MRI coil for use during an interventional procedure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10353026-B2
Application number	US-201615183201-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2016
Priority date	Jun 15, 2015
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

In order to provide interventional access during an image-guided interventional procedure, while increasing the signal-to-noise ratio for generated images compared to a single loop coil, a local coil includes a single coil element disposed around an opening through the local coil and two coil elements positioned on opposite sides of the single coil element. The opening provides access for an interventional tool used during the image-guided interventional procedure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coil comprising:
a first coil element and at least one second coil element, a second coil element of the at least one second coil element being a butterfly coil element; and
a housing supporting the first coil element and the at least one second coil element, the housing comprising a top, a bottom, an opening, a central portion, and two wings extending away from the central portion, the opening extending from the top to the bottom, through the central portion of the housing,
wherein the housing supports the first coil element, such that the first coil element at least partially surrounds the opening through the housing, and
wherein the first coil element is at least partially positioned within the central portion of the housing, and the at least one second coil element is at least partially positioned within the two wings of the housing.

2. The MRI coil of claim 1 , wherein the at least one second coil element comprises two second coil elements, the second coil element being one of the two second coil elements, the two second coil elements forming a butterfly arrangement.

3. The MRI coil of claim 2 , wherein the first coil element and the two second coil elements are arranged within the housing such that the first coil element and the two second coil elements form a circular polarized MRI coil.

4. The MRI coil of claim 2 , wherein the housing supports the two second coil elements such that the two second coil elements are disposed on opposite sides of the first coil element.

5. The MRI coil of claim 1 , wherein the opening has a diameter of 15-20 cm.

6. The MRI coil of claim 5 , wherein a diameter of the at least one second coil element is smaller than the diameter of the first coil element.

7. The MRI coil of claim 1 , further comprising a connector electrically connected to the first coil element and the at least one second coil element, wherein the housing supports the connector.

8. The MRI coil of claim 7 , wherein the connector is in communication with an interface comprising a preamplifier, traps, combiners, matching and detuning circuits, or any combination thereof, the interface being located outside of the housing.

9. The MRI coil of claim 1 , wherein the housing is flexible.

10. The MRI coil of claim 1 , wherein the housing is made of a disposable plastic.

11. A system for receiving signals from an object under investigation, the system comprising:
a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coil comprising:
a loop coil and a butterfly coil;
a housing comprising a top, a bottom, an opening, a central portion, and two wings extending away from the central portion, the opening extending from the top to the bottom, through the central portion of the housing, the loop coil and the butterfly coil being positioned within and supported by the housing; and
a connector in communication with the loop coil and the butterfly coil; and

an interface comprising a preamplifier, traps, combiners, matching and detuning circuits, or any combination thereof,
wherein the connector is in communication with the interface, the interface being configured to communicate with an MRI scanner, and
wherein the loop coil is at least partially positioned within the central portion of the housing, and the butterfly coil is at least partially positioned within the two wings of the housing.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the connector of the MRI coil is physically and electrically connectable to the interface via a coaxial cable.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the butterfly coil comprises two coil elements positioned on opposite sides of the loop coil.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the MRI coil further comprises a ninety degree combiner in communication with the loop coil and the butterfly coil.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the loop coil and the butterfly coil are configured to receive signals from an object under investigation,
wherein the MRI coil is configured to transmit the received signals to the interface via the connector, and
wherein the interface is configured to combine the received signals.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the housing is made of a foam.

17. A method for imaging an object under investigation during an interventional procedure on the object under investigation, the method comprising:
positioning a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coil on the object under investigation, the MRI coil comprising a first coil element and at least one second coil element, a second coil element of the at least one second coil element being a butterfly coil, and a housing supporting the first coil element and the at least one second coil element, the housing comprising a top, a bottom, an opening, a central portion, and two wings extending away from the central portion, the opening extending from the top to the bottom, through the central portion of the housing, wherein the housing supports the first coil element, such that the first coil element at least partially surrounds the opening through the housing, and wherein the first coil element is at least partially positioned within the central portion of the housing, and the at least one second coil element is at least partially positioned within the two wings of the housing; and
receiving signals from the object under investigation via the MRI coil while an interventional procedure is performed on the object under investigation.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the interventional procedure is performed through the opening in the housing.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising transmitting the received signals to an interface via a connector of the MRI coil, the interface comprising a preamplifier, traps, combiners, matching and detuning circuits, or any combination thereof.

Assignees

• Finnerty Matthew
• Hengerer Arne
• Matschl Volker
• Weisberg Gregory
• Zheng Tsinghua
• Siemens Ag
• Quality Electrodynamics Qed

Inventors

• Finnerty Matthew
• Hengerer Arne
• Matschl Volker
• Weisberg Gregory
• Zheng Tsinghua

Classifications

• G01R33/3415 Primary

  comprising arrays of sub-coils {, i.e. phased-array coils with flexible receiver channels} · CPC title

• G01R33/3678

  involving quadrature drive or detection, e.g. a circularly polarized RF magnetic field · CPC title

• G01R33/34007

  Manufacture of RF coils, e.g. using printed circuit board technology; additional hardware for providing mechanical support to the RF coil assembly or to part thereof, e.g. a support for moving the coil assembly relative to the remainder of the MR system · CPC title