A local coil apparatus for performing a magnetic resonance (MR) scanning on a local part of a subject is provided. The local coil apparatus may include at least one receiving system for receiving the local part. The at least one receiving system may each include an activation member, a receiving member assembly, and a driving mechanism. The receiving member assembly may include one or more receiving members. Each of the one or more receiving members may include a first coil assembly configured to receive MR signals during the MR scanning. The driving mechanism may be physically connected to the one or more receiving members. When the local part is placed on the activation member, the activation member may cause the driving mechanism to drive the receiving member assembly to change from a first configuration to a second configuration to reduce a distance between at least a portion of the first coil assembly and a portion of the local part so that the first coil assembly conforms to the local part.

Disclosed is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. The disclosed MRI system includes a system controller capable of separately acquiring MR image signals of different elements existing in an object. The system controller includes a first system controller capable of acquiring an MR signal of a first element, and a second system controller capable of acquiring an MR signal of a second element different from the first element. The first system controller and the second system controller are physically separated. The first system controller and the second system controller control a first radio frequency (RF) coil element and a second RF coil element of an RF coil, respectively.

A method and apparatus for receiving (RX) radio-frequency (RF) signals suitable for MRI and/or MRS from a plurality of MRI “coil elements” (antennae), each contained in one or a plurality of body-coil parts, wherein the body-coil parts are easily assemble-able into a body-coil assembly (e.g., in some embodiments, a cylindrical body-coil assembly) with shield elements that are overlapped and/or concentric, and wherein the body-coil assembly is readily disassemble-able for easier shipping, and wherein the body-coil parts are optionally usable individually as transmit (TX) and/or receive (RX) coil elements for MRI. In some embodiments, the system provides for repeatable assembly and disassembly for ease of maintenance (such as frequency tuning and impedance matching) such that the body-coil assembly can be fully assembled and tested, then taken apart for less costly and easier shipping (with reduced risk of damage) and then reassembled at the destination for operation in an MRI system.

In an embodiment, a method for effecting thermal therapy using an in vivo probe includes positioning the probe in a volume in a patient, identifying an irregularly shaped three-dimensional region of interest and automatically applying thermal therapy to the region using the probe. Applying thermal therapy may include identifying a first emission level at a first rotational angle based in part on a depth of a radial portion of the region in the direction of probe emission, activating emission of the probe, causing rotation of the probe to a next rotational angle, identifying a next emission level at the next rotational angle based in part on a depth of a radial portion of the region in the direction of probe emission, activating emission to deliver therapeutic energy, and repeating rotation and emission until therapeutic energy has been delivered to the volume.

A magnetic resonance scanner includes an antenna system, such as a body coil, mechanically coupled to a support structure, such as a gradient coil, via a suspension system. The suspension system has a setting mechanism in order to reversibly set a coupling parameter value of the mechanical coupling between the antenna system and the support structure and/or a position or location of the antenna system relative to the support structure. The coupling parameter may be set during operation of a magnetic resonance imaging system including the magnetic resonance scanner.

Provided are an RF coil unit and a magnetic resonance imaging system. The RF coil unit may include a base on which RF coil elements are formed and a dielectric structure on an inner side of the base. The dielectric structure may include a plurality of dielectric structure units. The dielectric structure units may be connected to each other by connection units. The dielectric structure may include an inner space for placing an object therein. The dielectric structure includes a high dielectric material.

When imaging a patient using a magnetic resonance (MR) imager, it is desirable to locate an radio frequency (RF) head coil at a position lower than the flat table top patient surface in order to optimize the geometry of the patient anatomy and the RF coil. A flat table top is provided for an MR patient support table (10) that includes a pocket or recessed portion (50) that accepts an RF head coil (14), thereby optimizing imaging geometry. When the RF coil is not mated to the recessed portion of the table (10) a filler insert (20) is mated therewith. This allows an operator to use the table top without the filler insert to position a neurovascular coil at an optimized location below the table top surface for brain imaging, as well as to convert the patient support table back to a completely flat top by removing the coil and installing the flat surface filler insert for additional positioning requirements. The filler insert feature allows for therapy planning using magnetic resonance with optimized image quality in a radiation therapy treatment environment.

Systems and methods employing spin editing techniques to improve magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) are discussed. Using these spin editing techniques, magnetic resonance signals of one or more non-target chemicals (chemicals whose signals are to be filtered out or suppressed) chemicals can be suppressed, so that the signal(s) of a set of target chemicals can be obtained without signals from the one or more non-target chemicals. Information about and differences between the molecular topologies of the first set of chemicals and the one or more unwanted chemicals can be used to design a sequence that suppresses the one or more unwanted chemicals while allowing acquisition of signal(s) from the first set of chemicals. These techniques can be employed to recover sharp peaks despite magnetic field inhomogeneities and susceptibility effects.

A radio frequency (RF) surface coil and a magnetic resonance device employing the same are disclosed. The disclosed RF surface coil for the magnetic resonance device comprises: a plurality of conductor elements connected in series so as to form a loop-shaped surface coil; and a variable inductance unit provided in at least one of the plurality of conductor elements so as to adjust inductance, wherein the variable inductance unit comprises a conductor bar and a coupler for attachably/detachably coupling the conductor bar to/from at least one of the plurality of conductor elements.

A self-decoupled RF coil and method for adjusting the same is disclosed. The RF coil is an array of elements including at least one loop. Electromagnetic coupling between elements in the array causes an induced current in the at least one loop. The induced current has two modes. A reactance inserted in the at least one loop balances the two modes. The balanced current modes cancel. This cancelation results in self-decoupling of at the least one loop from the other elements in the RF coil array.