System and method for spiral volume imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017010339-A1
Application number	US-201515125860-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 13, 2015
Priority date	Mar 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 12, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method for system for performing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) process using an MRI system is provided. A coil system includes a substrate configured to follow a contour of a portion of a subject to be imaged by the MRI system and at least one coil coupled to the substrate and forming a spiral pattern.

First claim

1 . A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, comprising:
a magnet system configured to generate a static magnetic field about at least a region of interest (ROI) of a subject arranged in the MRI system; a plurality of gradient coils configured to establish at least one magnetic gradient field with respect to the static magnetic field; a radio frequency (RF) system including a transmit and/or receive coil comprising:
a substrate configured to follow a contour of a portion of a subject to be imaged by the MRI system; and
at least one coil coupled to the substrate and forming a hemispherical spiral pattern.

2 . The MRI system of claim 1 wherein the static magnetic field is a low-field static magnetic field.

3 . The MRI system of claim 1 wherein the static magnetic field is less than 10 mT.

4 . The MRI system of claim 1 wherein the transmit and/or receive coil is sized to image a periphery of the subject.

5 . The MRI system of claim 1 wherein the hemispherical spiral pattern includes a distance between adjacent portions of the at least one coil that is uniform.

6 . The MRI system of claim 1 wherein the MRI system is configured to perform a pulse sequence to perform an imaging process and wherein the at least one coil is configured to perform transmit and receive operations during performance of the pulse sequence.

7 . The MRI system of claim 6 wherein the pulse sequence includes a balance stead state free precession (b-SSFP) pulse sequence.

8 . The MRI system of claim 1 wherein the substrate forms a helmet and the portion of the subject is a head, such that the helmet is configured to contour the head of the subject.

9 . The MRI system of claim 8 wherein the at least one coil is configured to spiral out from a center aligned with a crown of the head of the subject to a perimeter encircling the head of the subject.

10 . The MRI system of claim 1 wherein the substrate is formed of a material suitable for three-dimensional (3D) printing.

11 . A transmit and/or receive coil system for performing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) process using an MRI system, the coil system comprising:
a substrate configured to follow a contour of a portion of a subject to be imaged by the MRI system; and at least one coil coupled to the substrate and forming a three-dimensional spiral pattern extending over the substrate.

12 . The transmit and/or receive coil system of claim 11 wherein the transmit and/or receive coil is sized to image a periphery of the subject.

13 . The transmit and/or receive coil system of claim 11 wherein the three-dimensional spiral pattern includes a distance between adjacent portions of the at least one coil that is uniform.

14 . The transmit and/or receive coil system of claim 11 wherein the substrate forms a helmet and the portion of the subject is a head, such that the helmet is configured to contour the head of the subject.

15 . The transmit and/or receive coil system of claim 14 wherein the at least one coil is configured to spiral out from a center aligned with a crown of the head of the subject to a perimeter encircling the head of the subject.

16 . The transmit and/or receive coil system of claim 11 herein the substrate is formed of a material suitable for three-dimensional (3D) printing.

17 . A single channel radio-frequency coil configured for a portion of human anatomy, the single channel radio-frequency coil comprising:
a conductor arranged in a three-dimensional geometry about a region of interest, wherein, when the single channel radio-frequency coil is operated in conjunction with performing magnetic resonance of the portion of the human anatomy of a subject, the conductor produces and/or detects magnetic fields substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the subject's body.

18 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 17 , wherein the conductor is arranged in a substantially spiral geometry.

19 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 17 configured as a head coil comprising a substrate formed to accommodate the subject's head, wherein the conductor is arranged in the three-dimensional geometry over a surface of the substrate.

20 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 19 , wherein the conductor is arranged over at least a hemisphere of the substrate.

21 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 17 , wherein the conductor is formed by a wire arranged in the three-dimensional geometry.

22 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 21 , wherein the wire is a single-strand wire.

23 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 21 , wherein the wire is a Litz wire.

24 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 17 , wherein the conductor has a length greater than a meter.

25 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 24 , wherein the conductor has a length greater than 5 meters.

26 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 25 , wherein the conductor has a length greater than 10 meters.

27 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 17 , wherein the conductor is arranged in the three-dimensional geometry such that the conductor forms at least 10 turns.

28 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 17 , wherein the conductor is arranged in the three-dimensional geometry such that the conductor forms at least 20 turns.

29 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 17 , wherein the conductor is arranged in the three-dimensional geometry such that the conductor forms at least 30 turns.

30 . The single channel radio-frequency coil of claim 17 , wherein the radio-frequency coil is configured to transmit and receive at frequencies corresponding to a B0 field of less than 0.2 T.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Gen Hospital

Inventors

• Rosen Matthew S
• Sarracanie Mathieu
• Salameh Najat

Classifications

• G01R33/445

  MR involving a non-standard magnetic field B0, e.g. of low magnitude as in the earth's magnetic field or in nanoTesla spectroscopy, comprising a polarizing magnetic field for pre-polarisation, B0 with a temporal variation of its magnitude or direction such as field cycling of B0 or rotation of the direction of B0, or spatially inhomogeneous B0 like in fringe-field MR or in stray-field imaging · CPC title

• G01R33/5601

  involving use of a contrast agent for contrast manipulation, e.g. a paramagnetic, super-paramagnetic, ferromagnetic or hyperpolarised contrast agent · CPC title

• G01N24/084

  Detection of potentially hazardous samples, e.g. toxic samples, explosives, drugs, firearms, weapons · CPC title

• G01R33/34046 Primary

  Volume type coils, e.g. bird-cage coils; Quadrature bird-cage coils; Circularly polarised coils · CPC title

• G01R33/34084 Primary

  implantable coils or coils being geometrically adaptable to the sample, e.g. flexible coils or coils comprising mutually movable parts · CPC title