Rapid line scan NMR imaging

Claim 1

A method of NMR line scan imaging, said method comprising: positioning a specimen within a main magnetic field; sequentially applying gradient magnetic fields to generate a plurality of pairs of intersecting planes to sequentially produce a plurality of main intersections, each of said pairs of planes being comprised of a first plane and a second plane intersecting the first plane, each of said first and second planes being a plane containing atomic particles of a specimen excited by magnetic fields varied at a selected resonant frequency to cause generation of detectable NMR signals of selected atomic particles of said specimen along said main intersection which is the intersection of the said first plane and the said second plane to produce a one-dimensional image signal of the population of said selected atomic particles at said main intersection, said plurality of main intersections occurring not in the first and second planes of each pair of planes projected prior thereto; applying spoiler magnetic gradients in said specimen to dephase and in turn prevent the occurrence of minor NMR echo signals wherein each of said second planes in each of the said pairs of intersecting planes projected after the first pair of intersecting planes intersecting prior projected first planes at minor intersections would otherwise cause generation of minor NMR echo signals of selected atomic particles of the specimen; and processing and displaying the one-dimensional image signals of each main intersection to form a composite two-dimensional image of the said specimen.

Claim 2

A method of NMR line scan imaging, said method comprising: positioning a specimen within a main magnetic field; sequentially applying gradient magnetic fields to generate a plurality of pairs of intersecting planes to sequentially produce a plurality of main intersections, each of said pairs of planes being comprised of a first plane and a second plane intersecting the first plane, each of said first and second planes being a plane containing atomic particles of a specimen excited by magnetic fields varied at a selected resonant frequency to cause generation of detectable NMR signals of selected atomic particles of said specimen along said main intersection which is the intersection of the said first plane and the said second plane to produce a one-dimensional image signal of the population of said selected atomic particles at said main intersection, said plurality of main intersections occurring not in the first and second planes of each pair of planes projected prior thereto; applying spoiler magnetic gradients in said specimen to dephase and in turn prevent the occurrence of minor NMR echo signals wherein each of said second planes in each of the said pairs of intersecting planes projected after the first pair of intersecting planes intersecting prior projected first planes at minor intersections would otherwise cause generation of minor NMR echo signals of selected atomic particles of the specimen; and processing and displaying the one-dimensional image signals of each main intersection to form a composite two-dimensional image of the said specimen.

Claim 9

An apparatus for NMR imaging which includes a computer with a program for line scan imaging or planar imaging, the improvement comprising: modifying the program of the computer to cause the NMR imaging apparatus to sequentially apply gradient magnetic fields to generate a plurality of pairs of intersecting planes to sequentially produce a plurality of main intersections, each of said pairs of planes being comprised of a first plane and a second plane intersecting the first plane, each of said first and second planes being a plane containing atomic particles of a specimen excited by magnetic fields varied at a selected resonant frequency to cause generation of detectable NMR signals of selected atomic particles of said specimen along said main intersection which is the intersection of the said first plane and the said second plane to produce a one-dimensional image signal of the population of said selected atomic particles at said main intersection, said plurality of main intersections occurring not in the first and second planes of each pair of planes projected prior thereto; and means to apply spoiler magnetic gradients in said specimen to dephase and in turn prevent the occurence of minor NMR echo signals wherein each of said second planes in each of the said pairs of intersecting planes projected after the first pair of intersecting planes intersecting prior projected first planes at minor intersections would otherwise cause generation of minor NMR echo signals of selected atomic particles of the specimen.

Claim 10

An apparatus for NMR imaging which includes a computer with a program for line scan imaging or planar imaging, the improvement comprising: modifying the program of the computer to cause the NMR imaging apparatus to sequentially apply gradient magnetic fields to generate a plurality of pairs of intersecting planes to sequentially produce a plurality of main intersections, each of said pairs of planes being comprised of a first plane and a second plane intersecting the first plane, each of said first and second planes being a plane containing atomic particles of a specimen excited by magnetic fields varied at a selected resonant frequency to cause generation of detectable NMR signals of selected atomic particles of said specimen along said main intersection which is the intersection of the said first plane and the said second plane to produce a one-dimensional image signal of the population of said selected atomic particles at said main intersection, said plurality of main intersections occurring not in the first and second planes of each pair of planes projected prior thereto; and means to apply spoiler magnetic gradients in said specimen to dephase and in turn prevent the occurence of minor NMR echo signals wherein each of said second planes in each of the said pairs of intersecting planes projected after the first pair of intersecting planes intersecting prior projected first planes at minor intersections would otherwise cause generation of minor NMR echo signals of selected atomic particles of the specimen.