MRI Coil for Use During an Interventional Procedure

• US 20160363641A1
• Filed: 06/15/2016
• Published: 12/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quality Electrodynamics (QED), LLC, Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Quality Electrodynamics (QED), LLC
• Inventors: Weisberg, Gregory, Finnerty, Matthew, Hengerer, Arne, Matschl, Volker, Zheng, Tsinghua
• Granted Patent: US 10,353,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/34007 Manufacture of RF coils, e.g. using printed circuit board technology; additional hardware for providing mechanical support to the RF coil assembly or to part thereof, e.g. a support for moving the coil assembly relative to the remainder of the MR system
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3415 comprising arrays of sub-coils , i.e. phased-array coils with flexible receiver channels
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3678 involving quadrature drive or detection, e.g. a circularly polarized RF magnetic field

Abstract

In order to provide interventional access during an image-guided interventional procedure, while increasing the signal-to-noise ratio for generated images compared to a single loop coil, a local coil includes a single coil element disposed around an opening through the local coil and two coil elements positioned on opposite sides of the single coil element. The opening provides access for an interventional tool used during the image-guided interventional procedure.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coil comprising:

a first coil element and at least one second coil element; and

a housing supporting the first coil element and the at least one second coil element, the housing comprising a top, a bottom, and an opening, the opening extending from the top to the bottom, through the housing,

wherein the housing supports the first coil element, such that the first coil element at least partially surrounds the opening through the housing.

2. The MRI coil of claim 1, wherein the at least one second coil element comprises two second coil elements, the two second coil elements forming a butterfly arrangement.

3. The MRI coil of claim 2, wherein the first coil element and the two second coil elements are arranged within the housing such that the first coil element and the two second coil elements form a circular polarized MRI coil.

4. The MRI coil of claim 2, wherein the housing supports the two second coil elements such that the two second coil elements are disposed on opposite sides of the first coil element.

5. The MRI coil of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a central portion and two wings extending away from the central portion, the opening extending through the central portion of the housing, and

wherein the first coil element is at least partially positioned within the central portion of the housing, and the two second coil elements are at least partially positioned within the two wings of the housing, respectively.

6. The MRI coil of claim 1, wherein the opening has a diameter of 15-20 cm.

7. The MRI coil of claim 6, wherein the diameter of the at least one second coil element is smaller than the diameter of the first coil element.

8. The MRI coil of claim 1, further comprising a connector electrically connected to the first coil element and the at least one second coil element, wherein the housing supports the connector.

9. The MRI coil of claim 8, wherein the connector is in communication with an interface comprising a preamplifier, traps, combiners, matching and detuning circuits, or any combination thereof, the interface being located outside of the housing.

10. The MRI coil of claim 1, wherein the housing is flexible.

11. The MRI coil of claim 1, wherein the housing is made of a disposable plastic.

12. A system for receiving signals from an object under investigation, the system comprising:

a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coil comprising;

a loop coil and a butterfly coil;

a housing comprising a top, a bottom, and an opening, the opening extending from the top to the bottom, through the housing, the loop coil and the butterfly coil being positioned within and supported by the housing; and

a connector in communication with the loop coil and the butterfly coil; and

an interface comprising a preamplifier, traps, combiners, matching and detuning circuits, or any combination thereof,

wherein the connector is in communication with the interface, the interface being configured to communicate with an MRI scanner.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the connector of the MRI coil is physically and electrically connectable to the interface via a coaxial cable.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the butterfly coil comprises two coil elements positioned on opposite sides of the loop coil.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the MRI coil further comprises a ninety degree combiner in communication with the loop coil and the butterfly coil.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the loop coil and the butterfly coil are configured to receive signals from an object under investigation,

wherein the MRI coil is configured to transmit the received signals to the interface via the connector, and

wherein the interface is configured to combine the received signals.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the housing is made of a foam.

18. A method for imaging an object under investigation during an interventional procedure on the object under investigation, the method comprising:

positioning a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coil on the object under investigation, the MRI coil comprising a first coil element and at least one second coil element, and a housing supporting the first coil element and the at least one second coil element, the housing comprising a top, a bottom, and an opening, the opening extending from the top to the bottom, through the housing, wherein the housing supports the first coil element, such that the first coil element at least partially surrounds the opening through the housing; and

receiving signals from the object under investigation via the MRI coil while an interventional procedure is performed on the object under investigation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the interventional procedure is performed through the opening in the housing.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting the received signals to an interface via a connector of the MRI coil, the interface comprising a preamplifier, traps, combiners, matching and detuning circuits, or any combination thereof.