Ankle coil assembly

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of magnetic resonance, in particular to an ankle coil assembly for ankle magnetic resonance imaging. The ankle coil assembly includes: a foot support configured to support an ankle of a subject; the flexible coil is configured to wrap the ankle and at least one part of the foot support on the inner periphery of the flexible coil together, so that the ankle is helped to be kept on the foot support.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of nuclear magnetic resonance technology, and more particularly to an ankle coil assembly. Background Technology

[0002] A magnetic resonance coil unit, mainly composed of coils and a coil carrier, is one of the important components of a magnetic resonance system. It receives magnetic resonance signals from areas such as the ankle, allowing the magnetic resonance system to process these signals and reconstruct a magnetic resonance image corresponding to the examined area.

[0003] Patent document CN 206671523 U (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses an ankle coil assembly for ankle magnetic resonance imaging. Its housing employs a combination of flexible and rigid structures. The RF (Radio Frequency) coil unit inside the housing, through the deformation of the flexible structure, can better conform to the area to be scanned, thereby increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of magnetic resonance imaging, improving image quality, and making clinical diagnosis more accurate. However, the ankle coil assembly proposed in Patent Document 1 has a relatively complex structure and is not convenient to use. Furthermore, there is still room for improvement in the fit between the RF coil unit and the examined area. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address at least one of the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides an ankle coil assembly.

[0005] The ankle coil assembly proposed in this application includes:

[0006] Footrests are configured to support the examinee's ankles;

[0007] A flexible coil is configured to wrap around at least a portion of the ankle and the footrest together on its inner periphery, thereby helping to keep the ankle on the footrest.

[0008] In some possible implementations, the footrest has a first coil unit located on the rear side of the ankle, and the flexible coil has second coil units located on the front, left, and right sides of the ankle, the flexible coil being configured to wrap the ankle and the first coil unit together within its inner circumference.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the footrest includes:

[0010] A support plate that supports the ankle by supporting the subject's heel, the support plate having the first coil unit;

[0011] The flexible coil is configured to wrap around the ankle and the support plate together within its inner circumference.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the footrest includes:

[0013] A base, wherein the tray is fixed to the base and forms a channel through the subject in the left-right direction;

[0014] The flexible coil wraps around the ankle and the support plate together by passing through the channel.

[0015] In some possible implementations, the flexible coil includes a central portion, a left portion extending from the central portion toward the left and right sides of the subject, respectively;

[0016] The flexible coil is configured such that, with the middle portion covering the front of the ankle, the left portion passes through the channel to the right and the right portion passes through the channel to the left, thereby wrapping the ankle and the support plate together around its inner circumference.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the tray has a flexible pad that contacts the subject, and the first coil unit is disposed within the flexible pad.

[0018] In some possible implementations, the tray includes:

[0019] A heel support portion for supporting the heel from the rear of the subject's heel;

[0020] The foot support portion is used to support the subject's foot from the sole side;

[0021] The flexible coil is configured to wrap around the ankle, the subject's foot, and the subject's calf together.

[0022] In some possible implementations, the heel support portion has a posterior calf coil unit located on the posterior side of the subject's lower leg, the foot support portion has a plantar coil unit located on the sole side of the subject's foot, and the flexible coil has an instep coil unit located on the dorsum side of the subject's foot and a posterior calf coil unit located on the anterior side of the lower leg.

[0023] The flexible coil is configured to enclose the ankle, the foot, the calf, the first coil unit, the foot-side coil unit, and the calf-side coil unit within its inner circumference.

[0024] In some possible implementations, the flexible coil is a deformable blanket structure.

[0025] In some possible implementations, it also includes:

[0026] Straps are used to secure the flexible coil to the ankle and the footrest.

[0027] In some possible implementations, the strap includes:

[0028] A first strap, one end of which is connected to the edge of the flexible coil, is used to bind and fix the flexible coil to the ankle and the footrest at the foot position of the subject;

[0029] The second strap, with one end connected to the edge of the flexible coil, is used to bind and secure the flexible coil to the ankle and footrest at the lower leg position of the subject. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below only relate to some embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit this application.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the ankle coil assembly provided in this application embodiment when the flexible coil is separated from the footrest.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the ankle coil assembly provided in this application before the flexible coil wraps around the ankle.

[0033] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Top view.

[0034] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Side view.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the ankle coil assembly provided in this application after the flexible coil wraps around the ankle.

[0036] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0037] P1 - foot, P2 - ankle, P3 - calf;

[0038] P2f - front of the ankle, P2b - back of the ankle;

[0039] 1000-Ankle Coil Assembly;

[0040] 100 - Flexible coil; 200 - Footrest;

[0041] 1-First flexible part;

[0042] 2-Second flexible part;

[0043] 3-ridge, 3F-first end segment, 3B-second end segment, 3M-middle segment;

[0044] 4-Base;

[0045] 5-Support plate, 5B-Heel support section, 5F-Forefoot support section, 51-Flexible pad;

[0046] 6-First binding strap;

[0047] 7-Second strap;

[0048] 8-channel;

[0049] 9-Outgoing cable box. Detailed Implementation

[0050] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. Based on the described embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application. It is understood that, without conflict, some technical means of the various embodiments described herein can be substituted for or combined with each other.

[0051] In the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish the described objects and have no sequential or technical meaning. Therefore, objects specified with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of those objects, and, for example, the term "first element" itself does not imply the existence of a "second element," nor does the term "second element" itself imply the existence of a "first element." Furthermore, words such as "a" or "one" do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one, while "multiple" indicates not less than two.

[0052] Figures 1 to 5 An ankle coil assembly 1000 (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the assembly 1000) according to an embodiment of this application is shown, which is used to receive magnetic resonance signals from the ankle P2 during magnetic resonance testing of the subject's ankle P2, thereby enabling the magnetic resonance system including the assembly to obtain a magnetic resonance image of the subject's ankle P2 based on the magnetic resonance signal using image reconstruction technology.

[0053] In use, the component 1000 can be positioned on the examination table of the magnetic resonance system. The patient lies on the examination table in a supine position, and the component supports the patient's limbs, including the ankle P2. The limbs include the patient's foot P1, ankle P2, and lower leg P3.

[0054] The component 1000 includes a footrest 200 and a flexible coil 100.

[0055] The footrest 200 includes a base 4 and a support plate 5 fixed to the base 4.

[0056] The bottom of the base 4 is a roughly flat plate, which can be used to stably support the base 4 on the examination bed during use.

[0057] The support plate 5 is formed in a generally L-shaped form corresponding to the limb combination of foot P1, ankle P2, and lower leg P3. It includes a heel support portion 5B for supporting the heel from the rear side of the heel and a foot support portion 5F for supporting the foot from the sole side of the foot. The heel support portion 5B and the foot support portion 5F are arranged in the aforementioned generally L-shaped form. To improve the user experience, each of the heel support portion 5B and the foot support portion 5F has a flexible pad 51 for direct contact with the limb of the user. Furthermore, the flexible pad 51 of the heel support portion 5B and the flexible pad 51 of the foot support portion 5F can be the same flexible pad 51 formed in a generally L-shape.

[0058] The flexible coil 100 includes a ridge 3 and a first flexible portion 1 and a second flexible portion 2 located on opposite sides of the ridge 3, the first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2 being deformable blanket structures. Furthermore, it is self-evident that the flexible coil 100 also includes RF coil units capable of sensing magnetic resonance signals, such as RF coil units that can be stitched and held inside the first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2. Additionally, the flexible coil 100 may also have RF coil units configured at the location of the ridge 3, such as the flexible coil 100 including a plurality of RF coil units hidden within its outer surface, and at least one RF coil unit extending across the first flexible portion 1, the ridge 3, and the second flexible portion 2.

[0059] A portion of the ridge 3 is configured to be curved in a shape corresponding to the front side P2f of the ankle. The first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2 have lower deformation stiffness than the ridge 3, meaning that the first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2 are more prone to deformation relative to the ridge 3. With this design, in use, the ridge 3 can be used to initially position the flexible coil 100 relative to the ankle P2 from the front side P2f of the ankle, and then the flexible coil 100 can be deformed rearward to wrap around the ankle P2, thereby using the RF coil unit of the flexible coil 100 to sense magnetic resonance signals from the ankle P2.

[0060] In some embodiments, the first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2 may be two sections of the same blanket, and a component defining the ridge 3 (e.g., a curved, extended strip of plastic) is joined to the middle of the same blanket. In other embodiments, the ridge 3, the first flexible portion 1, and the second flexible portion 2 may be three components that are pre-processed separately, and then these three components are assembled together with the RF coil unit, etc., to form the flexible coil 100.

[0061] To improve the quality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the ankle P2 and obtain MRI images of the surrounding tissues of the ankle P2, so that physicians can comprehensively analyze the condition of the ankle P2 based on a wider range of MRI images, this embodiment designs the flexible coil 100 to not only wrap around the patient's ankle P2, but also around the patient's foot P1 and lower leg P3. Accordingly, to facilitate easy positioning of the flexible coil 100 relative to the foot P1, ankle P2, and lower leg P3 during use, the ridge 3 is constructed to include a first end segment 3F for covering the instep of the foot P1, a second end segment 3B for covering the front side of the lower leg P3, and an intermediate segment 3M connecting the first and second segments and for covering the front side P2f of the ankle, wherein the intermediate segment 3M is curved in shape corresponding to the shape of the front side P2f of the ankle.

[0062] In use, the corresponding sections of the ridge 3 can first be applied to the instep of foot P1, the front side of the ankle P2f, and the front side of the lower leg P3, respectively. Then, by deforming each of the first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2 toward the sole and posterior side of the subject's ankle, the flexible coil 100 wraps around the subject's foot P1, ankle P2, and lower leg P3. It is understood that because the ridge 3 has a curved shape corresponding to the front side of the ankle P2f and has a higher deformation stiffness than the first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2, the operator can easily identify the ridge 3 visually and tactilely, and can easily and smoothly apply the ridge 3 to the front side of the ankle P2f without creating noticeable wrinkles.

[0063] During use, the flexible pad 51 of the heel support part 5B allows the heel of the subject's foot P1 and the lower leg P3 to contact, while the flexible pad 51 of the foot support part 5F allows the sole of the subject's foot P1 to contact, thus providing the subject with a relatively comfortable user experience.

[0064] It should be understood that the fact that ridge 3 has a higher deformation stiffness than the first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2 does not mean that ridge 3 is necessarily a deformable flexible structure; it also includes cases where ridge 3 is constructed as a rigid structure that cannot deform. For example, in some embodiments, ridge 3 is a rigid strip-shaped member formed of plastic, which is fixed at the middle position of a flexible portion, thereby dividing the flexible portion into the aforementioned first flexible portion 1 and second flexible portion 2.

[0065] With the ridge 3 being a rigid structure, flexible coils 100 of different sizes and ridges 3 of corresponding sizes can be configured to fit subjects of different body types.

[0066] In some embodiments, the spine 3 has good plasticity and is a plastic structure. With this design, the user can apply force to the spine 3 according to the shape of the current examination site (e.g., foot P1, ankle P2, and calf P3) to produce a small amount of plastic deformation, thereby allowing the spine 3 to better fit and cover the examination site.

[0067] In some embodiments, the ridge 3 is flexible, but its deformation stiffness is higher than that of the first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2. For example, the flexible coil 100 can be constructed by sewing a flexible strip of fabric or leather to the middle of a blanket body, such that the middle portion of the blanket body is thickened to have a higher deformation stiffness than other locations. In this way, the thickened area in the middle of the blanket body defines the ridge 3, while the non-thickened areas on both sides of the blanket body define the first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2, respectively.

[0068] In this embodiment, the ridge 3 is configured as a curved strip extending continuously from the toe position of foot P1 to the front of the lower leg P3. This design makes it easier to position the various parts of the flexible coil 100 relative to the area being examined.

[0069] In this embodiment, the flexible coil 100 is detachably attached to the rubber pad at the toe position of the subject's foot P1. More specifically, the flexible coil 100 has a rigid plastic cable outlet box 9 at the toe position of the subject's foot P1. Cables electrically connected to the various RF coil units inside the flexible coil 100 for transmitting signals are led out through the cable outlet box 9, which has locking ridges (without markings). Correspondingly, the foot pad 200 has a locking groove (without markings) that fits the aforementioned locking ridges. The connection between the flexible coil 100 and the foot pad 200 is achieved by engaging the locking ridges of the cable outlet box 9 into the locking grooves of the foot pad 200. This helps to suppress movement of the tested area relative to the foot pad 200.

[0070] In this embodiment, the L-shaped support plate 5 of the footrest 200 also has an RF coil unit. For distinction and ease of description, the RF coil unit of the footrest 200 is referred to as the first coil unit, and the RF coil unit of the flexible coil 100 is referred to as the second coil unit. The first coil unit can be installed in a receiving space inside the support plate 5 (e.g., inside the aforementioned flexible pad 51), and the second coil unit can be sewn and held inside the flexible coil 100. Obviously, the number of first coil units and the number of second coil units can each be multiple.

[0071] In use, the flexible coil 100 encloses the subject's ankle P2 and the support plate 5 with the first coil unit within its inner circumference. At least one of the first coil units (the posterior ankle coil unit) is located on the posterior side P2b of the ankle within the inner circumference of the flexible coil 100, and at least a portion of the second coil units are located on the anterior side P2f, the left side, and the right side of the ankle. In this way, on the one hand, the support plate 5 can be used to fix the position of the ankle P2, thereby suppressing the movement of the ankle P2 during magnetic resonance imaging. On the other hand, the first coil unit of the support plate 5 can also be used to receive magnetic resonance signals from the posterior side P2b of the ankle P2. Furthermore, with the flexible coil 100 covering the ankle P2 and the support plate 5, the support plate 5 is closer to the subject's ankle P2 than the portion of the flexible coil 100 located on the lower (outer) side of the support plate 5. Therefore, compared to using the portion of the flexible coil 100 on the outer side of the support plate 5 to receive magnetic resonance signals from the posterior side P2b of the ankle, the magnetic resonance signal received from the posterior side P2b of the ankle using the first coil unit of the support plate 5 is of higher quality.

[0072] Furthermore, since the flexible coil 100 wraps the patient's ankle P2 and the support plate 5 with the first coil unit together in its inner circumference, the flexible coil 100 also helps to mechanically hold the patient's ankle P2 in the foot support 200, that is, to suppress the movement of the examined part relative to the foot support 200, thereby suppressing magnetic resonance artifacts.

[0073] It should be understood that the aforementioned first coil unit being located on the posterior side P2b of the ankle within the inner periphery of the flexible coil 100 does not mean that the corresponding first coil unit should be entirely located on the posterior side P2b of the ankle. It also includes cases where only a portion of the first coil unit is located on the posterior side P2b of the ankle. For example, a portion of one first coil unit may be disposed on the heel support portion 5B, while another portion may be disposed on the forefoot support portion 5F.

[0074] It should also be understood that the aforementioned second coil unit located on the anterior side P2f, left side and right side of the ankle can include at least two different situations: 1. The same second coil unit is located on the anterior side P2f, left side and right side of the ankle simultaneously; 2. One second coil unit is located on the anterior side P2f of the ankle simultaneously, and the other two second coil units are located on the left side and right side of the ankle P2 respectively.

[0075] Additionally, the heel support portion 5B of the support plate 5 has a first coil unit located on the posterior side of the subject's lower leg P3 (lower leg P3 posterior coil unit), the foot support portion 5F has a first coil unit located on the sole side of the subject's foot (sole coil unit), and the flexible coil 100 has a second coil unit located on the instep side of the subject (instep coil unit) and a second coil unit located on the anterior side of the lower leg P3 (lower leg anterior coil unit). In other words, at least one first coil unit is located on the posterior side of the subject's lower leg P3 and disposed on the heel support portion 5B of the support plate 5, at least one first coil unit is located on the sole side and disposed on the foot support portion 5F of the support plate 5, at least one second coil unit is located on the instep side, and at least one second coil unit is located on the anterior side of the lower leg P3. In use, the flexible coil 100 wraps around the ankle P2, foot P1, lower leg P3, the ankle posterior coil unit, the lower leg P3 posterior coil unit, and the sole coil unit together within its inner circumference.

[0076] In some embodiments, a certain first coil unit is located both behind the ankle P2b and behind the lower leg P3, so it is both the coil unit behind the lower leg P3 and the coil unit behind the ankle.

[0077] The component also includes a first strap 6 and a second strap 7, one end of the first strap 6 and one end of the second strap 7 being sewn to the edge of the first flexible part 1, respectively. In use, the first strap 6 binds the flexible coil 100 to the subject at the foot P1 position, and the second strap 7 binds the flexible coil 100 to the subject at the lower leg P3 position.

[0078] More specifically, a channel 8 is formed between the footrest 200's support plate 5 and its base 4, extending in the left-right direction of the examinee. The flexible coil 100 passes through this channel 8 to wrap the examinee's ankle P2 and support plate 5 together within its inner circumference. In practice, the operator can first cover the front side P2f of the ankle with the middle part of the flexible coil 100 (i.e., the part defined by the ridge 3), and then wrap the ankle P2 and support plate 5 together within its inner circumference by inserting the left part of the flexible coil 100 (i.e., the first flexible part 1) to the right into the channel 8 and the right part of the flexible coil 100 (i.e., the second flexible part 2) to the left into the channel 8. The flexible coil 100 is then bound and fixed to the foot P1, ankle P2, lower leg P3, and support plate 4 using the first strap 6 and the second strap 7.

[0079] It is necessary to note that the ridge 3 can also be designed to have the same deformation stiffness as the first flexible portion 1 and the second flexible portion 2. For example, in some embodiments, a flexible blanket containing coil units and having a uniform appearance constitutes the flexible coil 100, and the ridge 3, the first flexible portion 1, and the second flexible portion 2 can be understood as three different regions of the flexible blanket.

[0080] In other embodiments, the tray 5 does not have an RF coil unit, but instead utilizes the RF coil unit in the flexible coil 100 to receive magnetic resonance signals. In this case, the flexible coil 100 may not wrap around the tray 5, but only around the subject's limb.

Claims

1. An ankle coil assembly, comprising: Comprising: a foot support configured to support an ankle of a subject; a flexible coil configured to wrap an inner periphery thereof with the ankle and at least a portion of the foot support, and thereby assist in holding the ankle to the foot support.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein, The foot support has a first coil unit at a rear side of the ankle, and the flexible coil has second coil units at a front side, a left side, and a right side of the ankle, the flexible coil being configured to wrap an inner periphery thereof with the ankle and the first coil unit.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein, The foot support comprises: a footboard supporting the ankle by supporting a heel of the subject, the footboard having the first coil unit; the flexible coil being configured to wrap an inner periphery thereof with the ankle and the footboard.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein, The foot support comprises: a base to which the footboard is fixed and between which and the footboard a passage is formed that penetrates in a left-right direction of the subject; the flexible coil wrapping an inner periphery thereof with the ankle and the footboard by threading through the passage.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein, The flexible coil comprises a middle portion, a left portion extending from the middle portion toward a left side of the subject, and a right portion extending from the middle portion toward a right side of the subject; the flexible coil being configured to wrap an inner periphery thereof with the ankle and the footboard by threading the left portion rightward through the passage and the right portion leftward through the passage with the middle portion covering a front side of the ankle.

6. The assembly of claim 3, wherein, The footboard has a flexible pad contacting the subject, and the first coil unit is disposed within the flexible pad.

7. The assembly of claim 3, wherein, The footboard comprises: a heel support portion for supporting a heel of the subject from a rear side of the heel; a ball support portion for supporting a ball of the subject from a sole side; the flexible coil being configured to wrap an inner periphery thereof with the ankle, a foot of the subject, and a lower leg of the subject.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein, The heel support portion has a lower leg rear side coil unit at a rear side of the lower leg of the subject, the ball support portion has a sole side coil unit at a sole side of the foot of the subject, and the flexible coil has a dorsum of foot coil unit at a dorsum of foot side of the foot of the subject and a lower leg front side coil unit at a front side of the lower leg; the flexible coil being configured to wrap an inner periphery thereof with the ankle, the foot, the lower leg, the first coil unit, the sole side coil unit, and the lower leg rear side coil unit.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein, The flexible coil is a deformable blanket structure.

10. The assembly of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, Further comprising: a strap for binding the flexible coil to the ankle and the foot support.

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