1. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, comprising:
a magnet having a two opposite and spaced apart poles and a column or wall transverse to the poles and connecting the poles;
the poles defining two opposite walls delimiting a patient-imaging space, the two opposite walls extending along substantially parallel planes which are substantially perpendicular to a vertical plane; and
a patient positioning table which is slidably connected to one of the two poles in a position between the two poles and which table extends substantially parallel to the two opposite poles;
the table being slidable with respect to the magnet in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the table;
a drive for displacing the table relative to the magnet;
a lock for locking the table in a selected position relative to the magnet;
the magnet being supported rotatably along a central horizontal axis of the transverse wall or column;
a drive provided for rotating the magnet about the axis;
the table being connected to the magnet such that the table rotates with the magnet when the magnet rotates about the axis;
the magnet and the table being rotatable from a position in which the poles and the table are substantially horizontal to a position in which the table and the poles are substantially vertical, and vice versa; and
the rotation of the table and the magnet are locked together by the lock.
2. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 in which the magnet generates a static magnetic field which permeates the patient-imaging space and which field is oriented perpendicular to the axis of the magnetic structure and perpendicular to the two poles and or the table.
3. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the table is displaceable also in a direction transverse to its longitudinal axis, the extension of the displacement being limited to a distance which is equal to a width of the poles along the transverse direction or of a width of the table along the transverse direction.
4. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnet and the table may be rotated from the substantially horizontal position to a position having an angle of less than 90 with respect to the horizontal position, and vice versa.
5. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 in which the table and the magnet are rotatable from a position in which the table and the poles of the magnet are inclined at an acute angle relative to the horizontal into a position in which the table and the poles of the magnet are inclined at an acute angle with respect to the vertical.
6. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the table is mounted on a pole of the magnet which is lower of the two poles when horizontal by first guides oriented in the longitudinal direction of the table and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the magnet, in which first guides the table engages with complementary slides, and further comprising a motor engaged to a pinion which engages a rack which is parallel to the first guides.
7. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the rack is integral with at least one of the slides of the table, while the pinion is housed in one of the guides.
8. The magnetic imaging apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising second guides at opposite transverse ends of the pole to which the table is secured, the said second guides are oriented perpendicular to the first guides and parallel to the axis of rotation of the magnet, the first guides are engaged in the second guides by slides which are secured to the first guides while the table is displaced transverse to its longitudinal axis by a motor activating a pinion which engages a rack which is secured to the first guides and which is parallel to the second guides.
9. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the rack is integral with at least one of the slides of the first guides, while the pinion is housed in one of the second guides.
10. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a footrest placed at an end of the table.
11. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the footrest is hinged at the end of the table and is displaceable in an upright angular position where it extends perpendicular to the table and in an inactive position where it is parallel to the table and optionally forms a terminal prolongation of the table.
12. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a seat plate fixed to the table.
13. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the seat plate is an intermediate section of the table which intermediate section has two opposite ends oriented transverse to the longitudinal axis of the table, each of the opposite ends being adjacent to the corresponding end of one first and one second part of the plate of the bed or of the table and which intermediate section is hinged at one end to the corresponding end of the first or second part of the plate of the bed or of the table in order to let the section being swingable between a position in which the section extends perpendicular to the plate of the bed or of the table and a position in which the said section extends in the same plane as the first and second parts of the bed or table while means are provided for locking the said section in each one of the two positions.
14. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 in which the table has supporting legs with wheels in a region at one end thereof.
15. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a table supporting frame, which frame has supporting legs for supporting the table in a disengaged or extracted condition from the magnet, the frame having at least longitudinal guides which are coincident with the longitudinal guides for the slides of the table of the magnet and which are coincident with the longitudinal slides of the table, the bed or table supporting frame being freely movable independently from the magnet.
16. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a table supporting frame, which frame has supporting legs for supporting the table in a disengaged or extracted condition from the magnet, the frame having at least transverse guides which are coincident with the transverse guides for the slides of the table of the magnet and which are coincident with the transverse slides of the table, the table supporting frame being freely movable independently from the magnet.
17. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the table supporting frame has a releasable lock for temporarily securing the table supporting frame to the magnet in a position of alignment of the longitudinal or of the transverse guides of the supporting frame with the longitudinal or with the transverse guides of the magnet.
18. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 17, wherein when locked to the magnet, facing ends of the guides of the table supporting frame and of the guides of the magnet are at a distance one from the other which is smaller than a corresponding dimension of the table.
19. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the table has a length which is greater than a corresponding dimension of the poles of the magnet and a width which is of the order of a corresponding dimension of the poles, the magnet being forming a patient imaging space which is at least shorter than a mean height of adult patients.
20. A method for magnetic resonance imaging with a magnetic structure having two opposite poles spaced apart one from the other and oriented substantially perpendicular to a vertical plane and defining a patient imaging space; and a table for a patient secured to one of the two poles in a slidable way in a longitudinal direction of the table relative to the magnetic structure and between the two poles of the magnetic structure, the table being oriented parallel to the poles, the table having a footrest at one end thereof, the magnetic structure and the table being rotatable together around an axis which is transverse to a longitudinal axis of the table and parallel to the table, the method comprising:
rotating the magnetic structure with the table to a patient positioning position in which the table is substantially horizontal;
sliding the table to an end position, in which a part of the table is outside the magnetic structure;
arranging the patient on the table in a lying down position;
sliding the table along its longitudinal axis relative to the magnetic structure until the magnetic structure is correctly centered with a part of the patient’s body to be examined;
locking the table relative to the magnetic structure together with the table in a position in which the table is not horizontal or vertical;
carrying out an imaging procedure;
rotating the magnetic structure together with the table to a position in which the table is substantially horizontal; and
sliding the table to one of two positions in which a part of the table is outside the magnetic structure and letting the patient step down from the table.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the imaging is of the vertebral column.
22. A method for carrying out magnetic resonance imaging with providing a magnetic structure having two opposite poles spaced apart one from the other and oriented substantially perpendicular to a vertical plane and defining a patient imaging space; and a table having a footrest at one end and slides for engaging guides for a longitudinal displacement of the table; and a table supporting structure which has wheels and which is completely independent from the magnetic structure, one of the poles of the magnetic structure and the table supporting frame have identical guides with which the slides of the table are adapted to engage, the method comprising:
rotating the magnetic structure such that the guides for the table are horizontal and aligning the table supporting frame with the guides of the table supporting frame aligned with the guides on the pole of the magnetic structure; lying the patient down on the table;
sliding the table along a longitudinal direction thereof away from the table supporting frame and against the pole having the guides and engaging at the same time a free end of the slides of the table with the guides on the pole;
sliding the table with the patient on the table until the table is completely disengaged from the table supporting frame and engaged with the pole of the magnetic structure;
sliding further the table along its longitudinal axis relative to the magnetic structure until the magnetic structure is correctly centered with a part of the patient’s body to be examined;
supporting the magnetic structure and the table in such a way as to be rotatable together around an axis which is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the table and substantially parallel to the table;
locking the table relative to further sliding and rotating the magnetic structure together with the table with the patient on it in a position in which the table is not horizontal;
carrying out the imaging procedure;
rotating the magnetic structure together with the table back to a position in which the table is substantially horizontal;
sliding the table away from the pole of the magnetic structure onto the table supporting frame.
23. A method according to claim 22, comprising the further steps of:
displacing the table supporting frame from the first side of the magnetic structure at which the table has been transferred to the pole to a second opposite side of the pole and aligning the guides of the supporting frame with the guides on the pole of the magnetic structure;
sliding the table further in the same direction of transfer for transferring the table with the patient on it from the pole again to the table supporting frame.
24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the magnetic structure and table are rotated to a position in which the table is not vertical.
25. The method of claim 22, wherein the imaging is of the vertebral column.
26. A method for carrying out magnetic resonance imaging with a magnetic structure having two opposite poles spaced apart one from the other and oriented substantially perpendicular to a vertical plane and defining a patient imaging space; and a table for a patient to one of the two poles in a slidable way in a longitudinal direction of the table relative to the magnetic structure and between the two poles of the magnetic structure, the table being oriented substantially parallel to the poles; the magnetic structure and the table being rotatable together around an axis which is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the table and parallel to the table; the method comprising:
rotating the magnetic structure together with the table in a position in which the table is not horizontal;
providing a seat plate secured at an angle to the table;
sitting the patient down on the seat plate;
carrying out the imaging procedure; and
letting the patient step out of the magnetic structure.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the imaging is of the vertebral column.
28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the magnetic structure and table are rotated to a position in which the table is not vertical.
29. The method according to claim 20, comprising the steps of sliding the table transverse to the longitudinal axis of the table.
30. The method according to claim 22, comprising the steps of sliding the table transverse to the longitudinal axis of the table.
31. The method according to claim 26, comprising the steps of sliding the table transverse to the longitudinal axis of the table.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of detecting a ligand in a liquid sample, the method comprising the steps of:
A. transporting along a flow path in a test cell a solution, including a liquid sample suspected to contain a ligand and a conjugate, into contact with a test site visible through a window in a wall of said test cell,
said test site having immobilized thereon a first protein having a binding site specific to a first epitope on the ligand,
said conjugate comprising colored particles coupled to a second protein selected from the group consisting of proteins having a binding site specific to a second epitope on the ligand and proteins which bind with said first protein in competition with the ligand, and
B. continuing transport of said solution to progressively produce at said test site a complex comprising said ligand for a time sufficient to visually determine through said window whether a color is developed at said test site:
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said test cell comprises a filtration means for filtering said liquid sample, said method comprising the additional step of transporting the sample through said filtration means before said sample contacts said test site.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the cross-sectional area of said flow path is restricted about said test site whereby ligand is localized at said test site during flow of solution thereby.
4. The method of claim 1 comprising the additional steps of transporting said solution into contact with a control site visible through a window in a wall of said test cell and comparing the color of said test site and control site.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said control site comprises a negative control site free of said first protein.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein said control site comprises a positive control site having immobilized thereon an authentic sample of said ligand.
7. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of mixing said conjugate with said liquid sample prior to step A.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said conjugate is disposed in said flow path, said method comprising the additional step of transporting said liquid into solubilizing contact with said conjugate prior to contact with said test site.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein said first and second proteins comprise antibodies and at least one of said proteins is a monoclonal antibody.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein said first protein has a binding site specific to an epitope of human chorionic gonadotropin.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein said first protein has a binding site specific to an epitope of human progesterone.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein said second protein has a binding site specific to a second epitope on the ligand, and when said sample contains said ligand, the complex produced in step B comprises said ligand bound to both said first and second proteins, and color is produced by aggregation of said colored particles at said test site.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein said second protein binds with said first protein in competition with the ligand, and
when said sample contains said ligand, the complex produced in Step B comprises said ligand bound to said first protein, and
when said sample is free of said ligand, the complex produced in step B comprises said conjugate bound to said first protein, and color is produced by aggregation of said colored particles at said test site.
14. A test cell for detecting a ligand in a liquid sample, the test cell comprising
an elongate casing for housing a permeable material and defining a liquid sample inlet, a reservoir volume, a test volume interposed between said inlet and reservoir volume, and a window through said casing at said test volume,
permeable material capable of transporting an aqueous solution disposed within said casing and defining a flow path extending from said sample inlet through said test volume and into communication with said reservoir volume,
a first protein having a binding site specific to a first epitope on said ligand, said first protein being immobilized at a test site, disposed within said test volume in fluid communication with said flow path and visible through said window, and
a sorbent material in said reservoir volume for drawing liquid sample along said flow path and into contact with said test site.
15. The cell of claim 14 further comprising a liquid sample filtering means disposed in said flow path between said inlet and said test site.
16. The cell of claim 15 wherein said filtering means is defined by a portion of said permeable material.
17. The cell of claim 14 wherein the cross sectional area of said flow path is restricted about said test site so that ligand in liquid passing therealong is localized at said test site.
18. The cell of claim 14 wherein said casing defines a second window through said casing and said cell further comprises a control site in fluid communication with said flow path visible through said second window.
19. The cell of claim 18 wherein said control site comprises a negative control site free of said first protein.
20. The cell of claim 19 wherein said control site comprises latex particles disposed in contact with said permeable material.
21. The cell of claim 18 wherein said control site comprises a positive control site having immobilized thereon an authentic sample of said ligand.
22. The cell of claim 14 further comprising a conjugate disposed in said flow path between said test site and said inlet; said conjugate comprising colored particles coupled to a second protein selected from the group consisting of proteins having a binding site specific to a second epitope on the ligand, and proteins which bind with said first protein in competition with the ligand.
23. The cell of claim 14 wherein said test site comprises an antibody fixed to latex particles disposed in contact with said permeable material.
24. The cell of claim 14 wherein said first protein binds with an epitope of human chorionic gonadotropin.
25. The cell of claim 14 wherein said first protein binds with an epitope of human progesterone.
26. The cell of claim 22 wherein at least one of said first and second proteins is a monoclonal antibody.