# US 2014/0155732 A1 · Systems and methods for portable magnetic resonance measurements of lung properties > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0155732 A1 - Document ID: US20140155732A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/235,337 - Filed: 2012-07-27 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-28 - Assignees: The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc. - Inventors: Samuel Patz; Mirko Hrovat; James P. Butler - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140155732A1 ## CPC - G01R 33/34092: {RF coils specially adapted for NMR spectrometers} - A61B 5/004: {adapted for image acquisition of a particular organ or body part (A61B5/0082 takes precedence; arrangements for optical scanning A61B5/0062)} - A61B 5/055: involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging - A61B 5/08: Measuring devices for evaluating the respiratory organs - A61G 11/00: Baby-incubators; Couveuses - G01R 33/3808: {Magnet assemblies for single-sided MR wherein the magnet assembly is located on one side of a subject only; Magnet assemblies for inside-out MR, e.g. for MR in a borehole or in a blood vessel, or magnet assemblies for fringe-field MR} - A61G 2210/50: for radiography - A61M 16/021: {operated by electrical means (A61M16/202 – A61M16/205 take precedence)} - A61M 2016/0027: {pressure meter} - A61M 2205/3317: Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means - G01R 33/421: of main or gradient magnetic field - G01R 33/5601: {involving use of a contrast agent for contrast manipulation, e.g. a paramagnetic, super-paramagnetic, ferromagnetic or hyperpolarised contrast agent} - G01R 33/565: Correction of image distortions, e.g. due to magnetic field inhomogeneities - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - A61G: TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS (appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk A61H3/00); OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES (embalming corpses A01N1/00) - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} ## Abstract A portable magnetic resonance (MR) system for quantitatively measuring properties of a subject's lungs, such as regional ventilation and lung density, is provided. The portable MR system includes a magnet, radio frequency (RF) coil assembly, and spectrometer system. The magnet can be positioned near the subject's chest. The magnetic field of the magnet substantially homogeneous in a region-of-interest located at a distance from the surface of the magnet that localizes the region-of-interest in the subject's lung. The RF coil assembly includes one or more RF coils that are sized to be positioned near the subject's chest, and receives MR signals from the region-of-interest. The spectrometer system controls the RF coil assembly and computes from the acquired MR signals, a quantitative metric indicative of a characteristic of the subject's lung in the region-of-interest. An active noise cancellation system is provided so RF shielding of the portable MR system is not required. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A portable magnetic resonance system configured to acquire magnetic resonance signals generated in a region-of-interest in a subject's lung and to calculate therefrom a quantitative metric indicative of a property of the subject's lung, comprising: a magnet sized to be positioned proximate to a subject and configured to generate a magnetic field that is substantially homogeneous in a region-of-interest positioned at a distance from a surface of the magnet that is sufficiently large so as to position the region-of-interest in the subject's lung; a radio frequency (RF) coil assembly including at least one RF coil sized to be positioned proximate to the region-of-interest and configured to apply an RF field to the region-of-interest and to receive magnetic resonance signals therefrom; a spectrometer system in communication with the RF coil assembly and programmed to: direct the RF coil assembly to produce an RF field in the region-of-interest at a Larmor frequency such that spins resonant with the Larmor frequency in the region-of-interest are excited; direct the RF coil assembly to receive magnetic resonance signals produced in the region-of-interest in response to the applied RF field; and compute from the acquired magnetic resonance signals a quantitative metric indicative of a characteristic of the subject's lung in the region-of-interest. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 1 in which the quantitative metric computed by the spectrometer system is at least one of lung ventilation and lung density. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 1 in which the magnet is sized such that its thickness is less than both its width and its length. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 1 further comprising means for providing a hyperpolarized gas to the subject. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 1 further comprising an enclosure sized to receive the subject. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 5 in which the magnet is sized to be contained within the enclosure. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 1 in which the magnet is at least one of a permanent magnet and an electromagnet. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 7 in which the magnet is a permanent magnet that is configured as a ferro-refraction magnet. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 8 further comprising a shield that is positioned on substantially only one side of the magnet. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 7 in which the magnet is configured as at least one of a monohedral magnet, a planar magnet, and a Helmholtz-pair magnet. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 1 in which the magnet includes a first pole and a second pole that are positioned opposite each other about the at least one RF coil. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 11 further comprising an enclosure that is sized to contain the first pole, the second pole, and the at least one RF coil. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 12 in which the enclosure is sized to be positioned between a subject and a bed. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 1 in which the at least one RE coil comprises at least one transmit RF coil and at least one receive RF coil. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 14 in which the RF coil assembly includes one transmit RF coil and one receive RF coil, and in which the transmit RE coil and receive RE coil are concentric. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 14 in which the RE coil assembly includes one transmit RF coil and a plurality of receive RF coils. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 16 in which the one transmit RF coil includes a Helmholtz pair and the plurality of receive RE coils are positioned within the Helmholtz pair. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 1 in which the RF coil assembly includes at least one signal RF coil configured to receive magnetic resonance signals and at least one noise reference RE coil configured to receive substantially only signals indicative of environmental noise. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The portable magnetic resonance system as recited in claim 18 in which the spectrometer system is programmed to significantly reduce noise in the received magnetic resonance signals using the received signal that is indicative of substantially only environmental noise. ### Claim 20 (canceled) ### Claim 21 A method for actively cancelling electronic noise in a nuclear magnetic resonance device, the steps of the method comprising: a) acquiring with a first radio frequency (RF) coil, a signal that contains a magnetic resonance signal and a noise signal; b) acquiring with a second RF coil, a noise reference signal that contains substantially only environmental noise; c) calculating a scaling factor that scales noise that is correlated in the first RF coil and the second RF coil; d) producing a scaled noise signal by applying the scaling factor calculated in step c) to the noise reference signal acquired in step h); and e) producing a substantially noise-free signal by subtracting the scaled noise signal from the signal acquired in step a). ### Claim at position 22 22-28. (canceled)