Embodiments of a compact portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) device are described which generally include a housing that provides a magnetic shield; an axisymmetric permanent magnet assembly in the housing and having a bore, a plurality of magnetic elements that together provide a well confined axisymmetric magnetization for generating a near-homogenous magnetic dipole field B.sub.0 directed along a longitudinal axis and providing a sample cavity for receiving a sample, and high magnetic permeability soft steel poles to improve field uniformity: a shimming assembly with coils disposed at the longitudinal axis for spatially correcting the near homogenous magnetic field B.sub.0; and a spectrometer having a control unit for measuring a metabolite in the sample by applying magnetic stimulus pulses to the sample, measuring free induction delay signals generated by an ensemble of hydrogen protons within the sample; and suppressing a water signal by using a dephasing gradient with frequency selective suppression.

RF coil assemblies are disclosed that include multiturn loops formed of conductors configured to receive RF signals from a patient during MRI. The multiturn loops include an inner loop and an outer loop that both lie substantially in a plane of the RF coil assembly. The inner loop is at least partially nested within the outer loop.

The present disclosure provides medical devices having MRI-compatible circuitry. Preferably, the devices do not project an enlarged profile, yet their position can be determined during an iMRI procedure. Illustrative embodiments of such a device can include a base surface, a first conducting layer disposed on the base surface, a first insulating layer disposed over at least a portion of the first conducting layer, and a second conducting layer disposed over at least a portion of the first insulating layer.

Disclosed herein are an apparatus and method for imaging nano magnetic particles. The apparatus may include a measurement head in which a through hole for accommodating a sample including nano magnetic particles is formed and in which an excitation coil and a detection coil are installed, a field-free region generation unit for forming a field-free region, in which there are few or no magnetic fields, in a spacing area between the identical magnetic poles that face each other, and a control unit for applying a signal to the excitation coil when the measurement head is located inside the spacing area of the field-free region generation unit, controlling the field-free region so as to move in the sample, and imaging the 3D positional distribution of the nano magnetic particles included in the sample based on a detection signal output from the detection coil.

An ultra-high field radio-frequency (RF) transmit/receive apparatus radio-frequency (RF) transmit/receive apparatus for magnetic resonance (MR) systems, may include: a dipole-array based volume coil (2) with a plurality of straight dipole antennas (3); at least three circular conducting rings (4, 5, 6) radial surrounding the dipole-array based volume coil (2), the at least three circular conducting rings (4, 5, 6) being substantially parallel with each other, having a plurality of ports (9, 10) for receiving a set of quadrature drive signals, the RF coil apparatus further comprising at least two independent transmit/receive (T/R) RF channels (11, 12, 13, 14) for driving the dipole-array based volume coil (2) and the at least three circular conducting rings (4, 5, 6).

A portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system and methods, involving a magnet configured to generate a magnetic field, the magnet being a portable magnet transportable on a cart, and at least one coil assembly disposed in relation to the magnet, the at least one coil assembly having at least one gradient coil.

A radio-frequency (RF) coil for use in a low-field magnetic resonance imaging system and methods of making the same are provided. The RF coil may include a conductor arranged on a substrate in an arrangement such that symmetry in the arrangement cancels at least a portion of a common mode voltage when a current is passed through the conductor. The RF coil may be included in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system for imaging a patient having at least one B.sub.0 magnet for generating a B.sub.0 magnetic field.

The present disclosure relates to an insert system for performing positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. The insert system can be reversibly installed to an existing system, such that PET functionality can be introduced into the existing system without the need to significantly modify the existing system. The present disclosure also relates to a multi-modality imaging system capable for conducting both PET imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The PET and MRI imaging can be performed simultaneously or sequentially, while the performance of neither imaging modality is compromised for the operation of the other imaging modality.

Systems and methods are provided for multiphotonic magnetic resonance imaging. The system uses one or more (B.sub.1,z) RF coils or oscillating gradients oriented along the z-axis to provide multiphoton resonances. The B.sub.1,z coils can be implemented as planar coils or solenoids. With the additional coils, standard slice-selective pulse sequences have all standard excitations replaced with multiphoton excitations that excite extra resonances. In vivo imaging using multiphoton excitation has signal to noise ratios comparable to single-photon excitations when similar pulse sequences are used. Since excitation is not bound to the Larmor frequency, new RF pulse sequences can be designed with imaging methods patterned after single-photon excitation concepts.

The present disclosure provides medical devices having MRI-compatible circuitry. Preferably, the devices do not project an enlarged profile, yet their position can be determined during an iMRI procedure. Illustrative embodiments of such a device can include a base surface, a first conducting layer disposed on the base surface, a first insulating layer disposed over at least a portion of the first conducting layer, and a second conducting layer disposed over at least a portion of the first insulating layer.