External Cable Routing for PET-MR Head Coil Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connection methods for head coils in magnetic resonance and PET imaging systems either interfere with patient comfort, introduce noise, or complicate the imaging process due to cable routing through radiofrequency fields and require additional materials within the PET detector.
Innovation Solution
The cable connection is routed externally around the PET detector, avoiding the radiofrequency field and using a guide device to maintain a stable path, ensuring the patient support and head coil can move freely without inducing voltage interference or image noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cable connection is routed through the PET detector and radiofrequency field region to connect head coil electronics on the head side to the connector location, then the electronics can be positioned on the head side, but this introduces coupling and distortion of magnetic fields, high induced voltages, vibrations, instabilities, and requires additional material inside the PET detector causing attenuation and image noise
Solution Approach 1:
The cable connection is extracted from the PET detector interior and routed externally around the detector. The electronics remain on the head side of the patient support, but the cable path is removed from the radiofrequency field region and PET detector interior, eliminating the source of coupling, distortion, and image noise while preserving the operational advantage of having electronics positioned on the head side
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the electronics are arranged on the foot side to avoid additional material inside the PET detector, then image noise is reduced, but the electronics interfere with patient breathing freedom and cause patient discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The cable connection is extracted from the PET detector interior and routed externally. This allows the electronics to be positioned on the head side where they do not interfere with patient breathing, while the external cable routing ensures no additional material is present inside the PET detector to cause image noise or attenuation
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the cable connection is routed externally around the PET detector, then image noise is reduced and the radiofrequency field remains unperturbed, but the cable path becomes more complex and requires guide devices to maintain stable paths
Solution Approach 1:
Guide devices are introduced as intermediary elements to manage the externally routed cable connection. These guide devices maintain stable cable paths around the PET detector without interfering with the radiofrequency field or PET detection, enabling the beneficial external routing while controlling the inherent complexity through structured guidance
Data Source
AI summary
A connection device is provided for connecting electronics of a head coil arranged on a patient support to a connector location provided on the patient support, the head coil being insertable into a PET detector arranged in a magnetic resonance instrument so that simultaneous magnetic resonance and PET recording is possible. In at least one embodiment, the connection device includes a cable connection with at least one releasable device for attachment to the electronics and the connector location, wherein the cable connection is fed from the electronics through the annular PET detector and externally on the PET detector back to the connector location.