Cylindrical local coil for nuclear magnetic resonance imaging
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorCecil E. Hayes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A local coil for magnetic resonance imaging employs a cylindrical form supporting a coil array of one or more coil groups arranged circumferentially around the cylindrical form. Multiple coil groups are overlapped to provide electrical isolation between the coil groups preserving the signal to noise ratio inherent in a local coil while providing a greater field-of-view than may be obtained from such coil group.
Claims12
A local volume coil for receiving NMR signals from an imaging volume, the NMR signals having a rotating transverse component about a longitudinal axis, the coil comprising:
- a tubular, generally cylindrical form having a first axis passing through the imaging volume and parallel to the longitudinal axis so as to surround the imaging volume;
- a first quadrature coil attached to the form to follow a first line of circumference of the form and so as to be sensitive to the rotating transverse component of the NMR signal along a first pair of quadrature axes from a first volume being part of the imaging volume;
- and
- a second quadrature coil attached to the form to follow a second line of circumference of the form, the second quadrature coil overlapping with the first quadrature coil so that the first and second quadrature coils are electromagnetically isolated from each other so that current flowing through the first quadrature coil is substantially not induced by current flowing in the second quadrature coil, wherein the second quadrature coil is sensitive to the rotating transverse component of the NMR signal along a second pair of quadrature axes from a second volume of the imaging volume displaced longitudinally from the first volume of the imaging volume.
A method of receiving NMR signals from an imaging volume, the NMR signals having a rotating transverse component about a longitudinal axis, the coil comprising:
- providing a tubular generally cylindrical form having a first axis passing through the imaging area and parallel to the longitudinal axis so as to surround the imaging volume;
- attaching a first quadrature coil to the form so as to follow a first line of circumference of the form and to be sensitive to the rotating transverse component of the NMR signal along a first pair of quadrature axis from a first volume being part of the imaging volume;
- and
- attaching a second quadrature coil on a second portion of the form so as to follow a second line of circumference of the form and to overlap with the first quadrature coil so that the first and second quadrature coils are electromagnetically isolated from each other so that current through the first quadrature coil is substantially not induced by current flowing in the second quadrature coil, wherein the second quadrature coil is sensitive to the rotating transverse component of the NMR signal along a second pair of quadrature axes from a second volume of the imaging volume displaced longitudinally from the first portion of the imaging volume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.