Electricity: measuring and testing – Particle precession resonance – Spectrometer components
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-06
2002-08-20
Lefkowitz, Edward (Department: 2862)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Particle precession resonance
Spectrometer components
C600S422000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06437567
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and, more specifically, to a design for a radio frequency coil for an open magnet MRI system.
Magnetic resonance imaging systems provide images of internal structures of the human body and the like by detecting radio signals produced by the precessing spins of the atomic nuclei of the structure when the structure is placed in a strong polarizing magnetic field. The nuclear spins are first excited into precession by a radio frequency (RF) stimulation pulse. Next the spins are isolated spatially by application of one or more gradient magnetic fields that cause their precession frequency to deviate from that provided by the polarizing magnetic field alone. The isolated resonance signals produced by these precessing nuclear spins are detected and processed according to techniques well known in the art to produce tomographic or volumetric images.
A single antenna may be used to transmit the stimulating RF pulse and to receive the weaker resonance signals from the precessing nuclei although often separate antennas are used for these two purposes.
In a prior art “closed” MRI system, a polarized gradient magnetic field is produced by a cylindrical, annular magnet having a bore for admitting a patient along the axis of the cylinder aligned with the magnetic field B
0
. Nuclei precession within the patient is induced by an RF field providing a magnetic vector in a plane perpendicular to the B
0
axis.
For certain procedures, particularly surgical procedures, an “open” MRI system may be desired in which the annular magnet of the closed MRI system is replaced by opposed magnetic pole faces providing therebetween a relatively unobstructed opening into which a patient may be placed while preserving greater access to the patient than in a closed MRI system. In the open MRI system, the B
0
field extends between the pole faces and the RF field is kept perpendicular to the B
0
field.
In open MRI systems, to avoid unduly restricting access to the patient through the opening between opposed magnetic pole faces, one or more arrays of parallel conductors positioned near the pole faces are used to provide the RF field. These conductors are energized in a manner that produces a net RF vector in the desired plane perpendicular to the B
0
axis.
While a single opposed pair of RF coils may be used for producing an oscillating RF field along a single line, preferably each such RF coil is matched to a second array having perpendicularly running conductor elements. For the RF stimulating pulse, the two matched RF coils are energized with signals having a 90 degree phase difference so as to create a rotating RF field. For reception of the resonance signal, signals detected at the crossing RF coils are combined with the appropriate 90 degree phase difference to produce a signal with superior signal-to-noise ratio. Coils providing for perpendicular reception or transmission patterns are known generally as “quadrature” coils.
A radio frequency shield may be placed between the RF coils and coils that produce the gradient magnetic field described above, so as to prevent signal from the gradient coils from interfering with reception of signals by the RF coils. Such radio frequency shields may be used as a return conductor path for an RF coil.
While open frame MRI systems provide greater access to a patient for surgical and other procedures than closed MRI systems, providing a high degree of homogeneity for the radio frequency and magnetic fields necessary for high quality imaging is still a challenge. In this regard, it is important that the pole faces be as close as possible to each other, and therefore that the RF coils and radio frequency shield be as close as possible to each other as well. Providing this homogenous RF reception and transmission field with a compact coil structure remains an important area of development.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A number of improvements to the design of quadrature coils suitable for open frame MRI systems are set forth herein.
While it is not possible to produce the ideally desired perfectly uniform RF field between the pole faces, conductor patterns designed to approximate the geometry of uniform current sheets parallel to the magnet pole faces are herein used to achieve a high degree of approximation to the desired RF field over the central imaging region.
Although the conductor elements of each coil array of a quadrature coil will be perpendicular and therefore theoretically isolated, in fact there exists significant capacitive coupling between such elements, particularly when the elements are placed in close proximity as is desired in an open frame MRI system. A first feature of the invention is an isolation circuit canceling out this capacitive effect.
Conventional termination of the conductor elements of the arrays is unduly resistive and/or promotes unequal current flow through these elements, limiting homogeneity of the resulting field. Accordingly, a second feature of the invention is an improved termination for these conductor elements that provides greater and more equal current flow. Additionally, a series connection between the coil arrays ensures identically matching current flows through the upper and lower corresponding conductor elements. An effective RF shield is provided for such quadrature coils which accommodates both transmission of magnetic field gradients and reduction of interaction between the gradient coils and the RF coil.
Specifically, a quadrature RF coil for an open MRI system is provided. The MRI system includes a polarizing magnet with opposed pole faces for establishing a polarizing field axis. The coil includes a first conductor array having separate and substantially aligned conductor elements positioned along a first conductor axis and extending across the polarizing field axis between opposed common connection points. A second conductor array includes separated and substantially aligned conductor elements positioned along a second conductor axis extending across the polarizing field axis between opposed common connection points, and extending perpendicularly to the first conductor elements. A combiner/splitter electrically coupled to a connection point of each of the first and second conductor arrays joins them with a common signal line so that a signal path between the common signal line and the connection point of the first conductor array is substantially 90 degrees out of phase with a signal path between the common signal line and the connection point of the second conductor array.
An isolation circuit joins the connection points of each of the first and second conductor arrays to create between the first and second conductor arrays a blocking parallel resonance at the operating radio frequency. The isolation circuit may comprise an adjustable inductor for providing parallel resonance in combination with a parasitic capacitive coupling between the overlying conductors of the first and second conductor array. For flexibility in tuning this circuit, a fixed or variable capacitor may be added between the first and second conductor arrays so as to be coupled in parallel with the parasitic capacitance.
Thus the invention, in one embodiment, constitutes an extremely compact planar coil suitable for use in open MRI systems providing high signal-to-noise ratio and quadrature detection. Because an extremely low profile RF coil may be constructed if parasitic capacitance between the elements is overcome, insertion of the inductor to convert this parasitic capacitance into a blocking parallel resonant circuit at the RF frequency, effectively eliminates its effect at the frequencies of interest.
Ideally, the radio-frequency body coil would produce a perfectly uniform magnetic field with a direction perpendicular to the static magnetic field produced by the magnetic pole faces. The direction perpendicular to the pole faces is parallel to the static magnetic field and is taken as the direction of the z-axis in a Cartesian coordi
Boskamp Eddy B.
Edelstein William Alan
El-Hamamsy Sayed-Amr
Giaquinto Randy Otto John
Mallick John Andrew
Breedlove Jill M.
Fetzner Tiffany A.
General Electric Company
Lefkowitz Edward
Testa Jean K.
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