JP2006141444A - High frequency coil assembly and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the time and labor of replacing a high frequency coil for reception and to gather magnetic resonance signals by sensitivity optimum for each region even in the case of imaging the different regions (typically, vertebra and abdominal area) of a subject. <P>SOLUTION: The high frequency coil (high frequency coil assembly) for the reception used in a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is provided with at least one coil assembly composed of: a plurality of first high frequency coils (loop coils 20-22) which are arrayed along a fixed direction so as to receive the magnetic resonance signals; and a second high frequency coil (cross coil 23) which is structurally decoupled from each of the plurality of first high frequency coils, is arranged along the fixed direction so as to cover an area W2 practically equivalent to an imaging area taken on by the plurality of first high frequency coils and receives the magnetic resonance signals. As one example, the coil assembly can be used independently or the plurality of coil assemblies can be arrayed and used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a high-frequency coil assembly that collects magnetic resonance signals based on a magnetic resonance phenomenon from a subject, and a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus including the high-frequency coil assembly.

  Magnetic resonance imaging performed by a magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging apparatus magnetically excites a subject's nuclear spin placed in a static magnetic field with a high-frequency signal of its Larmor frequency, and generates magnetic resonance ( MR) is an imaging method for reconstructing an image from a signal.

  In order to execute this imaging method, the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a static magnetic field magnet that generates a static magnetic field, and a mechanism that applies a gradient magnetic field pulse and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse to a subject according to a predetermined pulse sequence. Among these, the gradient magnetic field pulse is transmitted to the subject through a gradient coil disposed in the bore of the static magnetic field magnet and connected to the gradient magnetic field power source. Similarly, the high-frequency magnetic field pulse is transmitted to the subject via a transmitting high-frequency coil disposed in the bore of the static magnetic field magnet and connected to the transmitter. On the other hand, in order to receive a magnetic resonance signal composed of a high-frequency signal generated from the subject, a receiving high-frequency coil is disposed in the vicinity of the subject. A high-frequency coil for transmission and a high-frequency coil for reception may be shared by a single coil, but in many cases, a dedicated high-frequency coil for reception corresponding to the difference in diagnostic part is used.

  For example, in order to obtain an image with high sensitivity, imaging is performed by arranging a plurality of surface coils (array coils) in a region of interest of a subject as receiving high-frequency coils. For example, as a coil for spine, as shown in Patent Document 1, an array coil in which QD surface coils are arranged in the body axis direction has been proposed. This array coil is shown in FIG.

  Here, the QD surface coil will be described. As shown in FIG. 18, the QD coil 90 is a coil in which a loop surface coil 91 and an 8-shaped surface coil 92 are overlapped. Since the sum of the high-frequency magnetic fields generated in the loop becomes 0, they can be arranged in a magnetically decoupled state. Looking at the direction of the high-frequency magnetic field B1 generated by the two coils 91 and 92 in the AA ′ line cross section, it can be seen that they are orthogonal on the axis as shown in FIG. In this case, the noise from the coils 91 and 92 is independent, and the SNR is as follows when the signal is shifted by 90 ° and the sum is calculated.

[Equation 1]
SNR = √ (B1 (loop) ² + B1 (8-character type) ² )
FIG. 20 shows the characteristics of the SNR on the axes of the coils 91 and 92. That is, the long dotted line shows the SNR profile of the loop-type surface coil 91, the short dotted line shows the profile of the 8-shaped surface coil 92, and the solid line shows the SNR profile of the QD surface coil 90 obtained by shifting by 90 °. . The SNR of the QD surface coil 90 is higher than that of the two coils 91 and 92 in a wide part, including that the SNR of the loop-type surface coil 91 and the 8-shaped surface coil 92 is √2 times the SNR. It turns out that it is SNR. As described above, the QD surface coil 90 can achieve a higher SNR than when a loop type surface coil or an 8-shaped surface coil is used individually.

  On the other hand, when imaging the entire abdomen, as shown in Patent Document 2, usually, a plurality of surface coils are arranged so as to surround the subject, and signals are received from the entire abdomen. As this surface coil, as shown in FIG. 21, an array coil in which a plurality of loop coils are arranged along the body surface is often used.

Thus, by arranging a plurality of surface coils in accordance with the imaging region, it has become possible to acquire an image with the highest sensitivity at each region. However, on the other hand, since it is necessary to set a coil for each part, the number of coils increases, and the operator has to change coils according to the imaging part each time the patient changes. This requires a large number of coils and is very troublesome for doctors and engineers on site.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-261810 JP 2003-334177 A

  As described above, in the case of the conventional receiving high-frequency coil, since a different dedicated array structure is employed for each type of imaging region, an operator (physician or engineer) needs to replace the array coil every time the imaging region changes. There is. This replacement work is very complicated and time consuming for the operator. For this reason, the burden on the operator's preparatory work increases, and it has become one of the major factors for a decrease in patient throughput.

  By the way, in recent years, a plurality of loop coils are decoupled from each other, and an eight-shaped coil that intersects in an eight-shape is overlapped with a loop coil located in the center of these, thereby, What improves SNR like QD surface coil has been developed. A plurality of sets of coils are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the loop coil arrangement direction to form an array coil, and the subject's spine is imaged by placing the array coil on a top plate.

  However, although there are individual differences among subjects, when the subject lies on his or her back on the top plate, the spine is often positioned relatively deep (far) from the top plate, that is, from the array coil. For example, the position may be 10 cm. In such a case, in the case of the above-described coil in which the 8-shaped coil is arranged only on the central loop coil, there is a problem that the signal collection from the deeper spine is insufficient in sensitivity and the SNR is low. It was.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the situation where the conventional method of using a receiving high-frequency coil is confronted, and even when imaging different parts of a subject (typically the spine and abdomen), It is an object of the present invention to reduce the trouble of replacing a high-frequency coil and to collect magnetic resonance signals with optimum sensitivity for each part.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the high-frequency coil assembly of the present invention, in accordance with a gradient magnetic field pulse and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse applied to a subject placed in a static magnetic field according to a predetermined sequence, A coil assembly configured to receive a high-frequency magnetic resonance signal generated in a subject, a plurality of first high-frequency coils arranged adjacent to each other along a first direction, and the plurality of first high-frequency coils And a second high-frequency coil that is structurally decoupled from each of the second high-frequency coils.

  According to another aspect, the high-frequency coil assembly according to the present invention has an upper coil assembly and a lower coil assembly disposed to face a subject placed in a static magnetic field, and the upper coil assembly and The lower coil assembly is a high-frequency coil assembly capable of receiving a high-frequency magnetic resonance signal generated in a subject in response to a gradient magnetic field pulse and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse applied to the subject according to a predetermined sequence. The upper coil assembly includes a plurality of first high frequency coils arranged adjacent to each other in a first direction, and a second high frequency coil structurally decoupled from each of the plurality of first high frequency coils. And at least.

  Furthermore, according to this invention, the magnetic resonance imaging device provided with the high frequency coil assembly which has these structures is also provided.

  Furthermore, according to another aspect, the high-frequency coil assembly according to the present invention is a high-frequency magnetism generated in a subject in response to a gradient magnetic field pulse and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse applied to the subject placed in a static magnetic field according to a predetermined sequence. In a high-frequency coil assembly that receives a resonance signal, a plurality of loop coils arranged adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction, and arranged to overlap at least one loop coil among the plurality of loop coils, and the plurality of loops And an intersecting coil having a shape that intersects the number of times equal to or more than the number of coils.

  Furthermore, according to another aspect, the high-frequency coil assembly according to the present invention is a high-frequency magnetism generated in a subject in response to a gradient magnetic field pulse and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse applied to the subject placed in a static magnetic field according to a predetermined sequence. In a high-frequency coil assembly that receives a resonance signal, a plurality of loop coils arranged along a predetermined direction, and a shape that is arranged so as to overlap at least one loop coil among the plurality of loop coils and intersect three or more times And a cross coil provided.

  According to the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and the receiving high-frequency coil according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator (doctor or engineer) during the preparation work and improve the patient throughput.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment according to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A schematic configuration of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to this embodiment is shown in FIG.

  The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a bed unit on which the subject P is placed, a static magnetic field generation unit that generates a static magnetic field, a gradient magnetic field generation unit for adding position information to the static magnetic field, and a transmission / reception unit that transmits and receives high-frequency signals. And a control / arithmetic unit responsible for overall system control and image reconstruction.

The static magnetic field generation unit includes, for example, a superconducting magnet 1 and a static magnetic field power supply 2 that supplies current to the magnet 1, and an axial direction of a cylindrical opening (diagnostic space) into which the subject P is loosely inserted ( A static magnetic field H ₀ is generated in the Z-axis direction). The magnet portion is provided with a shim coil (not shown). The couch portion can be removably inserted into the opening of the magnet 1 with the top plate T on which the subject P is placed.

  The gradient magnetic field generator includes a gradient magnetic field coil unit 3 incorporated in the magnet 1. The gradient coil unit 3 includes three sets (types) of x, y, and z coils 3x to 3z for generating gradient magnetic fields in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction orthogonal to each other. The gradient magnetic field unit also includes a gradient magnetic field power supply 4 that supplies current to the x, y, and z coils 3x to 3z. The gradient magnetic field power supply 4 supplies a pulse current for generating gradient magnetic fields to the x, y, z coils 3x to 3z under the control of a sequencer 5 described later.

By controlling the pulse current supplied to the x, y, z coils 3x to 3z from the gradient magnetic field power source 4, the gradient magnetic fields in the three axes (X axis, Y axis, Z axis) directions which are physical axes are synthesized. it can be arbitrarily set and change the logical axial consisting slicing direction gradient magnetic field G _S, the phase encode direction gradient magnetic field G _E, and readout direction (frequency encode direction) gradient magnetic field G _R which are orthogonal to each other. Slice direction, phase encoding direction, and gradient magnetic fields in the readout direction are superimposed on the static magnetic field H _0.

  The transmission / reception unit includes a transmission high-frequency coil 7T and a reception high-frequency coil 7R disposed in the vicinity of the subject P in the imaging space in the magnet 1, and a transmitter 8T and a reception connected to the high-frequency coils 7T and 7R, respectively. 8R. The transmitter 8T and the receiver 8R operate under the control of the sequencer 5 described later. By this operation, the transmitter 8T supplies an RF current pulse having a Larmor frequency for exciting nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to the transmitting high-frequency coil 7T. The receiver 8R takes in a magnetic resonance (MR) signal (high-frequency signal) received by the receiving high-frequency coil 7R, and performs various signal processing such as preamplification, intermediate frequency conversion, phase detection, low-frequency amplification, and filtering. Then, A / D conversion is performed to generate digital data (original data) of the MR signal.

  The control / arithmetic unit further includes a sequencer (also referred to as a sequence controller) 5, a host computer 6, an arithmetic unit 10, a storage unit 11, a display device 12, and an input device 13. Among these, the host computer 6 has a function of instructing the pulse sequence information to the sequencer 5 according to the stored software procedure (not shown) and supervising the operation of the entire apparatus.

  The sequencer 5 includes a CPU and a memory, stores pulse sequence information sent from the host computer 6, controls the operations of the gradient magnetic field power source 4, the transmitter 8T, and the receiver 8R according to this information, The digital data of the magnetic resonance signal output from the receiver 8R is once inputted and transferred to the arithmetic unit 10. Here, the pulse sequence information is all information necessary for operating the gradient magnetic field power source 4, the transmitter 8T, and the receiver 8R according to a series of pulse sequences, for example, x, y, z coils 3x to 3z. Includes information on the intensity, application time, application timing, and the like of the pulse current applied to.

  Further, the arithmetic unit 10 inputs the digital data (also referred to as original data or raw data) output from the receiver 8R through the sequencer 5, and the digital data is input to the k space (also referred to as Fourier space or frequency space) by its internal memory. Data is arranged, and this data is subjected to two-dimensional or three-dimensional Fourier transform for each set to reconstruct image data in real space. In addition, the arithmetic unit 10 can also execute a data synthesizing process and a difference arithmetic process as necessary. This synthesis processing includes processing for adding each pixel, maximum value projection (MIP) processing, and the like.

  The storage unit 11 can store not only the reconstructed image data but also the image data that has been subjected to the above-described combining process and difference process. The display 12 is used for displaying a reconstructed image, for example. Also, parameter information desired by the surgeon, scan conditions, pulse sequences, information relating to image synthesis and difference calculation, and the like can be input to the host computer 6 via the input unit 13.

  In the above-described configuration, the receiving high-frequency coil 7R will be further described in detail.

  In the present embodiment, the receiving high-frequency coil 7R can be used for receiving magnetic resonance signals from both the spine and abdomen of the subject P, and can collect signals with optimum sensitivity for the spine and abdomen. It is configured as a surface coil.

  Specifically, the reception high-frequency coil 7R includes, as schematically shown in FIG. 1, an upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U and a lower high-frequency coil assembly 7L arranged to acquire image data of a desired region of the subject P. (7L1, 7L2, 7L3, 7L4). Each of the coil assemblies 7U and 7L is actually formed by a plurality of element coils as will be described later, and magnetic resonance signals received by the element coils are respectively sent to the receiver 8R.

  The receiver 8R has reception channels corresponding to the number of coils of the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U and the lower high-frequency coil assembly 7L, and a magnetic resonance signal is supplied from each surface coil to each reception channel. For this reason, digital data corresponding to the magnetic resonance signal is output from each reception channel.

  Data collected by each of the reception channels is sent to the arithmetic unit 10 via the sequencer 5. The arithmetic unit 10 reconstructs the received collected data and generates time image data. In this reconstruction, the data collected from each coil of the reception high-frequency coil 7R is reconstructed independently for each reception channel, for example, and synthesized into one image by performing a square sum square root calculation. The

  Here, the lower high-frequency coil assembly 7L is installed on the back side (lower part of the imaging region) of the subject P facing the scan in a supine state. For example, when scanning the spine of the subject P, these Only the coil assembly 7L is used. The lower high-frequency coil assembly 7L is always installed on the top plate T. On the other hand, when imaging the abdomen as the body part of the subject P, the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U is installed along the body surface of the subject P, and the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U and the lower high-frequency coil assembly 7L: 7L1 to 7L4 The abdomen is scanned using some of the coil assemblies, for example, the coil assembly 7L1. That is, in the present embodiment, a part of the lower high-frequency coil assembly 7L, that is, 7L1 is configured to be used for scanning a plurality of body parts (cervical vertebrae and abdomen).

  In the present embodiment, the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U and the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 are each formed of a plurality of element coils. A set of the plurality of element coils will be referred to as a coil assembly.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a coil assembly. Each coil assembly includes three loop coils arranged in an array (first element coils 20, 21, and 22, and these loop coils 20 to 22 are overlapped and structurally separated cross coils ( Second element coil) 23. These element coils are formed of FPC as an example, and are held by a support member having a predetermined shape made of a plastic material.

  The signals detected by these coils 20 to 23 reach the coaxial cables via the tuning and matching circuits of the respective coils, and are connected to the receiver 8R independently of each other through the coaxial cables.

  In order to suppress electrical coupling with the adjacent loop coils, the loop coils 20 to 22 are arranged so that the adjacent loop coils are mutually in a fixed direction so that the sum of the generated high-frequency magnetic fields in the loop becomes zero. They are arranged so as to overlap by an appropriate width (see W1 in FIG. 2).

  Further, as an example, the intersecting coil 23 forms an element coil that is continuous in two 8-shapes by intersecting one coil conductor three times. That is, three coil wire intersections are formed in a fixed direction to form four coil surfaces. In addition, in the state in which the arrangement directions of the loop coil group and the crossing coil are made to coincide with each other and the center positions C in these directions are aligned with each other, of the four coil surfaces formed by the crossing coil 23, The coil surfaces S1, S2 are overlapped with the loop coils 20-22. At this time, the two central coil surfaces S1 and S2 are formed so as to cross over the central loop coil 21 and also to the adjacent loop coils 20 and 22. That is, a range W <b> 2 where the two coil surfaces at the center of the intersecting coil 23 overlap with the loop coils 20 to 22 is set to be larger than the central loop coil 21. More specifically, the overlapping range W2 does not stop at the loop coil 21 at the center, but also overlaps the adjacent loop coils 20 and 22 to cover an imaging region substantially equal to the three loop coils 20 to 22.

  Here, when the number of the plurality of loop coils 20 to 22 is N, the number of intersections of the intersecting coil 23 formed by intersecting one coil conductor in a plurality of times in the shape of 8 is at least N times.

  3A and 3B are diagrams showing in detail the state of the high-frequency magnetic field generated by the cross coil 23. FIG. When a current flows in the cross coil 23 in the direction indicated by the arrow A, a magnetic field B1 is generated as shown in the figure. In the case of the cross coil 23 having a large overlap area W2 with the three loop coils 20 to 22 (that is, an imaging area substantially equal to the three loop coils 20 to 22) as in the present embodiment, In order to generate a substantially perpendicular magnetic field not only on the central loop coil 21 in the array direction but also on the axes of the loop coils 20 and 22 adjacent to the loop coil 21, the SNR on the axis of each of the loop coils 20 to 22 is the cross coil. This is improved by combining with the signal from 23.

  Further, the cross coil 23 is formed so that two 8-shaped coils are continuous. For this reason, it is possible to adjust the cross shape of the cross coil 23 so that the amount of magnetic flux generated from the cross coil 23 interlinking with the loop coils 20 to 22 becomes zero. That is, magnetic decoupling between the cross coil 23 and each of the loop coils 20 to 22 can also be achieved.

  As described above, the cross coil 23 generates a high-frequency magnetic field that is substantially orthogonal on the center axis of each of the three loop coils 20 to 22, and exhibits a QD (Quadrature) effect. For this reason, when the data detected by each of the loop coils 20 to 22 and the cross coil 23 are combined with each other, the SNR (SN ratio) on the central axis of each loop coil 20 to 22 is calculated in the same manner as the QD surface coil. Can be raised. The degree of increase in SNR is improved (higher) than the SNR obtained by the structure in which the cross coil 23 is merely crossed with the central loop coil 21. Therefore, it is convenient when the coil assembly formed by the loop coils 20 to 22 and the cross coil 23 is used for scanning the spine of the subject P. That is, when the subject P is lying on the back, the spine is at a relatively deeper (far) position than the coil (and there are individual differences among subjects), so a higher SNR is required.

  The lower high-frequency coil assembly 7L1 (˜7L4) constituting the coil assembly is arranged as shown in FIG. The arrangement example in the figure shows an arrangement example in an axial section when applied to imaging of the back of a human body with the spine at the center. Lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 are arranged on the back surface of the subject 2, and loop coils 20, 21, 22 and a cross coil 23 are shown. In FIG. 4, the coils 20 to 23 are formed using, for example, two single-sided FPCs or one double-sided FPC, and are fixed and supported in a plastic support member SP.

  In each of the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4, the high-frequency magnetic field generated by each of the loop coils 20 to 22 and the generation of the crossing coil 23 on the axes of all the loop coils 20 to 22 as described with reference to FIGS. It is almost orthogonal to the high frequency magnetic field. For this reason, the signals from the respective coils are imaged and synthesized, so that the image is captured with only the loop coil, and of course, compared with the case where only the central loop coil 21 is QD, in a wider area. An image with excellent SNR can be obtained.

  The lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 described above are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the couch top T (the body axis direction of the subject P; the Z-axis direction) as shown in FIG. That is, the four lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the loop coils 20 to 22 and the cross coil 23. Accordingly, the four lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 are placed on the top plate T with their orthogonal directions aligned with the longitudinal direction of the top plate T (the body axis direction of the subject P).

  Each surface coil is disposed so as to overlap each other by a predetermined width in order to magnetically decouple between adjacently arranged coils in both two-dimensional directions. In the case of a loop coil, it is difficult to arrange the coils in a stacked manner in order to suppress coupling between coils arranged in an oblique direction. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, decoupling circuits 55 are added between the loop coil 51 and the loop coil 52 and between the loop coil 50 and the loop coil 54, respectively.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the decoupling circuit of FIG. The inductance elements L1 and L2 are connected in series to, for example, the loop coils 52 and 53, respectively, and a part of the inductance elements L1 and L2 is arranged so as to overlap each other, so that the loop coils can be decoupled.

  In the present embodiment, the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U has substantially the same configuration as each of the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4. An example in which the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U is disposed along the abdomen of the subject P is shown in FIG. On the back side of the subject P, array-like lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 are always arranged. Therefore, it is possible to collect signals from the abdomen in cooperation with a part of the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4, for example, 7L1 and the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U. In this case, the remaining lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L2 to 7L4 are excluded from signal collection.

  The exclusion from the signal collection is that a multiplexer is provided in the receiver 8R so as not to adopt the magnetic resonance signals sent from the remaining lower high-frequency coil 7 assemblies L2 to 7L4, or selection / non-selection processing by software May be performed in the receiver 8R or the arithmetic unit 10.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of a procedure when the selection / non-selection processing is executed by the receiver 8R or the arithmetic unit 10 by software. The arithmetic unit 10 reads from the host computer 6 information representing a selected (or non-selected) reception channel that is determined according to conditions such as imaging conditions and imaging region (spine or abdomen) (step S1). Next, the arithmetic unit 10 determines whether or not to start signal acquisition (step S2), and when the start of acquisition is commanded, the reception channel is switched to the initial channel (step S3).

  Here, the reception channel is set to coils belonging to the upper and lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7U and 7L1 to 7L4. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, for example, the upper and lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7U and 7L1 to 7L4 have the arrangement configuration shown in FIG. 2, and therefore, 4 channels × 5 sets = 20 channels.

  The arithmetic unit 10 determines whether or not the switched reception channel is a non-selected reception channel based on the read information in step S1, and in the case of a non-selected reception channel, switches to the next reception channel as it is (step S1). S3, S4). On the other hand, if the switched reception channel is the selected reception channel, a signal (collected data) from that channel is received and stored (step S5). The series of processing in steps S3 to S5 is repeated until data collection is completed (step S6). As a result, only the collected data from the reception channel desired to be selected is selectively received and processed for image reconstruction. The collected data from the non-selected reception channel does not reach the reception process and is discarded.

  If such selection / non-selection processing is applied, the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U is also installed with the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 from the beginning, and when measuring the spine, the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4. It is also possible to selectively process only the collected data of the reception channel leading to.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, at least the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 of the receiving high-frequency coil 7R are always arranged on the top board T, and a plurality of subjects P are provided. The desired part can be imaged. That is, when imaging the spine of a subject P, the lower-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 may be used as they are to receive magnetic resonance signals from the subject P. At this time, each of the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 is configured as a surface coil, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, as shown in FIGS. A coil 23 is arranged. For this reason, since the QD effect can be exhibited in all of the loop coils 20 to 22, as in the prior art, only the central loop coil (loop coil 21 in the example of FIG. 2) is crossed so as to have the QD effect. Compared with the case where the coil 23 is disposed, the SNR of each of the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 is remarkably improved and the sensitivity is improved. Thereby, signals can be collected from a deeper position of the subject P. Therefore, for example, even in the case of the subject P who is obese and the position of the spine is relatively far from the top plate T, the spine can be imaged with good SNR.

  Furthermore, when moving to another subject P and imaging the abdomen, the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U may be installed on the abdomen side of the subject P while the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 are left as they are. Accordingly, the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 are positioned on the back side of the subject P, and the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U is positioned on the front side of the abdomen. In this case, the collected signal of, for example, the first coil assembly 7L1 among the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 is selected by the above-described software processing of FIG. 9, and the collected signals of the other coil assemblies 7L2 to 7L4 are not selected. And As a result, in the case of the abdomen, the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U and the lower high-frequency coil assembly 7L1 are positioned so as to surround the front and back of the abdomen, and the abdomen can be imaged with good SNR. At this time, the upper high-frequency coil assembly 7U may be configured with only a loop coil, and the collected signals of the loop coils 20 to 22 may be adopted from the coil assembly of the lower high-frequency coil assembly 7L1, Thereby, an abdominal part can also be imaged only with a loop coil.

  Thus, even if the imaging region of the subject P changes, the lower high-frequency coil assemblies 7L1 to 7L4 can be always installed, and when changed to the abdomen, a part of the lower high-frequency coil assembly 7L1 is also used. Can do. That is, in summary, when imaging different parts of the subject P (typically, the spine and abdomen), a part of the configuration of the surface coil as the plurality of high-frequency coils 7R for reception is mutually shared, and Signals can be collected for each part with optimum sensitivity.

  For this reason, the trouble of replacing the reception high-frequency coil 7R with another type for each subject or each imaging region is greatly reduced for the operator. Therefore, the amount of work required for the operator to prepare for imaging can be reduced, and the patient throughput can be increased. In summary, even when imaging different parts of the subject (typically, the spine and abdomen), the effort to replace the receiving high-frequency coil is reduced, and magnetic resonance signals are collected with optimum sensitivity for each part. Can improve patient throughput.

(Modification)
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the arrangement of the coil assembly with respect to the subject P is changed as in FIG. 8 described above. By curving the support member SP so as to match the body shape of the subject, the coil assembly is in close contact with the body surface of the subject P, and an image with a better SNR is obtained.

  FIG. 11 shows an example when there are four loop coils. The loop coils 30, 31, 32, and 33 are arranged so as to overlap each other by a predetermined width in order to decouple each other. Since the cross coil 34 in this case is electrically decoupled from each loop coil, it is configured such that the current path crosses over each loop coil. As a result, the direction of the high-frequency magnetic field generated by each loop coil and the direction of the high-frequency magnetic field generated by the cross coil 34 on the axis of each loop coil are almost 90 °, and the loop is obtained by adding the cross coil 34. Compared with the case where only the coils 30, 31, 32, and 33 are used, an image having a high SNR can be obtained.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of the decoupling circuit of FIG. Capacitors 63 and 64 are arranged in series with the loop coils 51 and 52, respectively, and a capacitor network 62 is attached between the capacitors. By adjusting the capacitances C1 and C2 of the capacitors in the capacitor network 62, decoupling can be performed.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an arrangement for performing decoupling between cross coils in FIG. 5. By superimposing the cross coil 70 and the cross coil 71 by an appropriate area, the magnetic flux interlinking with each other coil can be made zero and decoupling can be achieved.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example of an arrangement for decoupling between cross coils in FIG. Here, only the outer loops in the direction orthogonal to the body axis direction of the cross coils 72 and 73 are overlapped by an appropriate width in the body axis direction. Thereby, the magnetic flux interlinking with each other coil can be made zero, and decoupling becomes possible.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another example of the arrangement of the coil assembly according to the present invention. Since the coil assembly installed on the back of the subject P also has a spine imaging function, the coil assembly has a cross coil 23 and loop coils 20, 21, and 22. The cross coil is used as the surface coil placed on the abdomen. It does not have to be. In that case, the coil assembly placed on the abdomen side may be composed of only the loop coils 80, 81, 82 as shown in FIGS.

  The example of the coil arrangement described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 15 is configured so that a part of the coil assembly used for imaging the spine is also used for imaging the abdomen. Among these, the cross coil 23 is added in order to image the spinal region particularly with good SNR, as described above. Therefore, in the case of imaging the abdomen, it may not be used even when there is a cross coil, and only the collected data of the loop coils 20 to 22 employed in the coil configuration shown in FIG. You may do it. This is because the SNR at the center of the abdomen is not improved even if a cross coil is used, and it is useful to have a loop coil that covers the subject. Increasing the number of collected data reception channels to be processed causes an increase in the amount of data and calculation time. Therefore, it is also necessary to avoid this appropriately. As an example, this selection process can be performed by the process shown in FIG. 9 described above.

  FIG. 16 shows another example of the arrangement of the coil assembly according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the coil assembly according to this modification includes N loop coils 101 to 105 and one cross coil 106, but the cross coil 106 has fewer crossings than N. Thus, when the number of crossing of the crossing coils is smaller than the number of loop coils, the size of the crossing coils (number of crossings) may be adjusted in accordance with the region where the sensitivity needs to be improved.

  Furthermore, the modification regarding the signal processing method from a surface coil is also possible. In the above-described embodiment, the reception signals output from the surface coils are subjected to data sampling as independent reception channels. However, signals from several surface coils are synthesized in advance. A synthesizing / distributing circuit that distributes and distributes may be provided. As a result, the data after being subjected to the synthesis / distribution processing by the synthesis / distribution circuit can be sampled, and the signal processing can be diversified.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration according to the above-described embodiment and its modifications, and those skilled in the art can implement the invention by appropriately modifying it in combination with a conventionally known configuration.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The typical arrangement drawing of one coil assembly which comprises the surface coil employ | adopted by embodiment. Arrangement diagram (same figure (a)) which shows typical arrangement | positioning of the crossing coil incorporated in the coil assembly which concerns on this embodiment, and the figure explaining the direction of the magnetic flux which the said crossing coil generate | occur | produces (same figure (b)) . The figure explaining the example of arrangement at the time of applying the coil assembly concerning this embodiment to imaging of the back of a human body centering on the spine with the direction of generation of magnetic flux. The coil arrangement | positioning drawing along a body-axis direction when a plurality of coil assemblies concerning this embodiment are arranged and a lower high frequency coil assembly is formed. The figure which shows the mode of attachment of the decoupling circuit between several coil assemblies. The figure which shows one example of a decoupling circuit. The figure which shows the axial surface which has arrange | positioned the upper high-frequency coil assembly and the lower high-frequency coil assembly which employ | adopted the coil assembly which concerns on this embodiment in the test subject's body part. The schematic flowchart which shows the process for selecting / deselecting collection data for every receiving channel. The figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning which curved the lower high frequency coil assembly (support member) according to the roundness of the test subject's back. The schematic diagram which shows another coil arrangement | positioning example of the coil assembly which concerns on the modification of this invention. The figure which shows another example of the decoupling circuit of the coil assembly which concerns on another modification of this invention. The figure which shows the example of coil arrangement | positioning for carrying out the decoupling of the crossing coils between the adjacent coil assemblies which concern on another modification of this invention. The figure which shows the example of coil arrangement | positioning for carrying out the decoupling of the crossing coils between the adjacent coil assemblies which concern on another modification of this invention. An upper high-frequency coil assembly according to still another modified example of the present invention (FIG. (A)), and an axial surface (FIG. (B)) in which the upper high-frequency coil assembly and the lower high-frequency coil assembly are arranged on the body part of the subject. )). The figure which shows the coil assembly which concerns on another modification of this invention. The figure which shows the example which arranges the conventional QD surface coil in a body-axis direction, and forms an array coil. The figure which shows the conventional QD surface coil. The figure explaining the high frequency magnetic field which the conventional QD surface coil generate | occur | produces. The figure explaining SNR of a QD surface coil. The figure explaining the example of arrangement | positioning of the surface coil arrange | positioned so that the abdominal part of a subject may be surrounded.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Static magnetic field magnet 3 Gradient magnetic field coil unit 5 Sequence controller 6 Host computer 7T Transmission high frequency coil 7R Reception high frequency coil 7U Upper high frequency coil 7L1-7L4 Lower high frequency coil 8T Transmitter 8R Receiver 10 Arithmetic unit 11 Storage units 20-22 Loop coils (each of which forms a coil assembly: a first high-frequency coil)
23 Cross coil (forms coil assembly: second high frequency coil)
30 to 33, 80 to 82 Loop coil (first high frequency coil)
34 Crossing coil (second high-frequency coil)
50 to 54 Loop coil (first high frequency coil)
55 Decoupling circuits 70, 71, 72, 73 Crossing circuit (second high-frequency coil)

Claims (16)

In a high-frequency coil assembly that receives a high-frequency magnetic resonance signal generated in a subject in response to a gradient magnetic field pulse and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse applied to a subject placed in a static magnetic field according to a predetermined sequence,
A plurality of first high frequency coils arranged adjacently along a first direction;
A second high frequency coil structurally decoupled from each of the plurality of first high frequency coils;
A high-frequency coil assembly comprising at least The second high-frequency coil is arranged along the first direction so as to cover an imaging region substantially equivalent to an imaging region carried by the plurality of first high-frequency coils. The high frequency coil assembly according to claim 1. 3. The second high-frequency coil is a single cross coil having a shape that intersects at least N times in the first direction with respect to the number N of the first high-frequency coils. The high frequency coil assembly described in. The high frequency coil according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of first high frequency coils are a plurality of loop coils arranged along the first direction so as to be magnetically decoupled from each other. assembly. 5. The second high-frequency coil is one cross coil having a shape that intersects at least N times in the first direction with respect to the number N of the first high-frequency coils. The high frequency coil assembly described in. A plurality of the first high-frequency coils and the second high-frequency coils are arranged along a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction and coincides with the longitudinal direction of the top plate on which the subject lies. 6. The high frequency coil assembly according to claim 5, wherein The high frequency coil assembly according to claim 6, wherein at least two of the cross coils adjacent to each other in the second direction are arranged so as to partially overlap each other. A gradient magnetic field pulse and a high frequency having an upper coil assembly and a lower coil assembly disposed opposite to a subject placed in a static magnetic field and applied to the subject in accordance with a predetermined sequence. In a high-frequency coil assembly that enables reception of a high-frequency magnetic resonance signal generated in a subject in response to a magnetic field pulse,
The lower coil assembly includes
A plurality of first high frequency coils arranged adjacently along a first direction;
A second high frequency coil structurally decoupled from each of the plurality of first high frequency coils;
A high-frequency coil assembly comprising at least 9. The second high-frequency coil is one cross coil having a shape that intersects at least N times in the first direction with respect to the number N of the first high-frequency coils. The high frequency coil assembly described in. A gradient magnetic field pulse having an upper coil assembly and a lower coil assembly disposed opposite to a subject placed in a static magnetic field, and applied to the subject in accordance with a predetermined sequence. And a high-frequency coil assembly capable of receiving a high-frequency magnetic resonance signal generated in a subject in response to a high-frequency magnetic field pulse
The upper coil assembly is
A plurality of first high frequency coils arranged adjacently along a first direction;
A second high frequency coil structurally decoupled from each of the plurality of first high frequency coils;
A high-frequency coil assembly comprising at least 11. The second high-frequency coil is one cross coil having a shape that intersects at least N times in the first direction with respect to the number N of the first high-frequency coils. The high frequency coil assembly described in. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising the high-frequency coil assembly according to claim 1. 13. The magnetism according to claim 12, further comprising selection means capable of selecting whether or not to use the magnetic resonance signal collected by either the first high-frequency coil or the second high-frequency coil. Resonance imaging device. In a high-frequency coil assembly that receives a high-frequency magnetic resonance signal generated in a subject in response to a gradient magnetic field pulse and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse applied to a subject placed in a static magnetic field according to a predetermined sequence,
A plurality of loop coils arranged adjacent to each other along a predetermined direction;
A cross coil that is arranged to overlap at least one loop coil among the plurality of loop coils and has a shape that intersects the same number of times as the number of the plurality of loop coils;
A high-frequency coil assembly comprising: In a high-frequency coil assembly that receives a high-frequency magnetic resonance signal generated in a subject in response to a gradient magnetic field pulse and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse applied to a subject placed in a static magnetic field according to a predetermined sequence,
A plurality of loop coils arranged along a predetermined direction;
A cross coil that is arranged so as to overlap at least one loop coil among the plurality of loop coils and has a shape that intersects three or more times;
A high-frequency coil assembly comprising: The high frequency coil assembly according to claim 15, wherein the intersecting coil has a shape that intersects an odd number of times.

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