Modular local coil set for magnetic resonance imaging
AssigneeIGC-Medical Advances, Inc.
InventorsAshok Menon, Derek Seeber, Jovan Jevtic
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Abstract
A modular lower coil provides for a head, a vascular and, a thoracic/lumbar element that may interfit or be separated to provide individual imaging of these areas or a combined imaging region stretching from the head to the lower spine. A switch box allows individual ones of these elements to be connected to the MRI machine if necessary because of a limitation of inputs to the machine and provides for decoupling currents to minimize interference between the coil elements when one element is being used.
Claims22
A modular local coil system for magnetic resonance imaging comprising:
- at least three electrically independent multiple loop coil elements sized to assemble along an axis so as to provide a substantially continuous field coverage of a patient along that axis;
- cables and electrical connectors associated with each of the coil elements providing communications with the multiple loops of each coil element, respectively, the connectors receivable by a connector receptacle on an MRI machine whereby each coil element may be individually and directly connected to the MRI machine;
- and
- a switch box providing coil-side connector receptacles receiving the connectors and an MRI machine-side cable and electrical connector receivable by the connector receptacle of the MRI machine, the switch box selectively connecting coil elements to the MRI machine;
- whereby the coil sections may be used alone or in combination for different imaging requirements.
A modular local coil system for magnetic resonance imaging comprising:
- at least three electrically independent multiple loop coil elements coils sized to mechanically interfit along an axis so as to provide a substantially continuous coverage of a patient along that axis;
- cables and electrical connectors associated with each of the coil elements providing communications with the multiple loops of each coil element, respectively;
- a switch box providing coil-side connector receptacles receiving the connectors and a MRI machine side cable and electrical connector providing a 10 connection receivable by a connector receptacle of the MRI machine, the switch box selectively connecting coil elements to the MRI machine;
- wherein the switch box includes circuit paths connecting disabling signals to the coil elements that are not connected to the MRI machine.
A modular local coil for magnetic resonance imaging comprising:
- a head imaging element fitting against an upper surface of a patient table and sized to receive the head of a supine patient supported by the patient table to receive NMR signals therefrom;
- a vascular imaging element fitting against the upper surface of a patient table and removably interfitting against an inferior end of the head imaging element to receive NMR signals from the neck and upper shoulder region of the supine patient;
- a thoracic/lumbar imaging element fitting against the upper surface of a patient table and removably interfitting against an inferior end of the vascular imaging element to receive NMR signals from the thoracic and lumbar regions;
- wherein internal loops of each of the head imaging element, the vascular imaging element, and thoracic/lumbar imaging element are constructed to provide isolation between the loop when the coils are interfitting and to provide reception of NMR signals in a continuous region from the head to the lumbar region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.