Widened and shaped MRI surface coil having increased signal-to-noise ratio

Claim 2

An MRI RF coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including: a conductive element for disposition with one side proximal an image area and another side distal thereto; said conductive element having a flat portion on the proximal side and associated edges which curve away from the proximal side toward said distal side.

Claim 3

An MRI RF coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including a single unitary conductor having a generally U-shaped cross-section.

Claim 4

An MRI RF coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including a single unitary conductor having a generally U-shaped cross-section.

Claim 5

An MRI RF coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including a conductive element having a generally U-shaped cross-section, wherein said cross-section includes a substantially flat bight portion with curved lips projecting from either side.

Claim 6

An MRI RF coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including a conductive element having a generally U-shaped cross-section, wherein said cross-section includes a substantially flat bight portion with curved lips projecting from either side.

Claim 7

An RF coil as in claim 3 wherein said flat bight portion is of substantially more than one inch wide and said lips are formed with a radius of substantially less than one inch and wherein the edge of said lips extends at a 90° orientation from said bight portion.

Claim 8

An RF coil as in claim 4 wherein the lip radius is approximately 0.31 inch and the total distance between said lip edges measured parallel to said bight portion is approximately 2.75 inches.

Claim 9

An RF coil as in claim 2 wherein a bight portion of said conductive element forms a surface coil loop for receiving MRI RF signals from the vertebral region of a human patient whereby the signal-to-noise ratio of received NMR RF signal responses is enhanced relative to similar RF surface coils formed of a conductive element having a substantially only flat surface.

Claim 10

An MRI RF surface coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including a conductive element having a flat cross-sectional portion of width W which extends about a generally planar loop of approximate radius 2W or less and parallel to said flat portion for receiving MRI RF signals from a human body whereby the signal-to-noise ratio of received NMR RF signal responses is enhanced relative to similar RF surface coils formed of a conductive element having a narrower dimension with respect to said loop radius.

Claim 11

An MRI RF surface coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including a conductive element having a flat cross-sectional portion of width W which extends about a generally planar loop of approximate radius 2W or less and parallel to said flat portion for receiving MRI RF signals from a human body whereby the signal-to-noise ratio of received NMR RF signal responses is enhanced relative to similar RF surface coils formed of a conductive element having a narrower dimension with respect to said loop radius.

Claim 12

An MRI RF surface coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including a conductive element having a flat cross-sectional portion of width W which extends about a generally planar loop of approximate radius 2W or less and parallel to said flat portion for receiving MRI RF signals from a human body whereby the signal-to-noise ratio of received NMR RF signal responses is enhanced relative to similar RF surface coils formed of a conductive element having a narrower dimension with respect to said loop radius; wherein said conductive element includes a turned lip portion at either side of said flat portion so as to define a shallow U-shaped cross-section having said flat portion as its bight.

Claim 13

An MRI RF surface coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including a conductive element having a flat cross-sectional portion of width W which extends about a generally planar loop of approximate radius 2W or less and parallel to said flat portion for receiving MRI RF signals from a human body whereby the signal-to-noise ratio of received NMR RF signal responses is enhanced relative to similar RF surface coils formed of a conductive element having a narrower dimension with respect to said loop radius; wherein said conductive element includes a turned lip portion at either side of said flat portion so as to define a shallow U-shaped cross-section having said flat portion as its bight.

Claim 14

An MRI RF surface coil as in claim 8 wherein turned lip portions extend about a 90° radius of approximately 0.3 inch.

Claim 15

An MRI RF coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including a single unitary conductor of cross-sectional dimension W extending about a loop of average radius on the order of 2W or less.

Claim 16

An MRI RF coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging system and including a single unitary conductor of cross-sectional dimension W extending about a loop of average radius on the order of 2W or less.