QUADRATURE, RF COIL ARRAYS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL MRI

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The work proposed is within the mission of the NIAMS. In Phase I, a novel volume RF coil array with a 30-40% improvement in S/N for high-resolution knee MRI will be developed at 1.5T. Frequently mode distributions will be observed and phantom measurements are planned during the six month project. Phase II will involve optimizing the knee coil, shrinking the design to an elliptically shaped coil for wrist imaging. Expansions to a while-body coil for hip imaging are also planned. All these coils will be evaluated with phantoms and volunteers rigorously, prior to patient use. A major technical focus is to further improve the S/N of a NMR experiment by a factor of 2. Potential clinical and research uses will be geared toward obtaining reliable, reproducible high-resolution images needed to enhance diagnostic accuracy in possibly reduced scan times, decreasing patient discomfort while increasing throughput in a MR scanner. This we believe will be of a substantial benefit to mankind. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Clinical applications include non-ionizing, non-invasive and a cost effective approach toward diagnosis of arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases of the knee, wrist & hand, foot & ankle and hip when compared to the invasive arthrography. This project will provide improvements to MR phased array coil technology, including sequence and technique optimizations. If clinical value is demonstrated, MR systems based on this technology will find widespread applications in imaging the human musculoskeletal system.