Knee/foot/ankle combination coil for MRI systems

• US 6,750,653 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2002
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: Usa Instruments, Inc (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Wang, Jie, Zou, Mark X.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gutierrez, Diego
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fetzner, Tiffany A.
• Application Number:
  US10/115,527
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 324/318, 324/309, 600/422, 600/415, 600/425
• US Class Current: 324/318
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/34084 implantable coils or coils being geometrically adaptable to the sample, e.g. flexible coils or coils comprising mutually movable parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/341 comprising surface coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3415 comprising arrays of sub-coils , i.e. phased-array coils with flexible receiver channels

Abstract

A MRI RF coil for use on a human leg having a knee, ankle and foot. The coil includes a knee coil section and a foot/ankle coil section. The sections are configurable into a boot-like structure.

Claims

1. A MRI RF coil for use on a human leg having a knee, ankle, and foot, said coil comprising:

a knee section, and

an L-shaped foot/ankle section, wherein said foot/ankle coil section has an extended coil portion that is operably receivable within said knee coil section, said sections being configurable into a boot-like structure.

2. A MRI RF coil according to claim 1, wherein said knee coil section includes a quadrature coil pair and said foot/ankle coil section includes a quadrature coil pair.

3. A MRI RF coil according to claim 1, wherein said knee coil section is configurable to separately image a knee.

4. A MRI RF coil according to claim 3, further comprising a coil identification system adapted to provide electrical indication of the configuration of said coil sections.

5. A MRI RF coil according to claim 1, wherein said knee coil section comprises a top portion and a bottom portion.