Shoulder coil

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of magnetic resonance imaging, in particular to a shoulder joint coil with a flexible structure, which comprises: a flexible support body, comprising a first flexible part covering the shoulder of a subject from the front side of the subject, a second flexible part covering the shoulder from the back side of the subject, a third flexible part covering the shoulder from the upper side of the subject, and a fourth flexible part covering the upper arm of the subject from the outer side in the left-right direction of the subject; and a plurality of radio frequency coils supported by the first flexible part, the second flexible part, the third flexible part and the fourth flexible part, and configured to deform following the deformation of the flexible support body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of nuclear magnetic resonance technology, and more particularly to a shoulder joint coil. 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] Chinese patent document CN102809735A discloses a shoulder joint coil, which adapts to the shoulder examination requirements of different subjects by setting multiple flexibly flippable upper component elements containing internal radio frequency coils. However, the structure of this shoulder joint coil is relatively complex, and frequent large-angle flipping during use can cause damage (e.g., breakage) to the internal coil units. In addition, the upper component elements carrying the coil units in this document do not have deformability, so the fit between each upper component element and the subject's shoulder is not high. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address at least one of the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a shoulder joint coil.

[0005] The shoulder joint coil proposed in this application includes:

[0006] The flexible support includes a first flexible portion covering the subject's shoulder from the front, a second flexible portion covering the subject's shoulder from the rear, a third flexible portion covering the subject's shoulder from the upper side, and a fourth flexible portion covering the subject's upper arm from the left and right sides of the subject.

[0007] Multiple radio frequency coils are supported by the first flexible portion, the second flexible portion, the third flexible portion and the fourth flexible portion, and are configured to deform in accordance with the deformation of the flexible support.

[0008] In some possible implementations, the flexible support has an unfolded form and a working form;

[0009] In the unfolded form, the flexible support has an opening extending to the edge of the flexible support, a first end portion and a second end portion separated by the opening and opposite to each other in the width direction of the opening, and a middle portion opposite to the opening in the depth direction of the opening.

[0010] The flexible support is configured to deform into the working form by having the middle portion cover the upper arm from the left and right sides of the subject, and both the first end portion and the second end portion cover the shoulder from the upper side of the subject.

[0011] In the operating state, the middle portion defines the fourth flexible portion, and the first end portion and the second end portion define the third flexible portion.

[0012] In some possible implementations, in the working configuration, the first end portion and the second end portion at least partially overlap.

[0013] In some possible implementations, in the operating configuration, based on at least partial stacking of the first end-side portion and the second end-side portion, at least one of the plurality of RF coils and at least one other RF coil partially overlap, wherein the at least one RF coil is an RF coil supported by the first end-side portion, and the at least one RF coil is an RF coil supported by the second end-side portion.

[0014] In some possible implementations, including:

[0015] The connector is configured to connect the first end portion to the second end portion when the flexible support is in the working state.

[0016] In some possible implementations, the connector is configured to be able to adjust the relative position of the connection between the first end portion and the second end portion in the front-back direction of the subject.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the connector includes:

[0018] An adhesive portion is disposed on the first end side portion;

[0019] The bonded portion is disposed on the second end side portion;

[0020] By bonding the adhesive portion to the bonded portion, the first end side portion is connected to the second end side portion;

[0021] Furthermore, the relative position of the adhesive portion and the bonded portion is adjustable in the front-back direction of the subject.

[0022] In some possible implementations, the flexible support has a lead-out portion extending from the opening, through which a cable electrically connected to the radio frequency coil is led out.

[0023] In some possible implementations, in the unfolded form, the lead portion fills the opening, and the flexible support is planar in shape.

[0024] In some possible implementations, in the unfolded configuration, the flexible support is symmetrical about a virtual plane, and the plurality of radio frequency coils are also symmetrical about the virtual plane, wherein the virtual plane is a plane passing through the opening and the middle portion.

[0025] The coil assembly provided in this application includes: a flexible support body comprising a first flexible portion covering the subject's shoulder from the front, a second flexible portion covering the subject's shoulder from the rear, a third flexible portion covering the subject's shoulder from the upper side, and a fourth flexible portion covering the subject's upper arm from the left and right sides; and a plurality of radio frequency coils supported by the first, second, third, and fourth flexible portions and configured to deform in accordance with the deformation of the flexible support body. Therefore, the radio frequency coils can be well proximated to the subject's shoulder joint in multiple directions, thereby contributing to the acquisition of high-quality magnetic resonance images. Attached Figure Description

[0026] 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.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the shoulder joint coil provided in the embodiment of this application in its unfolded state.

[0028] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the shoulder joint coil in working mode and applied to the subject's left shoulder.

[0029] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Side view.

[0030] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the shoulder joint coil in working mode and applied to the right shoulder of the examinee.

[0031] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Side view.

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a shoulder joint coil provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0033] Figure 7 Observing from another perspective Figure 6 A diagram showing the time.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0035] 100-Shoulder joint coil;

[0036] VF - Virtual plane, AX - Virtual axis;

[0037] 1- Flexible support structure;

[0038] 1a - First flexible part, 1b - Second flexible part, 1c - Third flexible part, 1d - Fourth flexible part, 1e - First end side part, 1f - Second end side part, 1g - Middle part, 1h - Outgoing part, 1i - Opening;

[0039] 2, 2d, 2e-RF coils;

[0040] Te1 - First group of RF coils, Te2 - Second group of RF coils;

[0041] 2A - First RF coil, 2B - Second RF coil, 2C - Third RF coil;

[0042] 3-Connectors;

[0043] 4-Receiving cavity, 4a-Root, 4b-Opening. Detailed Implementation

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] Figure 1 A shoulder joint coil 100 according to an embodiment of this application is shown, and Figures 2 to 4 A schematic diagram of the shoulder joint coil 100 in use is shown. The shoulder joint coil 100 includes a flexible support 1 and a plurality of radio frequency coils 2 supported by the flexible support 1, the plurality of radio frequency coils 2 being configured to deform in accordance with the deformation of the flexible support 1.

[0047] In this embodiment, the flexible support 1 deforms to have an unfolded form and a working form, and the shoulder joint coil 100 is a receiving coil. In the working form, the shape of the flexible support 1 corresponds to the shape of the subject's shoulder and upper arm, defining a receiving cavity 4 for receiving the subject's shoulder (e.g., left or right shoulder) and upper arm. Consequently, the plurality of radio frequency coils 2 following the flexible support 1 also deform to correspond to the shape of the subject's shoulder and upper arm, so as to receive magnetic resonance signals from the subject's shoulder joint around the shoulder and upper arm. In other embodiments, the shoulder joint coil 100 is a transmitting coil, which uses the radio frequency signals emitted by the plurality of radio frequency coils 2 around the shoulder and upper arm to cause the hydrogen nuclei of the shoulder joint to generate magnetic resonance signals.

[0048] Specifically, in its working configuration, the flexible support 1 includes a first flexible portion 1a covering the subject's shoulder from the front, a second flexible portion 1b covering the subject's shoulder from the back, a third flexible portion 1c covering the subject's shoulder from the upper side, and a fourth flexible portion 1d covering the subject's upper arm from the left and right sides. The first flexible portion 1a, second flexible portion 1b, third flexible portion 1c, and fourth flexible portion 1d define the aforementioned approximately conical receiving cavity 4. Multiple radio frequency coils 2 are supported by the first flexible portion 1a, second flexible portion 1b, third flexible portion 1c, and fourth flexible portion 1d; that is, each of the first flexible portion 1a, second flexible portion 1b, third flexible portion 1c, and fourth flexible portion 1d supports a portion of the multiple radio frequency coils 2.

[0049] Understandably, since the first flexible part 1a, the second flexible part 1b, the third flexible part 1c and the fourth flexible part 1d can all produce flexible deformation, and they respectively cover the front, back and upper sides of the shoulder and the outer sides of the upper arm in the left and right directions, the radio frequency coil 2 supported by these four flexible parts can approach the subject's shoulder joint well in multiple directions, which helps to obtain high-quality magnetic resonance images.

[0050] The receiving cavity 4 has a root portion 4a corresponding to the root end of the upper arm and an opening 4b opposite to the root portion 4a, wherein the opening 4b faces the subject's body, and the receiving cavity 4 defines a virtual axis AX extending between the root portion 4a and the opening 4b. More specifically, when the shoulder joint coil 100 is used to perform an MRI scan of the subject's left shoulder joint, the opening 4b of the receiving cavity 4 faces the subject's body to the lower right, and the virtual axis AX extends to the lower right; when the shoulder joint coil 100 is used to perform an MRI scan of the subject's right shoulder joint, the opening 4b of the receiving cavity 4 faces the subject's body to the lower left, and the virtual axis AX extends to the lower left. It is understood that the root end of the upper arm corresponds to the connection between the subject's upper arm and shoulder.

[0051] In this embodiment, the root 4a of the receiving cavity 4 has a hole much smaller than the opening 4b, through which the virtual axis AX extends. This hole allows for the release of stress on the shoulder joint coil, particularly the flexible support 1, at the root 4a, and prevents significant bulging or wrinkling of the flexible support 1 at the root 4a.

[0052] The size of the receiving cavity 4 is formed to gradually increase from the root 4a to the opening 4b, so as to adapt to the shape of the part of the human body to be examined.

[0053] In some embodiments, the flexible support 1 is a freely deformable soft blanket, and the radio frequency coil 2 is stitched and attached to the interior of the soft blanket—that is, between the two main surfaces of the soft blanket.

[0054] It should be understood that the term "subject's upper side" in this article refers to the direction relative to the subject's head and feet. Therefore, "subject's upper side" can also be referred to as the top of the subject's head, and correspondingly, "subject's upper side" corresponds to the bottom of the subject's feet. Thus, when the subject uses the shoulder coil 100 in a supine position, from the perspective of the radiologist operating the MRI equipment, "subject's upper side" is actually a horizontal side.

[0055] In the aforementioned unfolded form, the flexible support 1 has an opening 1i extending to the edge of the flexible support 1, a first end portion 1e and a second end portion 1f separated by the opening 1i and facing each other in the width direction of the opening 1i (corresponding to the front-back direction of the examinee), and a middle portion 1g facing the opening 1i in the depth direction of the opening 1i. The flexible support 1 is configured to deform into the aforementioned working form by having the middle portion 1g cover the upper arm from the outside in the left-right direction of the examinee, and having both the first end portion 1e and the second end portion cover the shoulder from the upper side of the examinee. In the working state, the middle portion 1g defines a third flexible portion 1c, and the first end portion 1e and the second end portion 1f define a fourth flexible portion 1d. Thus, the shoulder joint coil 100 assembly deforms from the unfolded form to the working form based on the body (upper arm and shoulder) contour of the examinee, making it convenient to use.

[0056] In some embodiments, in the working configuration, the first end portion 1e and the second end portion 1f (in the vertical direction or head-to-toe direction of the subject) at least partially overlap, and based on this at least partial overlap of the first end portion 1e and the second end portion 1f, the radio frequency coils 2d and 2e of the plurality of radio frequency coils 2 partially overlap to decouple, wherein the radio frequency coil 2d is a radio frequency coil 2 supported by the first end portion 1e, and the radio frequency coil 2e is a radio frequency coil 2 supported by the second end portion 1f. More specifically, two such radio frequency coils 2d and 2e are respectively provided.

[0057] It also includes a connector 3, which is configured to connect the first end portion 1e to the second end portion 1f when the flexible support 1 is in the working state, and to adjust the relative position of the connection between the first end portion 1e and the second end portion 1f in the front-back direction of the examinee. In this way, the relative position of the connection between the first end portion 1e and the second end portion 1f can be adjusted by using the connector 3 to adjust the tightness of the shoulder joint coil 100 relative to the examinee in the working state, and the shoulder joint coil 100 can also be adapted to examinees of different body types.

[0058] In this embodiment, the connector 3 is a Velcro component, which includes an adhesive portion and a bonded portion, wherein the adhesive portion is disposed on the first end side portion 1e, and the bonded portion is disposed on the second end side portion 1f. By bonding the adhesive portion to the bonded portion, the first end side portion 1e is connected to the second end side portion 1f, and the relative position of the adhesive portion and the bonded portion in the front-back direction of the subject is adjustable.

[0059] The flexible support 1 also has a lead-out portion 1h extending from the opening 1i, through which a cable electrically connected to the radio frequency coil 2 (not shown in the figure) is led out to transmit the magnetic resonance signal to an external device, such as the receiver of a magnetic resonance system.

[0060] In the unfolded form, the aforementioned lead portion 1h fills (for example, completely fills) the opening 1i, and the flexible support 1 is planar in shape. In this way, the flexible support 1 can be easily manufactured.

[0061] Furthermore, in its unfolded form, the flexible support 1 is symmetrical about a virtual plane VF, and the multiple radio frequency coils 2 are also symmetrical about this virtual plane VF, which is a plane passing through the opening 1i and the middle portion 1g. This design allows the flexible support 1 to be used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of both the left and right shoulder joints of the same patient. When performing MRI on the left and right shoulder joints of the same patient, the shoulder joint coils 100 exhibit essentially consistent imaging characteristics, such as… Figures 2 to 5 .

[0062] In other embodiments, the shoulder joint coil 100 may not have the aforementioned deployed state, but only has Figures 2 to 5 The shape shown has a receiving cavity 4. For example, the first end portion 1e and the second end portion 1f can be stitched together and cannot be separated from each other.

[0063] And to facilitate understanding of the description in the previous paragraph, Figure 6 and Figure 7 The shoulder joint coil 100 without being in an extended state is shown.

[0064] Although Figures 1 to 5 The illustrated embodiments and Figures 6 to 7 The other embodiment shown differs in whether the product can be unfolded; however, both have essentially the same structure in use. For details, please refer to... Figures 2 to 7 and combined Figure 1 :

[0065] Both have 16 radio frequency coils 2. These 16 radio frequency coils 2 include a first group of radio frequency coils Te1 and a second group of radio frequency coils Te2 arranged in the extension direction of the aforementioned virtual axis AX, as well as two third radio frequency coils 2C. The first group of radio frequency coils Te1 is located on the root 4a side of the receiving cavity 4 and includes four first radio frequency coils 2A around the virtual axis AX. The second group of radio frequency coils Te2 is located on the opening 4b side of the receiving cavity 4 and includes ten second radio frequency coils 2B around the virtual axis AX. One third radio frequency coil 2C is arranged between the first group of radio frequency coils Te1 and the second group of radio frequency coils Te2 on the front side of the subject, and the other third radio frequency coil 2C is arranged between the first group of radio frequency coils Te1 and the second group of radio frequency coils Te2 on the rear side of the subject.

[0066] When the shoulder joint coil 100 is configured with 16 radio frequency coils 2 arranged in the manner described above, it helps to fully and rationally utilize the installation space of the coil support, thereby easily obtaining high-quality magnetic resonance images. In the embodiments of this application, the aforementioned coil support is a flexible support 1. Obviously, those skilled in the art will also understand that even when the coil support is not a flexible support 1 (e.g., a rigid support), arranging 16 radio frequency coils 2 in the manner described above also fully and rationally utilizes the installation space of the coil support and helps to obtain high-quality magnetic resonance images.

[0067] Furthermore, the four first RF coils 2A of the first group of RF coils Te1 are arranged in a closed first loop around the entire circumference of the virtual axis AX, with any two adjacent first RF coils 2A partially overlapping each other for decoupling. The ten second RF coils 2B of the second group of RF coils Te2 are arranged in a closed second loop around the entire circumference of the virtual axis AX, which is larger than the first loop, with any two adjacent second RF coils 2B partially overlapping each other for decoupling. In addition, each first RF coil 2A and each second RF coil 2B has the same size, and the two third RF coils 2C have the same size, with the third RF coil 2C being slightly larger than the first RF coils 2A and the second RF coils 2B. Furthermore, two of the first RF coils 2A in the first group of RF coils Te1 and four of the second RF coils 2B in the second group of RF coils Te2 partially overlap with one of the third RF coils 2C for decoupling, and the other two first RF coils 2A in the first group of RF coils Te1 and the other four second RF coils 2B in the second group of RF coils Te2 partially overlap with the other third RF coil 2C for decoupling.

[0068] The four first radio frequency coils 2A of the first group of radio frequency coils Te1 are arranged near the root 4a of the receiving cavity 4, and the cable for transmitting magnetic resonance signals (corresponding to the outgoing part 1h) is led out from the inner hole area of ​​the aforementioned closed first ring defined by these four first radio frequency coils 2A, thereby making the design and manufacture of the shoulder joint coil easier. The ten second radio frequency coils 2B of the second group of radio frequency coils Te2 are arranged near the edge of the opening 4b of the receiving cavity 4.

Claims

1. A shoulder joint coil, characterized by, include: The flexible support includes a first flexible portion covering the subject's shoulder from the front, a second flexible portion covering the subject's shoulder from the rear, a third flexible portion covering the subject's shoulder from the upper side, and a fourth flexible portion covering the subject's upper arm from the left and right sides of the subject. Multiple radio frequency coils are supported by the first flexible portion, the second flexible portion, the third flexible portion and the fourth flexible portion, and are configured to deform in accordance with the deformation of the flexible support.

2. The shoulder coil of claim 1, wherein, The flexible support has an unfolded form and a working form; In the unfolded form, the flexible support has an opening extending to the edge of the flexible support, a first end portion and a second end portion separated by the opening and opposite to each other in the width direction of the opening, and a middle portion opposite to the opening in the depth direction of the opening. The flexible support is configured to deform into the working form by having the middle portion cover the upper arm from the left and right sides of the subject, and both the first end portion and the second end portion cover the shoulder from the upper side of the subject. In the operating configuration, the middle portion defines the fourth flexible portion, and the first end portion and the second end portion define the third flexible portion.

3. The shoulder coil of claim 2, wherein, In the operating configuration, the first end portion and the second end portion at least partially overlap.

4. The shoulder coil of claim 3, wherein, In the operating mode, based on the at least partial stacking of the first end-side portion and the second end-side portion, at least one radio frequency coil and at least another radio frequency coil of the plurality of radio frequency coils partially overlap, wherein the at least one radio frequency coil is a radio frequency coil supported by the first end-side portion, and the at least another radio frequency coil is a radio frequency coil supported by the second end-side portion.

5. The shoulder coil of claim 2, wherein, include: The connector is configured to connect the first end portion to the second end portion when the flexible support is in the working state.

6. The shoulder coil of claim 5, wherein, The connector is configured to adjust the relative position of the connection between the first end portion and the second end portion in the front-back direction of the subject.

7. The shoulder coil of claim 6, wherein, The connector includes: An adhesive portion is provided on the first end side portion; The bonded portion is disposed on the second end side portion; By bonding the adhesive portion to the bonded portion, the first end side portion is connected to the second end side portion; Furthermore, the relative position of the adhesive portion and the bonded portion is adjustable in the front-back direction of the subject.

8. The shoulder coil of claim 2, wherein, The flexible support has a cable outlet portion extending from the opening, through which a cable electrically connected to the radio frequency coil is led out.

9. The shoulder coil of claim 8, wherein, In the unfolded form, the protruding portion fills the opening, and the flexible support body is planar in shape.

10. The shoulder coil of any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein, In the unfolded configuration, the flexible support is symmetrical about a virtual plane, and the plurality of radio frequency coils are also symmetrical about the virtual plane, wherein the virtual plane is a plane passing through the opening and the middle portion.

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