High frequency magnetic field coil and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus with the same

• US 8,198,894 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kaneko, Yukio, Habara, Hideta, Soutome, Yoshihisa, Otake, Yosuke, Bito, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Koval, Melissa
• Assistant Examiner(s): FETZNER, TIFFANY A
• Application Number:
  US12/417,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 324300-322, 382128-131, 600407-435
• US Class Current: 324/318
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/34046 Volume type coils, e.g. bird-cage coils; Quadrature bird-cage coils; Circularly polarised coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/34053 Solenoid coils; Toroidal coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/34076 Birdcage coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/341 comprising surface coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3635 Multi-frequency operation

Abstract

An RF coil for MR Imaging that can change a resonance frequency easily and instantaneously in response to a nuclide to be imaged without exchange and adjustment and that also causes only small lowering of sensitivity. The RF coil has a sub coil for changing a resonance frequency of the transmitting/receiving RF coil for transmitting and receiving an MR signal between itself and a nuclide that is an object to be imaged. The sub coil is equipped with a switch, and at the time of switching-on, shifts the resonance frequency of the RF coil by changing an inductance value of the RF coil in a noncontact manner using inductance coupling.

Claims

1. A high frequency magnetic field coil of a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus whose resonance frequency is a magnetic resonant frequency of a first nuclide, comprising:

a sub coil disposed at a point at which it can instantaneously inductively couple with the high frequency magnetic field coil; and

a conduction control unit that controls conduction of the sub coil,

wherein, at a time of the conduction, the sub coil instantaneously inductively modifies the resonance frequency of the high frequency magnetic field coil to be a magnetic resonant frequency of a second nuclide that has a higher magnetic resonant frequency than the magnetic resonant frequency of the first nuclide,

wherein, at a time of no conduction, the resonance frequency of the high frequency magnetic field coil also instantaneously reverts to the resonant frequency of the first nuclide, and

wherein the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is capable of performing plural nuclide imaging over the entire area of the subject with only the high frequency magnetic field coil being resonant.

2. The high frequency magnetic field coil according to claim 1, wherein the sub coil is disposed at a point facing a subject through the high frequency magnetic field coil.

3. The high frequency magnetic field coil according to claim 1, wherein the sub coil is disposed in the same plane as that of the high frequency magnetic field coil.

4. The high frequency magnetic field coil according to claim 1, wherein the sub coil is disposed between a subject and the high frequency magnetic field coil.

5. The high frequency magnetic field coil according to claim 1, wherein the sub coil is electrically non-connected with the high frequency magnetic field coil.

6. The high frequency magnetic field coil according to claim 1, wherein the sub coil modifies the resonance frequency of the high frequency magnetic field coil to be the magnetic resonant frequency of the second nuclide by adjusting at least one element out of the disposed point and a size of the sub coil.

7. The high frequency magnetic field coil according to claim 1, wherein the first nuclide is fluoride and the second nuclide is hydrogen.

8. The high frequency magnetic field coil according to claim 1, wherein the conduction control unit is a switch.

9. The high frequency magnetic field coil according to claim 8, wherein the switch consists of a diode and an inductor.

10. The high frequency magnetic field coil according to claim 8, wherein the switch is based on a micro-electro-mechanical system.

11. The high frequency magnetic field coil according to claim 1, wherein the conduction control unit is a variable resistor.

12. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, comprising:

a static magnetic field formation unit that forms a static magnetic field;

a gradient magnetic field formation unit that forms a gradient magnetic field;

a high frequency magnetic field formation unit that forms a high frequency magnetic field;

a transmitting/receiving coil that irradiates the high frequency magnetic field on a subject and detects magnetic resonance signals generated from the subject, the resonance frequency of the transmitting/receiving coil being the same as a magnetic resonant frequency of a first nuclide;

a reception unit that receives the magnetic resonance signals;

a control unit that controls the gradient magnetic field formation unit, the high frequency magnetic field formation unit, and the reception unit;

a sub coil disposed at a point at which it can instantaneously inductively couple with the high frequency magnetic field coil; and

a conduction control unit that controls conduction of the sub coil,

wherein, at a time of the conduction, the sub coil instantaneously inductively modifies the resonance frequency of the high frequency magnetic field coil to be a magnetic resonant frequency of a second nuclide that has a higher magnetic resonant frequency than the magnetic resonant frequency of the first nuclide,

wherein, at a time of no conduction, the resonance frequency of the high frequency magnetic field coil also instantaneously reverts to the resonant frequency of the first nuclide, and

wherein the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is capable of performing plural nuclide imaging over the entire area of the subject with only the high frequency magnetic field coil being resonant.

14. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit controls the conduction control unit of the high frequency magnetic field coil, and controls at least one of the high frequency magnetic field formation unit and the reception unit depending on the control result.

16. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the control unit maintains information of specifying the second nuclide, and when instructing conduction to the conduction control unit, controls at least one of the high frequency magnetic field formation unit and the reception unit so that it may perform processing by obtaining the magnetic resonance signal from the second nuclide.

13. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, comprising:

a static magnetic field formation unit that forms a static magnetic field;

a gradient magnetic field formation unit that forms a gradient magnetic field;

a high frequency magnetic field formation unit that forms a high frequency magnetic field;

a transmitting coil that irradiates the high frequency magnetic field on a subject;

a receiving coil that detects magnetic resonance signals generated from the subject;

a reception unit that receives the magnetic resonance signals; and

a control unit that controls the gradient magnetic field formation unit, the high frequency magnetic field formation unit, and the reception unit,

wherein the transmitting coil or the receiving coil is a high frequency magnetic field coil, whose resonance frequency is a magnetic resonant frequency of a first nuclide and includes a sub coil having a conduction control unit that controls conduction thereof,

wherein the sub coil is disposed at a point at which it can instantaneously inductively couple with the high frequency magnetic field coil,

wherein, at a time of the conduction, the sub coil instantaneously inductively modifies the resonance frequency of the high frequency magnetic field coil to be a magnetic resonant frequency of a second nuclide that has a higher magnetic resonant frequency than the magnetic resonant frequency of the first nuclide,

wherein, at a time of no conduction, the resonance frequency of the high frequency magnetic field coil also instantaneously reverts to the resonant frequency of the first nuclide, and

wherein the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is capable of performing plural nuclide imaging over the entire area of the subject with only the high frequency magnetic field coil being resonant.

15. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the control unit controls the conduction control unit of the high frequency magnetic field coil, and controls at least one of the high frequency magnetic field formation unit and the reception unit depending on the control result.