Advances in Flexible AIR™ Coil Technology for Neuro, Body, MSK, Breast and MNS Applications

Robb, Fraser; Follante, Clyve Konrad; Taracila, Victor; Vincent, Jana; Stormont, Robert S; Stickle, Yun-Jeong

doi:10.1109/iceaa52647.2021.9539643

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…A high-impedance research coil for the hand and wrist was demonstrated to not only adequately conform to the curved appendage, but its flexibility also facilitated dynamic imaging (Zhang et al 2018). However, most commercial implementations of such HIC coils (Robb et al 2021) have been multipurpose, planar arrays that provide suboptimal coverage and SNR for the cervical region, as they are not anatomy-specific. Several reasons hindering implementation of conformal coil designs dedicated for a single anatomical region include: (1) commercial decisions to market one coil for multiple anatomies; (2) technical challenges to deliver high SNR and sufficient field-of-view while incorporating a dense layout of optimized coil element sizes (Roemer et al 1990); and (3) challenges to accommodate a wide range of body habiti.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flexible array coil for cervical and extraspinal (FACE) MRI at 3.0 Tesla

Abel,

Tan,

Lunenburg

et al. 2023

Phys. Med. Biol.

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Objective. High-resolution MRI of the cervical spine (c-spine) and extraspinal neck region requires close-fitting receiver coils to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Conventional, rigid C-spine receiver coils do not adequately contour to the neck to accommodate varying body shapes, resulting in suboptimal SNR. Recent innovations in flexible surface coil array designs may provide three-dimensional (3D) bendability and conformability to optimize SNR, while improving capabilities for higher acceleration factors. Approach. This work describes the design, implementation, and preliminary in vivo testing of a novel, conformal 23-channel receive-only flexible array for cervical and extraspinal (FACE) MRI at 3-Tesla (T), with use of high-impedance elements to enhance the coil’s flexibility. Coil performance was tested by assessing SNR and geometry factors (g-factors) in a phantom compared to a conventional 21-channel head-neck-unit (HNU). In vivo imaging was performed in healthy human volunteers and patients using high-resolution c-spine and neck MRI protocols at 3T, including MR neurography (MRN). Main results. Mean SNR with the FACE was 141%–161% higher at left, right, and posterior off-isocenter positions and 4% higher at the isocenter of the phantom compared to the HNU. Parallel imaging performance was comparable for an acceleration factor (R) = 2 × 2 between the two coils, but improved for R = 3 × 3 with mean g-factors ranging from 1.46–2.15 with the FACE compared to 2.36–3.62 obtained with the HNU. Preliminary human volunteer and patient testing confirmed that equivalent or superior image quality could be obtained for evaluation of osseous and soft tissue structures of the cervical region with the FACE. Significance. A conformal and highly flexible cervical array with high-impedance coil elements can potentially enable higher-resolution imaging for cervical imaging.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%