Vacuum Splint With Integrated Flexible RF Coil for MRI
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum splints used for immobilizing injured body parts can interfere with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures due to their rigid structure and presence of external receive coils, which may not conform well to the patient's anatomy, leading to suboptimal imaging results.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a flexible radiofrequency surface receive coil within the vacuum splint's chamber, allowing the coil to conform to the patient's anatomy and operate as a receive coil during MRI imaging, eliminating the need for external coils and enhancing signal-noise ratio.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vacuum splint with external receive coils is used for MRI imaging, then the patient can be immobilized, but the imaging quality deteriorates due to poor conformance to anatomy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the vacuum splint structure with an integrated flexible RF coil into a single unified device. The coil is embedded within the splint's chamber, allowing simultaneous immobilization and high-quality MRI imaging without requiring separate external coils, thereby resolving the contradiction between stabilization and imaging quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible RF coil that can conform to the patient's anatomy when the splint is applied. This flexibility allows the coil to maintain optimal contact with the body surface for improved signal reception while the splint provides rigid immobilization, thus resolving the contradiction between stability and imaging precision.
2Productivity
If external receive coils are used for MRI imaging, then the imaging can be performed, but the signal-noise ratio deteriorates due to distance from anatomy
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the RF coil within the vacuum splint structure, the coil is positioned in close proximity to the patient's anatomy. This integration eliminates the need for separate external coils and ensures optimal positioning for signal reception, thereby improving the signal-noise ratio while maintaining imaging capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum splint chamber acts as an intermediary structure that holds the RF coil in optimal position against the patient's anatomy. This intermediary positioning ensures the coil is close enough for high signal reception while allowing the splint to provide the necessary immobilization, thus resolving the contradiction between imaging productivity and signal quality.
3Reliability
If rigid splint structures are used for immobilization, then stability is improved, but adaptability to patient anatomy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum splint employs a dynamic structure that transitions from a flexible state during application to a rigid evacuated state during use. This allows the splint to adapt to various patient positions and anatomies during application, then provides rigid stabilization during imaging, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The splint incorporates flexible materials and a collapsible chamber structure that can be molded to fit different patient anatomies. When evacuated, these flexible structures maintain their shape and provide rigid support, allowing the device to adapt to various body parts while delivering stable immobilization for MRI imaging.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides stable immobilization and improved imaging quality by ensuring a precise fit of the receive coil to the anatomy, minimizing motion artifacts and enhancing the signal-noise ratio during MRI scans.
Implementation Method 1
The chamber is configured to have substantially all of the air contained therein evacuated
Implementation Method 2
A flexible radiofrequency surface receive coil is disposed within the chamber
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A device for supporting a body part, the device including a sleeve adapted to support the body part, the sleeve containing a chamber that is configured to have substantially all of the air contained therein evacuated, the device further including a flexible radiofrequency surface receive coil disposed within the chamber.