Hybrid Intravascular Imaging Coils

E. Y. Wong, C. M. Hillenbrand, J. S. Lewin, J. L. Duerk Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States, Department of Radiology, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH, United States Introduction The use of MRI in minimally invasive, intravascular therapeutic procedures, has increased the need for imaging coils that provide accurate visualization of the vasculature [1-2], particularly in vessel wall imaging procedures for identification and characterization of atherosclerotic plaque components [3]. Several antenna designs including dipole antennas, single loops and opposed solenoids have been proposed and successfully used in intravascular imaging procedures [4-7]. Of these coil designs, the opposed-solenoid configuration is one that has great potential for improved intravascular imaging. The opposed-solenoid antenna is based on groups of helical loops separated by a gap region, with current driven in opposite directions on either side of the gap. Within the gap, there is a substantial radial protrusion of field lines beyond the diameter of the helical loops, which provides a homogeneous region of high sensitivity suitable for endovascular imaging [4-6]. However, one major drawback of the opposed-solenoid imaging antenna is the small area of longitudinal coverage when compared with other designs. This small longitudinal coverage reduces the device’s effectiveness for survey imaging in the coronal or sagittal planes, where the objective is to quickly obtain low resolution images of the vasculature in order to identify disease or pathology before more detailed, high-resolution imaging is performed to characterize that pathology. In this project we seek to modify the opposed solenoid coil in a manner which would provide extended longitudinal coverage for survey imaging while retaining the highly homogeneous and uniform capability of the opposed-solenoid imaging coil. We will accomplish this objective through the addition of single-loop coil elements to a standard opposedsolenoid imaging coil.