Coil Arrangement, MR System, in Particular MRI and/or MRS System, with Such a Coil Arrangement, and Use of Such a Coil Arrangement

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This invention covers a special coil assembly designed for use as a transmit and/or receive coil in magnetic resonance (MR) systems such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or MRS (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) devices. The core idea is a dipole antenna array where several dipole antennas are interconnected by elements that can automatically switch between electrically conductive and non-conductive states depending on the frequency applied. This allows the same coil assembly to function efficiently at two separate resonance frequencies (e.g., for hydrogen and phosphorus or sodium nuclei), enabling dual-tuned MR imaging or spectroscopy with simplified tuning and high performance.

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• Dual-nuclei MRI scanning, such as simultaneous imaging of hydrogen and phosphorus or sodium in clinical or research settings.
• Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) that requires detection or excitation of multiple types of atomic nuclei.
• Advanced brain imaging, leveraging the coil's efficient operation at high fields (e.g., 7 Tesla) for research or diagnostic studies.
• Whole-body or localized imaging/spectroscopy in ultra-high field MRI scanners where multi-nuclear experiments are required.
• Preclinical imaging of animal models where multi-nuclei MR measurements increase scientific output.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables automatic and frequency-selective reconfiguration of the coil assembly without manual switching or complex control systems.
• Provides highly efficient operation and high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at both resonance frequencies needed for dual-nuclear MR applications, with minimal performance loss compared to single-tuned coils.
• Reduces complexity and time for tuning and setup, as the automatic circuits allow for easier frequency adaptation.
• Improves experimental versatility, allowing one coil to handle both imaging and spectroscopy for different nuclei in a single session.
• Avoids losses from traditional switching or additional tuning circuitry, as the system uses passive, frequency-selective blocks based on the applied RF frequency.
• Supports ultra-high field MRI and MRS systems, offering improved image and spectral quality at high magnetic fields.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a coil assembly (1) for use as a transmission and/or receiving coil in an MR system which comprises a dipole antenna assembly (2) with multiple dipole antennas 2a-d which are connected together via connection elements 3a-h. The connection elements 3a-h are designed to be converted from an electrically conductive state to an electrically non-conductive state and vice versa, and the assembly is designed such that in the electrically conductive state of the connection elements 3a-h, the dipole antennas 2a-d form at least one part of a preferably cylindrical volume coil and/or a conductor loop assembly of the coil assembly (1), in particular a flat conductor loop assembly, with at least one conductor loop 20a-c, wherein the connection elements 3a-h comprise connection element blocking circuits 4a-h which automatically block when a high-frequency alternating voltage with a frequency corresponding to the blocking frequency of the connection element blocking circuits 4a-h is applied to the coil assembly (1). The invention additionally relates to an MR system comprising such a coil assembly (1) and to the use of such a coil assembly (1).