A local breast coil is designed to be tightly coupled to the natural shape of the pendant breast to provide high SNR for diagnostic MR imaging applications, while still providing access for interventional procedures through openings in the coil. In accordance with one configuration, the coil has a symmetrical design, such that the coil can be rotated about the breast to position an opening in the coil proximate to a desired portion of the breast without incurring registration or other alignment or artifact errors due to inhomogeneous B1 excitation. Furthermore, the coil is designed to facilitate medial and lateral imaging of the breast. The coil is combined with a patient support system that facilitates rotation of the coil and interchangeability of the coil to match the configuration of the coil to the position of the breast being imaged.

The disclosure of the present invention provides for an imaging apparatus and methods for imaging the cranio-cervical junction of a patient using magnetic resonance. The apparatus is adapted to slide over the patient's head, and includes a saddle element and a solenoid element. The saddle element has a length that extends along a superior-inferior axis of the patient, and a circumference along an axial plane of the patient when the apparatus is slid over the patient's head, so as to define a substantially cylindrical volume. The solenoid element attaches to the saddle element at about a midpoint of the saddle element's length, so as to be positioned along an axial plane of the patient when the apparatus is slid over the patient's head. This configuration allows for the cranio-cervical junction of the patient to be positioned in the cylindrical volume when the apparatus is slid over the patient's head.

A dipole antenna array includes at least two dipole antenna elements. Each respective dipole antenna element has at one end a fold which consists of a bend, a bent region, and the projection of the bent region of the dipole antenna element onto a length of the dipole antenna element. Each respective dipole antenna element at least partially encloses a cavity.

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.

A radio frequency (RF) coil apparatus is described herein for facilitating imaging of a patient positioned within a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the MRI system comprising a B.sub.0 magnet. The apparatus may comprise a frame comprising a first plate and a second plate disposed opposite the first plate; and an RF transmit coil comprising a plurality of conductors connected in series, the plurality of conductors being would around the frame and forming a plurality of turns. According to some aspects, there is provided an MRI system configured to image a patient positioned within the MRI system, the MRI system comprises a Bo magnet that produces a B.sub.0 magnetic field and the RF coil apparatus.

A pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system includes a magnet (9), an isolette (14) including a patient section for accommodating a patient, the isolette positionable relative to the magnet; and a radio frequency (RF) array (10) positionable within the patient section of the isolette (14). The RF array (10) includes a plurality of coils configured for simultaneous imaging of different portions of a patient, the plurality of coils being distinct from one another.

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.

A high-frequency array coil for an MRI apparatus includes: a plurality of coil units each of which includes a plurality of RF reception coils including a conductor loop and adjusted to receive a magnetic resonance signal; an extension conductor which includes a part of each conductor loop of each RF reception coil of the plurality of coil units and a conductor connecting the parts; and an extension conductor control circuit which adjusts a reception frequency of the extension conductor. The extension conductor is disposed so as to be wound in a spiral shape when the extension conductor is disposed on a subject and a direction of a magnetic field to be detected intersects a direction of a magnetic field detected by the RF reception coil constituting the coil unit. Accordingly, the detection efficiency of an RF coil can be increased and an image with a high SNR can be obtained.

The invention provides for a magnetic resonance imaging system (100) comprising a radio frequency system (116, 114, 118) configured for acquiring magnetic resonance data (144) from an imaging zone (108). The radio frequency system is configured for sending and receiving radio frequency signals to acquire the magnetic resonance data, wherein the radio frequency system comprises: an elliptical transmission coil (114) configured for generating a B1+ excitation field within the imaging zone; and an active B1 shim coil (118) configured for being placed within the imaging zone, wherein the radio frequency system is configured for suppling radio frequency power to the active B1 shim coil during the generation of the B1+ excitation field by the elliptical transmission coil, wherein the B1 shim coil is configured for shimming the B1+ excitation field within the imaging zone.

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.