on the bed of the MRI apparatus while the fixing device is mounted, and the entire fixing device is expanded. The gap between the head coil and the subject's head can be closed, and the subject's head can be fixed to the inner periphery of the head coil. It can be prevented as much as possible.

Further, since the occipital region is provided with a frame for exposing the substantially central portion of the occipital region, the occipital region of the occipital region is directly placed on the head pedestal. Can be prevented, and the stability of the head can be improved. Moreover, the eyelid, the auricle, the lips, and the nose are exposed when the fixing device is attached, so that the discomfort of the subject can be reduced.

Further, since the fixture is constituted by the inflatable bag, there is an advantage that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the holding power of the head in a state where the mounted state of the head is stable, and to prevent relative movement of the head with respect to the head coil as much as possible.
An inexpensive head fixture can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a head fixing device for MRI of the present invention is mounted, (A) is a perspective view of a subject's face as viewed from the front side, and (B) is a view from the back of the head. It is the perspective view seen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Head 2 Occipital region 3 Neck 4 Eyelid 5 Auricle part 6 Lip 7 Nose 10 Fixture 11 Frame part 13 Band part 14 Cover part

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. An inflatable bag which is filled between a subject's head and a coil for a head of an MRI apparatus. A frame portion that covers the periphery and the base of the neck; and a pair of pair extending from the upper portion of the frame portion and covering both sides of the subject and the forehead while exposing the eyelids and auricles, and detachably attached to each other. A head fixing device for MRI, comprising: a band portion; and a pair of covering portions extending from a lower portion of the frame portion and covering both cheeks with a lip and a nose exposed.