Patent ID: 7084629
Filing Date: 2006-08-01
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
1. A head coil for use with a magnetic resonance (MR) system capable of acquiring images of a region of interest using parallel imaging techniques; the head coil comprising: (a) a first ring at an inferior end of the head coil, said first ring being electrically conductive and having a first diameter through which the region of interest is provided access to the head coil; (b) a second ring at a superior end of the head coil, said second ring being electrically conductive and having a second diameter smaller than said first diameter of said first ring; and (c) a plurality of rods electrically interconnecting said first and said second rings to form a birdcage-like structure therewith, each of said rods having a linear portion and a tapered portion with said linear portion being connected to said first ring and said tapered portion being connected to said second ring, said tapered portions of said rods collectively providing the head coil with a substantially homogeneous pattern of magnetic flux density in at least one of three orthogonal imaging planes of the head coil while performing at least one of maintaining and improving a signal-to-noise ratio of the head coil; wherein said rods and said first and said second rings are configured to produce about the birdcage-like structure a plurality of partially-overlapped primary resonant substructures, with each of said primary resonant substructures including two of said rods and a corresponding section of each of said first and said second rings interconnecting them such that each of said primary resonant substructures partially overlaps each of its neighboring primary resonant substructures and is capable of receiving magnetic resonance signals from a portion of the region of interest within its field of view.