Imris, Inc.

General Electric Company

Quality Electrodynamics, LLC

Imns Inc.

Labros Petropoulos

Haoqin Zhu

Tsinghua Zheng

John Saunders

Wayne Schellekens

Alexander Shvartsberg

Meir Dahan

Xiaoyu Yang

Pei Hsuon Chan

Mehran Fallah-Rad

Brendan Guyot

Jeff Winter

Mark Xueming Zou

John Van Heteren

Robert M Anderson

Joseph Murphy-Boesch

Christopher J Allen

Gordon A Klimenko

Michael Lang

Kirk Champagne

Samuel Musilli

Shuren Zhao

Hongxiang Yi

Kun Qu

Victoria D M Hornblower

Victoria Hornblower

Alexis Denis

Seunghoon Ha

Wayne Schelllekens

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) coil. The MRI RF coil comprises a first conductive ring and a second conductive ring. A plurality of rung groups extend between the first and second conductive rings. The plurality of rung groups are spaced uniformly about the first conductive ring. Each of the plurality of rung groups comprises a plurality of conductive rungs extending between and connected to the first and second conductive rings. The plurality of conductive rungs of each of the plurality of rung groups are azimuthally separated from one another by a first azimuth angle. Each of the plurality of rung groups is separated from a neighboring rung group by a spacing that forms a window. Each of the windows have a second azimuth angle that is greater than the first azimuth angle.

MRI coil with a RF shield for radiation or x-ray applications

A single-layer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) coil array configured to operate in a transmit (Tx) mode or in a receive (Rx) mode comprises at least one single-layer MRI RF coil array element configured to provide integrated Bfield shimming. The at least one single-layer MRI RF coil array element includes a resonant LC coil, a matching Tx/Rx switch circuit, a magnitude/phase control component, and a preamplifier. The LC coil, upon resonating with a primary coil at the working frequency, generates a local amplified Tx field based on an induced current in the LC coil. The magnitude/phase control component is configured to independently adjust a magnitude or a phase of the induced current. The at least one single-layer MRI RF coil element may include a Tx field monitoring component configured to monitor the strength or phase of the local amplified Tx field.

Single layer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) transmit/receive (TX/RX) radio frequency (RF) coil with integrated shimming

Nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can include use of an electrical transceiver coil system comprising an array of segmented loops. The array can be arranged about a portion of an imaging subject and arranged to provide surgical access to a region of the imaging subject from at least one direction. The segmented loops can establish a volumetric radio frequency (RF) excitation field across a volume-of-interest associated with the imaging subject in response to the segmented loops receiving specified transmit phases providing a non-90-degree relative phase between segmented coil loops at adjacent ones of the segmented loops. All or at least some of the segmented loops can provide outputs indicative of an RF signal from the imaging subject, the RF signal elicited in response to RF excitation. The transceiver coil system can facilitate pre-operative, intra-operative, or post-operative MR imaging, such as facilitating access for a surgical procedure.

Transceiver coil array facilitating MR-guided procedures

In a method for guiding brachytherapy radiation treatment the patient is supported on a table and an MR magnet is brought into the treatment bunker through doors for imaging while the after-loader for the radiation source delivery is stored away in a storage location outside the RF shield. A safety system controls movement of the after-loader and the magnet. Images of the patient obtained while the patient is on the table are used to locate the applicator with respect to the lesion and organs-at-risk. The MR and X-ray compatible patient support table with MR coil integration includes a removable end-extension, which provides pelvic access for applicator insertion.

Method for MR-guided brachytherapy with consistent patient positioning

Apparatus for radiation therapy combines a patient table, an MRI and a radiation treatment apparatus mounted in a common treatment room with the MR magnet movable from a position outside a radiation shielded door to an imaging position. An RF-shielded door is movable between a position, separating part of the treatment apparatus from the magnet and an open position allowing access of the patient to the treatment apparatus. In one configuration there is a row of treatment rooms and the magnet is mounted to move along a passageway outside the row of radiation shielded doors of the rooms.

Integration of MRI into radiation therapy treatment

An phased array RF coil used for MR imaging is designed so that it remains in place in the field of view of an X-Ray imaging system and comprises a support board on which copper or aluminum conductive traces are carried. The attenuation of the X-Rays caused by the traces is visible in the radiation image but this is compensated by arranging the non-conductive material of the support board such that the attenuation is substantially constant. The phased array includes individual coil loops which are overlapped with the traces being of half thickness at crossing locations of the traces and with one of the loops on one side and the other loop on the second side of the substrate sheet.

Phased array MR RF coil which is not visible in X-ray image

The receive coil arrangement includes an inner coil adjacent the part to be imaged so as to maximize the received MR signal and an outer coil, which may be the built in body coil of the magnet, connected by cable to the signal processing system. Both the coils are individually tuned to the common resonant frequency and the receive coil include an arrangement to halt current flow therein during the transmit stage. The first coil has no cable and is arranged to communicate the MR signal therein to the signal processing system through the outer coil by inducing the MR signal onto the outer coil. Despite inherent losses by interfering with the tuning of the loops and in the inductive coupling this magnifies the MR signal and makes the first coil wireless. Arrangements are provided for generating from the output of the second coil separate signals for separate channels of the signal processing unit.

Magnetic resonance signal detection using remotely positioned receive coils

In MR imaging, the patient is placed on the table in a configuration convenient for a surgical procedure and while in the configuration the patient is moved into the field of view by moving the magnet longitudinally and the table is moved in the bore relative to the magnet so as to optimize the part to be imaged within the field of view of the magnet. After imaging the table is moved back to the preset position and removed from the magnet for the surgical procedure to commence or continue. The movement includes movement along the longitudinal axis; transverse movement side to side; rolling movement about a longitudinal axis; tilting movement about a transverse axis and bending movement of the table relative to at least one transverse hinge line in the table at a position spaced from the ends of the table.

Movable table for magnetic resonance imaging

The receive coil arrangement includes an inner local volume coil adjacent the part to be imaged so as to maximize the received MR signal and an outer coil, which may be the built in body coil of the magnet, connected by cable to the signal processing system. Both the coils are individually tuned to the common resonant frequency and the local volume coil include an arrangement to halt current flow therein during the transmit stage. The local volume coil has no cable and is arranged to communicate the MR signal therein to the signal processing system through the outer coil by inductive coupling to the outer coil. Despite inherent losses by interfering with the tuning of the loops and in the inductive coupling this magnifies the MR signal and makes the local volume coil wireless.

A modular multi-transmit head coil for use in Deep Brain Stimulation procedures includes a mounting frame arranged for attachment to the stereotactic head frame of the patient. An integrated MR stereotactic locating phantom is included as part of the coil structure which has attached MR/CT compatible fiducials on it to correlate pre-op, intra-op and post op images. The frame carries a series of modular removable coil elements in a transceive array that are connected to a set of RF power amplifiers that directly drive the coil elements. A control system including suitable software is arranged to control the signals to the coil elements so as to generate a required RF field with all the coil elements in place and with one or more the coil elements removed to allow access to the patent for the installation of the DBS leads.

Multi transmit/receive head array coil with removable panels

Radiation therapy of a lesion in a part of a patient is carried out by maintaining the patient on a patient support table in fixed position using an immobilization device while the table is rotated between a magnetic resonance imaging system, a CT imaging system for generating a 360 degree scanned image of the patient at the location of the lesion and the radiation therapy system for generating a beam of radiation for treatment of the lesion and for scanning the beam 360 degrees around the lesion. The MR image locates the lesion and the CT system is used to calculate the treatment. Registration between the MR image, the CT image and the radiation treatment is provided by the fixed position of the part of the patient on the table which is held fixed using an immobilization system suitable for the part concerned which may include a molded head mask where the head is involved.

Image guided radiation therapy

A structural support component such as a head clamp for use in imaging of a part of a patient using Magnetic Resonance and X-ray imaging is formed of different materials each of which has an Aluminum equivalence factor of less than 10 mm and generally less than 6 mm and is arranged such that the presence of the structural support component in an imaging zone of a magnetic resonance imaging system when generating the image does not generate any visually determinable distortion in the image. The materials can be epoxy resin combined with a glass fiber substrate for easily machined parts, polyphenylene sulphide with random fiber reinforcement using glass fibers for high wear parts and polyurethane foam or Polymethacrylimide foam shaped to form a required member and covered on its outer surface with a layer formed from aramid fibers for elongate parts.

Support component for use in imaging by magnetic resonance and x-ray

A RF array coil system and method for magnetic resonance imaging are provided. The array coil system includes an anterior coil section having a main anterior coil section and at least one secondary anterior coil section removably attachable to the main anterior coil section. The array coil system further includes a posterior coil section having a main posterior coil section and at least one secondary posterior coil section removably attachable to the main posterior coil section.

RF array coil system and method for magnetic resonance imaging

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) array coil system and method for breast imaging are provided. The MRI array coil system includes a top coil portion with two openings configured to receive therethrough objects to be imaged. The MRI array coil system further includes a bottom coil portion having two openings configured to access from sides of the bottom coil portion the objects to be imaged. The top coil portion and bottom coil portion each have a plurality of coil elements configured to provide parallel imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging array coil system and method for breast imaging

A phased-array knee coil is provided and includes a transmit coil array and a receive coil array having a plurality of coils configured to provide a first imaging mode and a second imaging mode.

Growing community of inventors

Winnipeg, Canada

Labros Petropoulos