Techniques, systems and machine readable programs for magnetic resonance

• US 9,014,785 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2014
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Millikelvin Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Millikelvin Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Kalechofsky, Neal, Hrovat, Mirko
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHTA, PARIKHA SOLANKI
• Application Number:
  US14/188,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20140247047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 600/410, 600/411, 600/419, 324/307, 324/309, 324/319
• US Class Current: 600/420
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/36 Electrical details, e.g. matching or coupling of the coil to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/48 NMR imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/561 by reduction of the scanning time, i.e. fast acquiring systems, e.g. using echo-planar pulse sequences

Abstract

The present disclosure provides various methods and systems for performing magnetic resonance studies. In accordance with many embodiments, image or other information of interest is derived from super radiant pulses.

Claims

1. A method for performing a magnetic resonance protocol comprising:

a) providing a magnetic resonance device including (i) a main magnet for providing a background magnetic field along a first direction, (ii) at least one radio-frequency coil, and (iii) at least one gradient coil configured to be controlled to define a region of interest;

b) introducing a sample or subject to be studied into the region of interest, the sample or subject including (i) a first set of nuclei of interest from which a magnetic resonance signal is desired and (ii) a second set of nuclei from which a magnetic resonance signal is not desired;

c) introducing into the magnetic resonance device at least one supplemental spin reservoir (“

SSR”

) distinct from the sample or subject, the SSR including a plurality of molecules having nuclei substantially identical to the nuclei in the first set of nuclei;

d) introducing radio frequency (“

RF”

) pulses into the sample or subject to be studied to energize nuclei in the sample or subject;

e) inducing feedback between the at least one radio frequency coil and (i) the first set of nuclei and (ii) the second set of nuclei so as to cause the vector direction of the nuclear magnetization of the nuclei in the first and second sets of nuclei to differ substantially from each other; and

f) detecting a magnetic resonance signal preferentially from the first set of nuclei using the at least one radio frequency coil, wherein the magnetic resonance signal detected from the first set of nuclei partially originates from the SSR.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing the magnetic resonance signal detected from the first set of nuclei so as to produce at least one of (i) an image, (ii) dynamic flow data, (iii) perfusion data, (iii) spectroscopic identity of chemical species, (iv) physiological data, and (v) metabolic data.

3. The method of claim 1, where the sample or subject is a living creature.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of nuclei include protons in water and the second set of nuclei include protons in fat.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of nuclei include protons in fat and the second set of nuclei include protons in water.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one radio frequency coil is configured to induce or control feedback specifically for molecules contained in the SSR.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one transmit coil is used to deliver the RF pulses and further wherein at least one distinct receive coil is used to detect the magnetic resonance signal from the first set of nuclei.

8. A method for performing a magnetic resonance protocol comprising:

a) providing a magnetic resonance device including (i) a main magnet for providing a background magnetic field along a first direction, (ii) at least one radio-frequency coil, and (iii) at least one gradient coil configured to be controlled to define a region of interest;

b) introducing a sample or subject to be studied into the region of interest;

c) introducing into the MR device at least one supplemental spin reservoir (“

SSR”

) distinct from the subject or sample, the SSR including a plurality of molecules having nuclei of interest from which a magnetic resonance signal is desired;

d) introducing RF pulses into the sample or subject to energize nuclei in the sample or subject;

e) inducing feedback between the at least one radio frequency coil and (i) nuclei in the sample or subject and (ii) the nuclei of interest in the SSR so as to cause the vector direction of the nuclear magnetization of the nuclei in the sample or subject and the nuclei of interest in the SSR to rotate to a desired angle with respect to the first direction of the background magnetic field; and

f) detecting magnetic resonance signals from at least one of the nuclei of interest in the SSR and the sample or subject.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising processing the magnetic resonance signals from the subject or sample to produce at least one of:

(i) an image, (ii) dynamic flow data, (iii) perfusion data, (iii) spectroscopic identity of chemical species, (iv) physiological data, and (v) metabolic data.

10. The method of claim 9, where at least one gradient magnetic field is manipulated to suppress feedback between the at least one radio frequency coil and nuclei in a first physical region of the sample or subject.

11. The method of claim 8, where the nuclei of interest include at least one of ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N.

12. The method of claim 9, where the subject is a living creature.

13. The method of claim 9, where the at least one radio frequency coil is configured to induce or control feedback specifically for molecules contained in the SSR.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one transmit coil is used to deliver the RF pulses and further wherein at least one distinct receive coil is used to detect the magnetic resonance signal from the first set of nuclei.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

a) employing RF pulses to rotate a further set of nuclear magnetization to a desired angle for a second set of nuclei of interest;

b) detecting a signal relating to the pulse of transverse magnetization originating from the second set of nuclei of interest; and

c) processing the signal to form a data set relating to the presence of the second set of nuclei in the sample or subject.

16. The method of claim 15, where an image formed from the second set of nuclei in the sample or subject is used to spatially locate an image formed from the first set of nuclei.

17. A method for performing quantitative analysis of the amount of a molecule in a sample or subject comprising:

a) providing a magnetic resonance (“

MR”

) device including (i) a main magnet for providing a background magnetic field along a first direction, (ii) at least one radio frequency coil, and (iii) at least one gradient coil configured to be controlled to define at least one region of interest;

b) introducing into the MR device at least one supplemental spin reservoir (“

SSR”

) distinct from the subject or sample, the SSR including a plurality of molecules having nuclei of interest from which a magnetic resonance signal is desired;

c) adjusting the circuitry of the at least one radio-frequency coil in order to induce feedback between the nuclear magnetization of the nuclei of interest within the SSR and the at least one radio frequency coil;

d) introducing RF pulses into the SSR so that the magnetization of the nuclei of interest within the SSR is rotated to a first angle greater than ninety degrees;

e) receiving a magnetic resonance signal from the nuclei of interest within the SSR indicative of a first superradiant (“

SR”

) pulse;

f) analyzing the first (“

SR”

) pulse that results from step (e) to determine the peaktime and width of the SR pulse;

g) introducing a sample or subject to be studied into the region of interest;

h) introducing RF pulses into the sample or subject and the SSR so that the vector direction of the magnetization of the nuclei of interest is rotated to the first angle;

i) analyzing a second SR pulse that results from step (h) to determine the peaktime and width of the second SR pulse; and

j) subtracting the first SR pulse from the second SR pulse to produce quantitative information as to the amount of nuclei of interest in the sample or subject.

18. The method of claim 17, where the nuclei of interest are present in serotonin in the sample or subject.