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Materials with high magnetic susceptibility cause local inhomogeneities in the main field of the magnetic resonance (MR) tomograph. These inhomogeneities lead to loss of phase coherence, and thus to a rapid loss of signal in the image. In our research we investigated inhomogeneous field of magnetic implants such as magnetic fibers, designed for inner suture during surgery. The magnetic field inhomogeneities were studied at low magnetic planar phantom, which was made from four thin strips of magnetic tape, arranged grid-wise. We optimized the properties of imaging sequences with the aim to find the best setup for magnetic fiber visualization. These fibers can be potentially exploited in surgery for internal stitches. Stitches can be visualized by the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method after surgery. This study shows that the imaging of magnetic implants is possible by using the low field MRI systems, without the use of complicated post processing techniques (e.g., IDEAL).

Recent techniques of radiofrequency (RF) probes and preamplifiers in Magnetic ResonanceImaging (MRI) developments almost reached the physical limits of signal to noise ratio (SNR). More improvements in speed accelerations of data acquisition are very difficult to achieve. One exception, called RF phased array coils, is recently being developed very progressively. The approach is conceptually similar to phased array used in radar techniques; hence it is usually called MRI phased array coils. It is necessary to ensure independence of the individual coil channels in the array by the coil and preamp decoupling and the coil geometry optimization to get maximum benefits from this technique. Thus, the qualitative design and method for optimization of geometric properties of the coil elements in phased arrays, with aim to increase SNR, minimize the G-factor and to limit noise correlation, are proposed in this paper. By the finite element method (FEM) simulations, we obtained the sensitivity maps and inductances of the coils. The introduced program primarily calculates the Sensitivity Encoding (SENSE) G-factor along with other parameters that can be derived from sensitivity maps. By the proposed optimization algorithm, the program is capable to calculate the optimal values of the geometric coil parameters in a relatively small number of iterations.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is nowadays widely used in medicine for diagnostic imaging and in research studies. The modeling of the human vocal tract acoustics has recently attracted considerable interest. This paper describes the design, realization and first MR scan experiments with a new head probe coil for vocal tract imaging in the open-air MRI equipment working in a weak magnetic field up to 0.2 T. The paper also describes an experimental setting for sound recording during the MR imaging.

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a very popular tool for diagnostic applications and research studies. Low-field MR scanners, usually with an open design, are suitable for claustrophobic and obese patients, as well as for children, who may be fearful in closed MR scanners. However, these types of scanners provide lower spatial resolution and a lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) if compared with the same examination performed at the same time at high field scanners. It is dominantly caused by the low field strength and other factors, such as radiofrequency noise. Therefore, a long measurement time is usually necessary. This research paper is focused on the development of novel probes and preamplifiers for low-field MR scanners to improve SNR, and thus, shorten the measurement time. In this study, we describe the design of a high impedance preamplifier and a high temperature superconductor (HTS) coil. This novel instrumentation was compared with uncooled and cooled copper coils. Improvement in SNR in the case of an HTS coil is reported.

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