Patent · US Expired

Less-claustrophobic, quadrature, radio-frequency head coil for nuclear magnetic resonance

US6029082A · kind A · utility

65Cited by
10References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 24, 1997
Grant dateFeb 22, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 24, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R33/34084
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A less-claustrophobic, quadrature, radio-frequency head coil (42) includes first and second broken end rings (90, 92) connected to each other in parallel by a plurality of leg conductors (94). At least two of the leg conductors are interconnected by a third arcuate conductor segment (98) axially displaced from planes of the first and second end rings to provide an opening (44) over a subject's face. The opening reduces patient claustrophobia and permits access to the patient for life-support devices or the practice of interventional medicine. The end rings have a fixed capacitance (C.sub.1, C.sub.2) between each pair of leg conductors. The fixed capacitance C.sub.1 between at least one pair of leg conductors and the fixed capacitance C.sub.2 between at least the pair of leg conductors adjacent the opening, where C.sub.2 >C.sub.1. A two-port feed (66, 68) circumferentially attached to the coil generally opposite the opening matches the individual linear modes. Thus, the radio frequency coil is able to maintain two preferred principal linear modes (A, B) across the open area of the coil.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.