Double-resonance MRI coil

Details Double-resonance MRI coil Double-resonance MRI coil

1997-03-04

2001-11-06

Arana, Louis (Department: 2862)

Electricity: measuring and testing

Particle precession resonance

Spectrometer components

C324S307000, C600S421000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06313631

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a double-resonance coil for use in NMR spectroscopy and imaging which allows simultaneous radiation and detection at two different radio frequencies.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used in various medical applications. For example, conventional MRI systems in widespread use generate an anatomical image of a selected portion of the human body by utilizing a radio-frequency (RF) coil to irradiate the selected body portion with radiation at a frequency of 63.9 MHz, which causes nuclear magnetic resonance of hydrogen-1 constituents (protons) in the selected body portion at 1.5 Tesla. The image is then generated based on changes in the nuclear signal sensed via the RF coil.
It has been suggested that dual-frequency NMR imaging, which would generate and detect RF energy at two frequencies, could be utilized via a double-resonance MRI coil. For example, in an abstract entitled Oxygen-17: A Physiological, Biochemical and Anatomical MRI Contrast Agent from the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Mateescu, et al. state: “A
17
O/
1
H double resonance probe was used in experiments in which reliable superposition of oxygen and proton images was sought.”
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,304, Schnall, et al. disclose a multiple-tuned NMR probe which can radiate RF energy and detect changes in the RF energy at a number of different frequencies. While the patent states that the NMR probe allows “simultaneous study of different nuclei” (col. 1, lines 7-8), it is apparent that the NMR probe is excited with the different NMR frequencies consecutively, not simultaneously. The Schnall, et al. probe's inability to be used in simultaneous NMR spectroscopy and/or imaging is apparent from the fact it only has one input/output terminal: “It is another object of the present invention to provide such a multiple-tuning NMR probe in which all frequencies are generated and detected using a single input/output terminal.” Column 2, lines 26-29.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a double-resonance coil for use in MRI. The double-resonance coil includes a coil element, a first input/output terminal coupled to the coil element, and a second input/output terminal coupled to the coil element. A first resonance means is coupled between the coil element and the first input/output terminal to cause the double-resonance coil to resonate at a first MRI frequency, and a second resonance means is coupled between the coil element and the second input/output terminal to cause the double-resonance coil to resonate at a second MRI frequency different than the first MRI frequency. The double-resonance coil includes a first frequency-blocking means coupled to the coil element for substantially preventing the second MRI frequency from being detected at the first input/output terminal and a second frequency-blocking means coupled to the coil element for substantially preventing the first MRI frequency from being detected at the second input/output terminal.
The double-resonance coil in accordance with the present invention would allow, for example, simultaneous excitation of oxygen-17 and hydrogen-1 isotopes present in a portion of a human patient in order to provide accurate superposition of anatomical images produced by hydrogen-1 resonance with images relating to blood flow or oxygen consumption produced by oxygen-17 resonance. Alternatively, the double-resonance coil could be used to provide simultaneous excitation of xenon-129 and hydrogen-1 constituents in order to, for example, provide accurate superposition of anatomical images produced by hydrogen-1 resonance with images relating to blood flow produced by xenon-129 resonance. The double-resonance coil could also be used to provide simultaneous excitation of xenon-129 and oxygen-17 constituents in order to, for example, provide accurate superposition of images produced by xenon-129 resonance with images produced by oxygen-17 resonance.
The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.


REFERENCES:
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patent: 5365173 (1994-11-01), Zou et al.
patent: 5675254 (1997-10-01), Fiat et al.
Fukushima, E., et al.,Experimented Pulse NMR: A Nuts and Bolts Approach, 95-105 (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Inc. 1981).
Meiroom, S.,Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of the Proton Transfer in Water, II-3 Journal of Chemical Physics 373-388 (Jan., 1961).
Noggle, J., et al.,The Nuclear Overhauser Effect, 102-112 (New York: Academic Press, 1971).
Pike, G., et al.,Pulsed Magnetization Transfer Spin-Echo MR Imaging, 3-3 JMRI 531-539 (May/Jun., 1993).
Pople, J.A., et al.,High-resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance(New York: McGraw-Hill Book CO., Inc., 1959).
Schneider, E., et al.,Pulsed Magnetization Transfer versus Continuous Wave Irradiation for Tissue Contrast Enhancment, 3-2 JMRI 417-423 (Mar./Apr. 1993).
Schlichter, C.P., Principles of Magnetic Resonance Ch. 7 (Berlin: Springer-Verlag [no date]).

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