Integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming coil design with multiple shim loops per radio-frequency coil element for improved magnetic resonance imaging
Unmet Need
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive diagnostic tool used by healthcare providers and researchers for a wide range of conditions. MRI is prone to static magnetic field (B0) inhomogeneities induced by the subject, which cannot be effectively corrected for with conventional spherical harmonic shim coils, leaving image artifacts that can severely degrade the image quality in many MRI applications. The integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming (iPRES) coil design, which enables imaging and localized B0 shimming with a single integrated radio-frequency (RF)/shim coil array, can provide a more effective B0 shimming than spherical harmonic shimming.However, it cannot fully correct for localized B0 inhomogeneities that are smaller than the RF coil elements, such as in body imaging. Therefore, there is a need for the development of more effective methods to correct for localized B0 inhomogeneities.
Technology
Extending from their original iPRES coil design, researchers at Duke have developed an improved iPRES coil design, termed iPRES(N), in which each RF coil element is split into N smaller shim loops with independent direct currents. By increasing the number and reducing the size of the shim loops relative to the original iPRES coil design, the iPRES(N) coil design provides a more effective shimming of localized B0 inhomogeneities. This improved shimming performace was demonstrated in vivo in abdominal imaging.
Advantages
- Provides a more effective shimming of localized B0 inhomogeneities than the original iPRES coil design
- Can reduce image artifacts such as distortions for better diagnosis of various diseases
- Does not compromise the signal-to-noise ratio
- Can reduce manufacturing costs, save space in the scanner bore, and improve patient comfort