General Electric Company

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

Dashen Chu

Robert Steven Stormont

Scott Allen Lindsay

Ricardo M Matias

Labros S Petropoulos

Mark Xueming Zou

Dawei Gui

Hiroyuki Fujita

Pei Hsuon Chan

Joseph Murphy-Boesch

Zhu Li

Anthony D Defranco

Saban Kurucay

James Hiroshi Akao

Victor Taracila

Fraser John Laing Robb

Xiaoli Zhao

Shaorong Chang

Dan Kenrick Spence

Phillip Edward Steen

Fraser J L Robb

Zachary Slavens

Craig Culver

Charles Robert Michelich

Ling Sun

Paul Douglas Haig

Zhentian Xie

Travis Roy Monke

Nabeel M Malik

Anja Kammeier

Recardo Matias

Yun-Jeong Yang

Ghazi Mustafa

Ty Allen Cashen

Ricardo Mathias

Brent Robinson

Matthew M Meiller

Fraser R L Robb

Various methods and systems are provided for a flexible, lightweight and low-cost stretchable radio frequency (RF) coil of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. In one example, a RF coil assembly for a MRI system includes a loop portion comprising distributed capacitance conductor wires, a coupling electronics portion including a pre-amplifier; and a stretchable material to which the loop portion and coupling electronics portion are attached and/or enclosed therein.

Systems for a radio frequency coil for MR imaging

Various methods and systems are provided for a flexible, lightweight, and low-cost radio frequency (RF) coil of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. In one example, a RF coil assembly for an MRI system includes a distributed capacitance loop portion comprising two parallel conductor wires encapsulated and separated by a dielectric material, the two parallel conductor wires maintained separate by the dielectric material along an entire length of the loop portion between terminating ends thereof, a coupling electronics portion including a pre-amplifier, and a coil-interfacing cable extending between the coupling electronics portion and an interfacing connector of the RF coil assembly.

Various methods and systems are provided for a flexible, lightweight, and low-cost disposable radio frequency (RF) coil of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. In one example, an RF coil assembly for an MRI imaging system includes a loop portion comprising distributed capacitance conductor wires, a coupling electronics portion including a pre-amplifier; and a disposable material enclosing at least the loop portion, the disposable material comprising one or more of paper, plastic, and/or cloth.

Various methods and systems are provided for selecting radio frequency (RF) coil array for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In one embodiment, the method comprises grouping the plurality of coil elements into receiving elements groups (REGs) according to REGs information, generating channel sensitivity maps for the plurality of coil elements, generating REG sensitivity maps based on the REGs information and the channel sensitivity maps, selecting one or more REGs based on the REG sensitivity maps and a region of interest (ROI), and scanning the ROI with the coil elements of the one or more selected REGs being activated and the coil elements not in any selected REGs being deactivated. In this way, coil arrays may be automatically selected for improved image quality of the MRI.

Methods and systems for coil selection in magnetic resonance imaging

In one example, an RF coil array includes a first RF coil configured to generate a magnetic field along a first axis, the first RF coil having a first surface, a second RF coil configured to generate a magnetic field along a second axis, orthogonal to the first axis, the second RF coil having a second surface, and a first foldable interconnect coupling the first RF coil to the second RF coil. The first foldable interconnect may be adjusted to couple the first RF coil to the second RF coil with a first amount of overlap and with the first surface and second surface facing a common direction, or couple the first RF coil to the second RF coil with a second amount of overlap, larger than the first amount of overlap, and with the first surface in face to face position with the second surface.

Foldable coil array

In one example, a method for acquiring a medical image includes activating a body radiofrequency (RF) coil in a body coil receive mode to obtain body calibration information of a subject. The method further includes, while the body RF coil is in the body coil receive mode, activating a surface RF coil in a surface coil receive mode to obtain surface calibration information of the subject, and correcting a reconstructed image with an intensity correction filter determined from the body calibration information and surface calibration information.

Systems and methods for an interleaved RF coil acquisition scheme

An apparatus for receiving magnetic resonance (MR) signals emitted by an imaging subject includes a receiver coil configured to detect the MR signals and a frequency translating preamplifier coupled to the receiver coil. The frequency translating preamplifier is configured to amplify the MR signals and to convert a frequency of the MR signals to an intermediate frequency. The frequency translating preamplifier may include an amplifier having a predefined gain, a frequency filter configured to filter at least one predetermined frequency and a mixer configured to convert the frequency of the MR signals to the intermediate frequency.

System and apparatus for receiving magnetic resonance (MR) signals from an imaging subject

A preamplifier is provided for a radio frequency (RF) receiver coil in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. The preamplifier includes an amplifier configured to receive at least one magnetic resonance (MR) signal from the RF receiver coil and configured to generate an amplified MR signal. An input circuit is electrically connected to the amplifier. The input circuit is configured to be electrically connected to an output of the RF receiver coil for transmitting the at least one MR signal from the RF receiver coil to the amplifier. The input circuit includes an impedance transformer and a field effect transistor (FET). The FET is electrically connected between the impedance transformer and the amplifier. The FET has an FET impedance. The impedance transformer is configured to transform a source impedance of at least approximately 100 ohms. The impedance transformer is further configured to transform the FET impedance into a preamplifier input impedance of less than approximately 5 ohms.

System and method for receiving magnetic resonance (MR) signals with an FET electrically between preamplifier terminals

A radio frequency (RF) coil array that includes an RF coil support structure, and a plurality of RF coils coupled to the RF coil support structure, the RF coil support structure configured to enable the plurality of RF coils to be positioned in an underlap configuration and repositioned to an overlap configuration. A medical imaging system and a method of manufacturing the RF coil array are also described herein.

Radio frequency (RF) coil array for a magnetic resonance imaging system

A method, system, and apparatus including a radio-frequency (RF) phased coil array for a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging apparatus that includes a first RF coil element tuned to a first frequency and configured to receive MR signals and a second RF coil element tuned to a second frequency different than the first frequency and configured to receive MR signals.

Apparatus for tuning magnetic resonance coil elements and method of making same

A method, system, and apparatus including a magnetic resonance (MR) coil system that includes an MR coil element, a high input Pre-amplifier having a high input impedance field-effect-transistor (FET) with an impedance of one of substantially equal to 500 ohms and greater than 500 ohms, and a conductive path. The conductive path has a first end coupled to the MR coil element and a second end coupled to the high input Pre-amplifier such that the MR coil element is coupled in series with the high input Pre-amplifier. Further, the conductive path is free of a matching network intervening between the MR coil element and the high input Pre-amplifier.

Apparatus for feeding a magnetic resonance coil element and method of making same

A decoupling circuit for a radio frequency (RF) surface coil having a plurality of tuning capacitors includes at least two decoupling points and a DC source coupled to the at least two decoupling points. Each decoupling point is associated with one of the plurality of tuning capacitors. Each decoupling point includes a decoupling inductor connected in parallel with a tuning capacitor, a diode connected in series with the decoupling inductor and in parallel with the tuning capacitor, a resistor connected in parallel with the diode and at least one isolating inductor connected between the resistor and the diode to RF isolate the resistor. The value of the resistor in each decoupling point is selected to maintain a high quality factor (Q) of the RF surface coil and to reduce the switching speed of the decoupling circuit.

Circuit and apparatus for decoupling RF surface coils

A peripheral vascular coil array for providing images of a region of interest includes a first section including a first coil array and a second coil array in electrical communication with each other. The first and second coil arrays are disposed at opposite sides of the region of interest to produce a magnetic field in the region of interest. Each of the first and second coil arrays includes a butterfly coil and a loop coil.

System and apparatus for a high resolution peripheral vascular coil array

A method and apparatus is disclosed to analogically combine MR signals from RF coils to form multiple sets of analogically combined MR signals, and then digitally combine the analogically combined sets of MR signals to provide a digitized signal set for image reconstruction. The analogical combining followed by the digital combining of acquired MR signals improves intrinsic SNR of the RF coils used for data acquisition from a field-of-view (FOV) without compromising FOV for simultaneous MR data acquisition.

Method and apparatus to improve signal-to-noise ratio without compromising field-of-view for simultaneous MR data acquisition by an array of RF coils of an MR scanner

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Hartland, WI, United States of America

Dashen Chu