Extended-coverage imaging coil

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coil configured to be positionable by a catheter that is operably connectable to an MRI apparatus employed in an intravascular imaging application, the coil comprising:

• one or more capacitors configured to facilitate one or more of, tuning the MRI coil to the Lamor frequency, and matching the MRI coil to a receiver of the MRI apparatus;
• one or more detuning elements;
• two opposed-solenoid imaging elements positioned along the longitudinal axis of the catheter and being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the two opposed-solenoid imaging elements being separated by a gap region with a current being driven in opposite directions in the opposed-solenoid imaging elements on either side of the gap region;
• and
• one or more single loop imaging elements positioned along the longitudinal axis of the catheter and outside the gap region, being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, each having a long axis length between 6.5 mm and 16.5 mm, a short axis length approximately equal to the diameter of a wire used to form one of the two opposed-solenoid imaging elements, and a separation distance between 0 mm and 6.5 mm from at least one of the two opposed-solenoid imaging elements;
• the two opposed-solenoid imaging elements, the one or more single loop imaging elements, and the capacitor forming a circuit,
• the two opposed-solenoid imaging elements and the one or more single loop imaging elements being positioned relative to each other and with respect to the longitudinal axis of the catheter to produce a sensitivity profile that is radially homogenous,
• the MRI coil being configured to selectively provide low resolution survey imaging and high resolution examination imaging, and
• the MRI coil being configured as a multi-channel coil that facilitates selectively performing parallel imaging.