US 10,705,169 B2Granted

Device having inert gas nucleus channel and method for magnetic resonance imaging using the same

AssigneeWuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

InventorsXin Zhou, Yeqing Han, Xianping Sun, Lei Shi, Maili Liu, Chaohui Ye

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Abstract

An inert gas nucleus channel device comprising a magnetic resonance control system, a radio frequency generator, an RF amplifier and AD converter, a frequency synthesizer, a first mixer, a second power amplifier, a second T/R switch, an inert gas nucleus coil, a second pre-amplifier and a second mixer. A magnetic resonance imaging method is also disclosed. The method controls an increase or decrease in a frequency of a pulse or echo signal excited by a radio-frequency signal, implementing magnetic resonance imaging using hyperpolarized inert gases (such as xenon, helium, and krypton), making it possible to apply MRI to lungs and brains using the hyperpolarized inert gases, and expanding the probing range of MRI. The inert gas nucleus channel device is simple in structure and easy to operate and upgrades a hydrogen nucleus magnetic resonance imaging instrument to become a multi-nuclei MRI system using the hyperpolarized inert gases.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A device having an inert gas nucleus channel, comprising

a magnetic resonance control system,
a radio frequency generator having an input terminal and an output terminal,
a first mixer having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal,
a frequency synthesizer having an output terminal,
an inert gas nucleus coil,
a second power amplifier,
a second T/R switch having a transmission channel and a reception channel,
a second mixer having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal,
a second pre-amplifier, and
an RF amplifier and AD converter,
wherein the magnetic resonance control system is connected to the input terminal of the radio frequency generator,
the output terminal of the radio frequency generator is connected to the first input terminal of the first mixer,
the second input terminal of the first mixer is connected to the output terminal of the frequency synthesizer,
the output terminal of the first mixer is connected to the inert gas nucleus coil through the second power amplifier and the transmission channel of the second T/R switch,
the inert gas nucleus coil is connected to the first input terminal of the second mixer sequentially through the reception channel of the second T/R switch and the second pre-amplifier,
the second input terminal of the second mixer is connected to the output terminal of the frequency synthesizer,
the output terminal of the second mixer is connected to the magnetic resonance control system through the RF amplifier and AD converter, and
the magnetic resonance control system is connected to the second T/R switch.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/058,989Filed 8 Aug 2018 · continuation
Priority: CN 2016 1 009466022 Feb 2016
Published: US 2018/0372823 A127 Dec 2018
Granted: 7 Jul 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G01R 33/543
Signal processing systems, e.g. using pulse sequences ; Generation or control of pulse sequences; Operator console: control of the operation of…
G01R 33/282
Details of apparatus provided for in groups G01R33/44 - G01R33/64: means specially adapted for hyperpolarisation or for hyperpolarised contrast…
G01R 33/36
Excitation or detection systems, e.g. using radio frequency signals: electrical details, e.g. matching or coupling of the coil to the receiver
G01R 33/3607
Electrical details, e.g. matching or coupling of the coil to the receiver: rF waveform generators, e.g. frequency generators, amplitude-,…