A unified coil assembly for magnetic resonance imaging is disclosed. The coil assembly includes an RF coil element and a shim coil array with a shim coil element. The shim coil element is physically separated or partially separated from the RF coil element. The shim coil element includes a DC current loop having a DC power supply connection to allow DC current to generate a local BO magnetic field. The unified coil array assembly is configured to simultaneously provide an RF mode for at least one of transmit or receive and a direct current mode to generate a local B0 magnetic field for B0 shimming Larger number of shim coils relative to the RF coil element provides superior shimming performance. The mutual inductance between the shim coil element and the RF coil element is minimized by proposed geometrical decoupling methods in order to minimize the RF interaction between the two.

Systems and methods are provided for performing thermophotonic imaging using cross-correlation and subsequent time-gated truncation. Photothermal radiation is detected with an infrared camera while exciting a sample with a chirped set of incident optical pulses and time-dependent photothermal signal data is processed using a method that involves performing cross-correlation and subsequent time-gated truncation. The post-cross-correlation truncation method results in depth-resolved images with axial and lateral resolution beyond the well-known thermal-diffusion-length-limited, depth-integrated nature of conventional imaging modalities. An axially resolved photothermal image sequence can be obtained, capable of reconstructing three-dimensional visualizations of photothermal features in wide classes of materials.

A RF coil compression system for use with an MRI system configured to image a patient's breast is disclosed. In one embodiment, the compression system comprises a first compression plate comprising a first plurality of RF coil elements, which is positioned in a plane oriented orthogonal to a direction of the main magnetic field and the first RF coil elements having a reception sensitivity to a B1 field and is orthogonal to a main magnetic field of the MRI system. The compresses system may further comprise a second compression plate, configured to be positioned opposing the first compression plate and orthogonal to the superior-inferior direction, the second compression plate comprising a second plurality of RF coil elements, the second RF coil elements having a reception sensitivity to a B1 field oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction and to the main magnetic field of the MRI system.

The present invention is directed to a system for recognition of biological alteration in human tissues using electromagnetic waves in the microwave range, the device comprising: a transmitter device (100) comprising at least one transmitting antenna (101), a transmitter (102), and a power supply (103); a receiving device (200) comprising at least one receiving antenna (201), a receiver (202), a pre-processing module (204), and a power supply (203); a microprocessor (301; 104) and a display (302; 105); wherein the transmitter device (100) and the receiving device (200) are configured to operate at a frequency comprised between 2.0 GHz and 3.0 GHz.

In a preferred embodiment, the operating frequency is comprised between 2.3 GHz and 2.5 GHz, and the device is suitable for the detection of a cancer in the human body, for example for the screening of prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer.

The device according to the invention is capable of high sensitivity and accuracy of results and can detect not only the presence, but also the position of a cancer.

A unified coil assembly for magnetic resonance imaging is disclosed. The coil assembly includes an RF coil element and a shim coil array with a shim coil element. The shim coil element is physically separated or partially separated from the RF coil element. The shim coil element includes a DC current loop having a DC power supply connection to allow DC current to generate a local BO magnetic field. The unified coil array assembly is configured to simultaneously provide an RF mode for at least one of transmit or receive and a direct current mode to generate a local BO magnetic field for BO shimming. Larger number of shim coils relative to the RF coil element provides superior shimming performance. The mutual inductance between the shim coil element and the RF coil element is minimized by proposed geometrical decoupling methods in order to minimize the RF interaction between the two.

Methods and systems for detecting anomaly in at least one body part among a pair of symmetrical body parts (such as breasts) are described. A device can receive first parameters corresponding to signals scattered from a first body part among a pair of symmetrical body parts, and can receive second parameters corresponding to signals scattered from a second body part among the pair of symmetrical body parts. The device can perform a first comparison between the first parameters and the second parameters. The device can perform a second comparison between the first parameters and first historical data, and a third comparison between the second parameters and second historical data. The device can, based on at least one of the first, second, and third comparisons, determine a likelihood of a presence of an anomaly, such as malignant tissue, in at least one of the first and second body parts.

A method and system enabling a determination of the risk of developing breast cancer of a subject, comprises using a magnetic resonance spectroscopy device to obtain the level of the spectral signal at 3.15 and 3.19 ppm, within the breast tissue of the subject, and comparing the level of the spectral signal obtained in the first step with a reference level of a spectral signal at 3.15 and 3.19 ppm of the breast of a healthy subject, to determine whether the level of the signal obtained in the first step exceeds the reference level of a healthy subject is comparable to that of a subject known to be at elevated risk; or is elevated to the level of persons known to be carrying a gene mutation.

Systems and methods are provided for imaging a sample. The system may include a pulsed light source configured to irradiate a region of interest in a sample from a first side and a second side opposite the first side; a first ultrasound transducer configured to receive acoustic waves induced at the region of interest and received from the first side of the sample; a second ultrasound transducer configured to receive acoustic waves induced at the region of interest and received from the second side of the sample; and a controller.

Methods and systems provide a non-ionizing alternative to conventional mammography X-ray techniques, which expose patients to ionizing radiation, for breast cancer tumor detection, using a miniaturized (wafer scale) array of ultra wide band (UWB) radio frequency (RF) sensors operating at 60 GHz (non-ionizing—no X-ray type accumulative radiations) that have capability to use both linear and polarized sensors, tomography, and suppression of scattering for improved imaging. Coding techniques provide significant processing gain that is essential for the large attenuation of transmitted signals in breast tissue operating at these high frequencies. The increased bandwidth of UWB RF detection provides better depth resolution of breast and body tissue. Using polarization improves detection of abnormal tissues. An extremely miniaturized (wafer scale) cluster of transmitter and receiver antenna elements improves detection at deeper parts of the breast and can detect cancerous cells in dense breasts often not picked up by mammography.

An integrated MRI and MRS system includes a plurality of different classifiers for detecting the likelihood of the new data to be one of the different diseases/conditions in different body organs, and even the progression of the disease, disease state and condition within that organ. An interface module receives information on the individual including region of the body and potential disease/condition; and provides this information to a data analysis unit which automatically dictates which coil, the scanning protocol and classifier.