Patent ID: 7253622

Claim:
A dual-mode coil for magnetic resonance imaging, comprising: a coil structure, and circuitry to utilize the coil structure to transmit excitation rf magnetic fields to a sample to be imaged in a region of interest and to utilize the coil structure to receive signal rf magnetic fields from the sample to be imaged in the region of interest, wherein the coil structure includes a around structure, wherein the coil structure comprises a plurality of elongated conductors positioned substantially parallel to a center axis so as to have an elliptical cross-section in a plane transverse to the center axis, wherein the plurality of elongated conductors are utilized by the circuitry to transmit excitation rf magnetic fields to the sample to be imaged, wherein the plurality of conductors are utilized by the circuitry to receive signal rf magnetic fields from the sample to be imaged, wherein during transmit the plurality of elongated conductors and the ground structure form a TEM coil structure, wherein during receive the plurality of elongated conductors are connected to form a plurality of surface coils, each surface coil incorporating two of the plurality of elongated conductors.