Patent ID: 7911209

Claim:
A neurovascular array configured for use with a magnetic resonance (MR) system capable of parallel-imaging via a plurality of processing channels, the neurovascular array comprising: (a) a head coil having: (I) a first electrically conductive ring, (II) a second electrically conductive ring, and (III) a plurality of rods electrically interconnecting said first and said second rings in order to form a birdcage-like structure therewith, wherein said rods and said first and said second rings are configured to produce a plurality of electrically-adjacent primary resonant substructures about the birdcage-like structure, with each of said primary resonant substructures: (A) constituting a coil element including two of said rods neighboring each other and a corresponding short segment of each of said first and said second rings interconnecting them while electrically sharing one of said rods with each of its neighboring primary resonant substructures, so that each of said primary resonant substructures is enabled to receive magnetic resonance signals from tissue within a separate field of view thereof, and (B) providing a source impedance considerably higher than a load impedance to which said primary resonant substructure connects creating a resonant circuit therewith so as to enable said primary resonant substructure (i) to be operatively couplable to one processing channel of the MR system for conveyance of the magnetic resonance signals received thereby (ii) while simultaneously being at least partially decoupled from the other of said primary resonant substructures of said head coil; (b) an anterior coil having in proximity to said head coil at least one other coil element configured for receiving magnetic resonance signals from tissue within a separate field of view thereof; (c) a posterior coil having in proximity to said head coil at least one other coil element configured for receiving magnetic resonance signals from tissue within a separate field of view thereof; and (d) an interface configured for enabling said coil elements of said head coil, said anterior coil and said posterior coil to be selectively interconnected to the processing channels of the MR system so that the neurovascular array is selectively operable in a plurality of modes.