Characterization of a Low-Profile, Flexible, and Acoustically Transparent Receive-Only MRI Coil Array for High Sensitivity MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound

作者：Isabelle Saniour, Fraser Robb, Victor Taracila, Vishwas Mishra, Jana Vincent, Henning U. Voss, Michael G. Kaplitt, J. Levi Chazen, Simone Winkler · 发表于：IEEE Access · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1109/access.2022.3154824 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Ultrasound and Hyperthermia Applications、Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications、Photoacoustic and Ultrasonic Imaging

Magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a non-invasive therapeutic modality for neurodegenerative diseases that employs real-time imaging and thermometry monitoring of targeted regions. MRI is used in guidance of ultrasound treatment; however, the MR image quality in current clinical applications is poor when using the vendor built-in body coil. We present an 8-channel, ultra-thin, flexible, and acoustically transparent receive-only head coil design (FUS-Flex) to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and thus the quality of MR images during MRgFUS procedures. Acoustic simulations/experiments exhibit transparency of the FUS-Flex coil as high as 97% at 650 kHz. Electromagnetic simulations show a SNR increase of 13× over the body coil. In vivo results show an increase of the SNR over the body coil by a factor of 7.3 with 2× acceleration (equivalent to 11× without acceleration) in the brain of a healthy volunteer, which agrees well with simulation. These preliminary results show that the use of a FUS-Flex coil in MRgFUS surgery can increase MR image quality, which could yield improved focal precision, real-time intraprocedural anatomical imaging, and real-time 3D thermometry mapping.