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The MR Cap: A single‐sided MRI system designed for potential point‐of‐care limited field‐of‐view brain imaging
Author(s) -
McDaniel Patrick C.,
Cooley Clarissa Zimmerman,
Stockmann Jason P.,
Wald Lawrence L.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.27861
Subject(s) - electromagnetic coil , radiofrequency coil , imaging phantom , multislice , magnet , magnetic resonance imaging , field of view , computer science , materials science , nuclear magnetic resonance , biomedical engineering , optics , physics , artificial intelligence , radiology , medicine , quantum mechanics
Purpose The size, cost, and siting requirements of conventional MRI systems limit their availability and preclude usage as monitoring or point‐of‐care devices. To address this, we developed a lightweight MRI for point‐of‐care brain imaging over a reduced field of view (FOV). Methods The B 0 magnet was designed with a genetic algorithm optimizing homogeneity over a 3 × 8 × 8 cm FOV and a built‐in gradient for slice selection or readout encoding. An external pair of gradient coils enables phase encoding in the other two directions and a radiofrequency (RF) coil provides excitation and detection. The system was demonstrated with high‐resolution 1D “depth profiling” and 3D phantom imaging. Results The lightweight B 0 magnet achieved a 64‐mT average field over the imaging region at a materials cost of <$450 USD. The weight of the magnet, gradient, and RF coil was 8.3 kg. Depth profiles were obtained at high resolution (0.89 mm) and multislice rapid acquisition with refocused echoes (RARE) images were obtained with a resolution ~2 mm in‐plane and ~6‐mm slice thickness, each in an imaging time of 11 min. Conclusion The system demonstrates the feasibility of a lightweight brain MRI system capable of 1D to 3D imaging within a reduced FOV. The proposed system is low‐cost and small enough to be used in point‐of‐care applications.