Chest Wall Coil Array for Breast MRI
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional RF coils designed for normal breasts have a reduced signal-to-noise ratio when used on smaller or surgically altered breasts, such as those post-mastectomy or male breasts, due to their fixed design, which fails to accommodate individual breast sizes and shapes effectively.
Innovation Solution
A flexible coil array system comprising a rigid cup-shaped element and a flexible mounting element that can be adjusted to fit the chest wall, allowing for customizable positioning and compression to immobilize the breast tissue, including a chest wall coil array and a lateral array for comprehensive imaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional RF coil designed for normal breasts is used, then the coil provides uniform signal-to-noise ratio over a large volume of interest, but the signal-to-noise ratio is significantly reduced when applied to small or surgically altered breasts
Solution Approach 1:
The coil is divided into multiple segments including a rigid cup-shaped element and a flexible mounting element with multiple RF coils. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the rigid cup provides structural support and consistent positioning, while the flexible mounting element with multiple coils can be configured to match different breast sizes and shapes, thereby maintaining high signal-to-noise ratio across diverse anatomical variations
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting element is designed to be flexible and adjustable rather than fixed, allowing it to adapt dynamically to different breast sizes and shapes. This dynamic configuration capability enables the coil array to maintain optimal signal-to-noise ratio whether imaging normal breasts, small breasts, or surgically altered breasts by adjusting the flexible mounting element to match the specific anatomy
2Measurement precision
If an RF coil is customized to fit individual breast sizes and shapes, then the signal-to-noise ratio is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the rigid cup-shaped element with the flexible mounting element containing multiple RF coils into a single integrated assembly. This combination allows the system to achieve customized fit for different breast sizes and shapes (improving signal-to-noise ratio) while maintaining relatively simple device complexity, as the rigid and flexible components work together as a unified structure rather than requiring separate complex adjustment mechanisms
3Ease of manufacture
If a fixed coil design is used for normal breasts, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the coil cannot effectively accommodate individual breast sizes and shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting element is constructed as a flexible structure that can be manufactured in a standardized form but then configured to match different breast anatomies. This flexible mounting element allows the coil to maintain manufacturing simplicity (producing a standardized base structure) while achieving adaptability to individual breast sizes and shapes through flexible positioning and configuration of the RF coils on the mounting element
Data Source
AI summary
A RF coil array is provided for imaging a chest wall of a patient including a breast. The RF coil array includes a rigid cup-shaped element and a flexible, substantially flat portion. The rigid cup-shaped element is sized and dimensioned to receive a small breast, such as a post mastectomy breast or a male breast, and the flexible portion is configured to be conformed to the patient adjacent the breast to allow for imaging of the breast, and adjacent areas while facing the chest wall.