HIGH S/N, HEAD AND NECK VOLUME PHASED ARRAY FOR NMR

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In Phase I, a head and neck array prototype RF coil capable of operating in the multiple (head only, neck only, head & neck) modes will be developed at l.5T. Phantom measurements and preliminary volunteer scans will be obtained to evaluate the signal-to-noise, uniformity, coverage, claustrophobia, etc. Phase II will involve optimizing the coil design, followed by extensive phantom and volunteer evaluations to achieve a high image quality over the head, neck, c-spine and the aortic arch. T,his design will be extended to 1.0 and 0.5T field strengths, validated and clinically verified prior to productization. Submissions to FDA and ETL for obtaining regulatory and compliance approvals will be made prior to the Phase II completion. Potential research and clinical uses include broad examinations of the brain, skull, face, neck, cervical spine, and blood vessels in patients with craniospinal traumatic injuries, stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders, and head and neck cancer. All this will translate into improved image quality, enhanced diagnostic accuracy in reduced scan times, decreasing patient discomfort while increasing throughput in a MR scanner. This we believe will be of substantial benefit to mankind and the US economy. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Clinical applications include non-ionizing, non-invasive brain, face, neck and aortic arch imaging when compared to ionizing radiation techniques, such as PET, SPECT. 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 the areas of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases, neurology, stroke, vascular traumatic brain and spine injuries, cerebrovascular disease, oncologic imaging of the head and neck.