| 摘要 |
Magnetic resonance imaging systems typically have a single patient handling system which allows the sequential scanning of individual patients. Such apparatus limit patient throughput and consequently the utility of magnetic resonance imaging systems. The present invention details apparatus and methods to enhance patient throughput of a magnetic resonance imaging system. Two distinct components of a magnetic resonance imaging procedure are defined: the patient handling time and the scan protocol time, and these time components are multiplexed to enhance patient throughput. This is achieved by addition of patient handling systems at additional apertures as exist on the primary field magnet and which provide access to the imaging volume. It is thus possible, for example, to have the patient handling time component of one patient overlap with the scan protocol time component of a second patient. Additionally, the presence of more than one patient handling system permits the simultaneous image data acquisition on more than one patient.
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