Method for use of a common shoulder coil part for both left and right shoulder

A method for selectively acquiring magnetic resonance signals from a first shoulder and an opposite second shoulder of a patient using a single shoulder coil arrangement, comprising the steps of:

• providing a shoulder coil arrangement comprising a shoulder coil anterior part and a shoulder coil posterior part, the shoulder coil anterior and posterior parts each having a diagonal plane of symmetry passing through diagonally opposite corners of the respective parts, and providing a base plate connecting with the shoulder coil posterior part in movable fashion so as to permit lateral movement of the shoulder coil posterior part laterally across the base plate and also to permit a 90° rotational movement of the shoulder coil posterior part about a vertical axis perpendicular to the base plate;
• with the base plate positioned beneath the patient placing the shoulder coil posterior part below the first shoulder of the patient, placing the shoulder coil anterior part above the shoulder coil posterior part at an opposite side of the first shoulder of the patient and then acquiring said magnetic resonance signals as to said first shoulder;
• and
• moving the shoulder coil posterior part laterally across the base plate to be positioned beneath the second shoulder of the patient, rotating the shoulder coil posterior part by 90° about said perpendicular axis, placing the shoulder coil anterior part above the rotated coil posterior part at an opposite side of said second shoulder, and then acquiring said magnetic resonance signals as to said second shoulder.