RAMROD FOR MRI AND METHODS THEREOF

1 . A ramrod for cleaning the bore of an MRI device, comprising:

a. a head with cross-section substantially identical in shape to said MRI bore's cross-section, said cross section having size slightly smaller than said MRI's bore's cross-section to fit snugly and movably within said bore, said head having at least one end, said head having a longitudinal axis; and

b. a rigid extended longitudinal body rigidly connected to said at least one end, said body having a longitudinal axis;

wherein passage of said ramrod through said bore removes particulates from said bore.

2 . The ramrod of claim 1 , wherein said head has shape selected from a group consisting of substantially cylindrical, substantially spherical, substantially ovoid, substantially ellipsoidal, substantially conical, comprising one or more frustums, and any combination thereof.

3 . The ramrod of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the following is being held true (a) said longitudinal body is rigid, flexible or both, in a manner that at least one first portion is rigid and at least one second neighboring portion is flexible; (b) the material of said ramrod is selected from a group consisting of rigid plastic, hard rubbery plastic, wood, carbon fiber, a non-metallic laminate, and any combination thereof; (c) the material of the surface of said ramrod is selected from a group consisting of rigid plastic, rubbery plastic, foam, woven material, non-woven material, chamois cloth, carbon fiber and any combination thereof; (c) at least a portion of said ramrod is hollow; (d) the angle subtended between said longitudinal axis of said head and said longitudinal axis of said body is between 0 and about 5°; (e) said extended longitudinal body has cross-section selected from circular, oval, elliptical, polygonal, stellate, and any combination thereof.

4 . The ramrod of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the following is being held true (a) at least one pair of frustums is joined at their wide ends, at their narrow ends, narrow end to wide end, and any combination thereof; (b) at least one pair of frustums are separated by a substantially cylindrical section.

5 . The ramrod of claim 1 , wherein said head comprises at least one groove, said groove substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, said groove disposed spirally about said head, and any combination thereof.

6 . The ramrod of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the following is being held true (a) said at least one groove is less than about 5 mm deep at their deepest point; (b) said at least one groove has a profile that is V-shaped, U-shaped and any combination thereof.

7 . The ramrod of claim 1 , wherein said extended longitudinal body comprises at least one hand grip.

8 . The ramrod of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the following is being held true (a) said at least one hand grip comprises at least one portion selected from a group consisting of finger grooves, a pistol grip, and any combination thereof; (b) said at least one hand grip is comprised of a member of a group consisting of rigid plastic, rubbery plastic, foam, woven material, non-woven material, chamois cloth, wood, carbon fiber and any combination thereof.

9 . The ramrod of claim 1 , additionally comprising at least one brush attached to at least some portion of its external surface, said brush adapted to contact at least some portion of the wall of the bore of said MRI.

10 . The ramrod of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the following is being held true (a) said brush is attached to said ramrod in a manner selected from rigidly or flexibly; (b) said brush is disposed about said ramrod in a manner selected from a group consisting of at least one sector of a substantially circular ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a substantially elliptical ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a substantially oval ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a hyperbola around said ramrod, at least one sector of a spiral around said ramrod, a line substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said ramrod, a substantially circular patch on said ramrod, a substantially elliptical patch on said ramrod, a substantially oval patch on said ramrod, a substantially polygonal patch on said ramrod, a spiral around said ramrod, a patch substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said ramrod, randomly, and any combination thereof; (c) said at least one brush is in one of the following positions: at the distal end of the head, at the proximal end of the head, on the body at a predetermined first distance form the proximal end of the head, on the head at a predetermined second distance from the distal end of the head and any combination thereof.

11 . The ramrod of claim 10 , wherein said first distance is in the range of 0 to approximately 50% of the length of the body.

12 . The ramrod of claim 1 , additionally comprising a cover removably mountable on said head.

13 . The ramrod of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the following is being held true (a) said cover is disposable; (b) said cover fits said head snugly such that said cover moves substantially with said head during cleaning; (c) said cover is comprised of flexible plastic, rubbery plastic, foam, woven material, non-woven material, chamois cloth, and any combination thereof; (d) said cover is comprised of one or more layers; (e) said ramrod additionally comprising at least one brush on at least some portion of its external surface, said at least one brush adapted to contact the surface of said bore; (f) said brush is attached to said cover in a manner selected from rigidly or flexibly; (g) said at least one brush is in one of the following positions: at the distal end of the head, at the proximal end of the head, on the head at a predetermined second distance from the distal end of the head and any combination thereof.

14 . The ramrod of claim 10 , wherein said second distance is in the range of 0 to approximately 100% of the length of the head; further wherein said brush is disposed about said cover in a manner selected from a group consisting of at least one sector of a substantially circular ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a substantially elliptical ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a substantially oval ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a hyperbola around said ramrod, at least one sector of a spiral around said ramrod, a line substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said ramrod, a substantially circular patch on said ramrod, a substantially elliptical patch on said ramrod, a substantially oval patch on said ramrod, a substantially polygonal patch on said ramrod, a spiral around said ramrod, a patch substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said ramrod, randomly, and any combination thereof.

15 . The ramrod of claims 10 , wherein at least one of the following is being held true (a) said brush is comprised of at least one wire, at least one continuous portion and any combination thereof; (b) said brush is comprised of rigid plastic, rubbery plastic, foam, carbon fiber, and any combination thereof; (c) said at least one sector subtends an angle of from 0 to 360°; (d) the perimeter of said patch has a shape selected from a group consisting of substantially circular, substantially elliptical, substantially oval, substantially polygonal, substantially stellate, irregular, and any combination thereof.

16 . The ramrod of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the following is being held true (a) said cover comprises a top shaped to fit snugly to at least some portion of the distal end of said ramrod head; (b) said cover comprises a bottom shaped to fit snugly to at least some portion of the proximal end of said ramrod head; and any combination thereof.

17 . A standard of care protocol for cleaning the bore of an MRI, comprising

a. providing a ramrod with a substantially cylindrical head with cross-section substantially identical in shape to said MRI bore's cross-section, said cross section having size slightly smaller than said MRI's bore's cross-section to fit snugly and movably within said bore, said head having at least one end, said head having a longitudinal axis; and a rigid extended longitudinal body rigidly connected to said at least one end, said body having a longitudinal axis;

b. specifying at least one cleaning criterion;

c. waiting until at least one said at least one cleaning criterion is fulfilled; and

d. reciprocating said ramrod through said bore, thereby maintaining the cleanliness of said bore;

wherein by reciprocating said ramrod through said bore particulates from said bore are removed.

18 . The standard of care protocol of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the following is being held true (a) said cleaning criterion is selected from a group consisting of: before use of said MRI and after a predefined number of uses of said MRI; after use of said MRI, said use being the last of a predefined number of uses of said MRI; after a predefined time interval has elapsed; on a predefined day; on a predefined date; a predefined quantity of particulates are exceeded within the bore; and any combination thereof; (b) said predefined number of uses of said MRI is greater than or equal to one; (c) further comprising additional steps of examining said bore and determining the quantity of particulates therein; wherein said examination of said bore is conducted visually, mechanically, optically and any combination thereof.

19 . A method of providing a homogeneous magnetic field in the Volume of interest (VOI) of an MRI device, comprising steps of:

a. providing a ramrod with a substantially cylindrical head with cross-section substantially identical in shape to said MRI bore's cross-section, said cross section having size slightly smaller than said MRI's bore's cross-section to fit snugly and movably within said bore, said head having at least one end, said head having a longitudinal axis; and a rigid extended longitudinal body rigidly connected to said at least one end, said body having a longitudinal axis; and

b. reciprocating said ramrod through said bore;

thereby removing metal debris from said bore and providing a homogeneous magnetic field in the VOI.

20 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 19 , additionally comprising at least one step selected from a group consisting of (a) selecting said head shape from a group consisting of substantially cylindrical, substantially spherical, substantially ovoid, substantially ellipsoidal, substantially conical, comprising one or more frustums, and any combination thereof; (b) providing said longitudinal body to be rigid, flexible or both, in a manner that at least one first portion is rigid and at least one second neighboring portion is flexible; (c) selecting the material of said ramrod from a group consisting of rigid plastic, hard rubbery plastic, wood, carbon fiber, a non-metallic laminate, and any combination thereof; (d) selecting the material of the surface of said ramrod from a group consisting of rigid plastic, rubbery plastic, foam, woven material, non-woven material, chamois cloth, carbon fiber and any combination thereof; (e) providing said ramrod such that at least a portion of said ramrod is hollow; (f) setting the angle subtended between said longitudinal axis of said head and said longitudinal axis of said body between 0 and about 5°; (g) selecting the cross-section of said extended longitudinal body from a group consisting of circular, oval, elliptical, polygonal, stellate, and any combination thereof.

21 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 20 , additionally comprising at least one step selected from a group consisting (a) comprising said head of at least one pair of frustums, said frustums joined at their wide ends, at their narrow ends, narrow end to wide end, and any combination thereof; (b) separating at least one pair of frustums by a substantially cylindrical section.

22 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 19 , additionally comprising a step of providing said head comprising at least one groove, said groove substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, said groove disposed spirally about said head, and any combination thereof.

23 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 22 , additionally comprising at least one step selected from a group consisting (a) selecting the depth of said at least one groove to be less than about 5 mm deep at their deepest point; (b) selecting the profile of said at least one groove to be V-shaped, U-shaped and any combination thereof.

24 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 19 , additionally comprising a step of providing said extended longitudinal body comprising at least one hand grip.

25 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 24 , additionally comprising at least one step selected from a group consisting (a) providing said at least one hand grip comprising at least one portion selected from a group consisting of finger grooves, a pistol grip, and any combination thereof; (b) providing said at least one hand grip from a member of a group consisting of rigid plastic, rubbery plastic, foam, woven material, non-woven material, chamois cloth, wood, carbon fiber and any combination thereof.

26 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 19 , additionally comprising a step of providing at least one brush attached to at least some portion of said ramrod's external surface, said brush adapted to contact at least some portion of the wall of the bore of said MRI.

27 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 26 , additionally comprising at least one step selected from a group consisting (a) attaching said brush to said ramrod in a manner selected from rigidly or flexibly; (b) disposing said brush about said ramrod in a manner selected from a group consisting of at least one sector of a substantially circular ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a substantially elliptical ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a substantially oval ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a hyperbola around said ramrod, at least one sector of a spiral around said ramrod, a line substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said ramrod, a substantially circular patch on said ramrod, a substantially elliptical patch on said ramrod, a substantially oval patch on said ramrod, a substantially polygonal patch on said ramrod, a spiral around said ramrod, a patch substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said ramrod, randomly, and any combination thereof; (c) positioning said at least one brush in one of the following positions: at the distal end of the head, at the proximal end of the head, on the body at a predetermined first distance form the proximal end of the head, on the head at a predetermined second distance from the distal end of the head and any combination thereof.

28 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 27 , additionally comprising a step of selecting said first distance to be in the range of 0 to approximately 50% of the length of the body.

29 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 19 , additionally comprising a step of providing a cover removably mountable on said head.

30 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 29 , additionally comprising at least one step selected from a group consisting (a) selecting said cover to be disposable; (b) fitting said cover snugly to said head such that said cover moves substantially with said head during cleaning; (c) providing said cover of flexible plastic, rubbery plastic, foam, woven material, non-woven material, chamois cloth, and any combination thereof; (d) providing said cover of one or more layers; (e) providing at least one brush on at least some portion of said cover's external surface, said at least one brush adapted to contact the surface of said bore; (f) attaching said brush to said cover in a manner selected from rigidly or flexibly; (g) positioning said at least one brush in one of the following positions: at the distal end of the head, at the proximal end of the head, on the head at a predetermined second distance from the distal end of the head and any combination thereof; (h) disposing said brush about said cover in a manner selected from a group consisting of at least one sector of a substantially circular ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a substantially elliptical ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a substantially oval ring around said ramrod, at least one sector of a hyperbola around said ramrod, at least one sector of a spiral around said ramrod, a line substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said ramrod, a substantially circular patch on said ramrod, a substantially elliptical patch on said ramrod, a substantially oval patch on said ramrod, a substantially polygonal patch on said ramrod, a spiral around said ramrod, a patch substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said ramrod, randomly, and any combination thereof.

31 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 27 , additionally comprising at least one step selected from a group consisting of (a) selecting said second distance to be in the range of 0 to approximately 100% of the length of the head; (b) providing said brush of at least one wire, at least one continuous portion and any combination thereof; (c) providing said brush of rigid plastic, rubbery plastic, foam, carbon fiber, and any combination thereof; (d) selecting the angle subtended by said at least one sector to be from 0 to 360°; (e) selecting the shape of the perimeter of said patch from a group consisting of substantially circular, substantially elliptical, substantially oval, substantially polygonal, substantially stellate, irregular, and any combination thereof.

32 . The method of cleaning the bore of claim 29 , additionally comprising at least one step selected from a group consisting of (a) providing said cover with a top shaped to fit snugly to at least some portion of the distal end of said ramrod head; (b) providing said cover with a bottom shaped to fit snugly to at least some portion of the proximal end of said ramrod head.