ISMRM23 - MR Engineering II: RF Coils for Nerds

ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition • 03-08 June 2023 • Toronto, ON, Canada

MR Engineering II: RF Coils for Nerds

Weekend Course

ORGANIZERS: Shaoying Huang, Özlem Ipek, Rolf Schulte, Xin Yu

Saturday, 03 June 2023

718B

13:00 - 17:00

Moderators: Sherry Huang & Seung-Kyun Lee

Skill Level: Intermediate

Session Number: WE-15

CME Credit

Session Number: WE-15

Overview
This educational course covers in-depth principles of RF coils and emerging technologies. Topics include the RF modeling tools used to analyze these coils and coil arrays and the interaction of RF fields with patients and other objects in the MR environment.

Target Audience
Scientists and engineers with an interest in understanding physical principles and technologies related to RF fields; the construction, design, and use of RF coils; and RF coil arrays.

Educational Objectives
As a result of attending this course, participants should be able to:
- Describe the basic theory, design, and characterization of multiple RF coils using electromagnetic field simulations;
- Illustrate the principles of operation and basic applications of receive and transmit RF coil arrays in flexible and wireless setup;
- Compare the relative advantages and disadvantages of using dielectric and metamaterials; and
- Describe the design of amplifiers and electronics for transmit and receive RF coil arrays.

13:00		Coil Decoupling Theory View Presentation Video Dennis Klomp
13:30		Flexible Coils View Presentation Video Michael Lustig Keywords: Physics & Engineering: Hardware Flexible coils provide comfort and fit to patients, improving image quality, SNR, acceleration and patient management. This talk discusses the challenges in designing and manufacturing flexible coils. And then goes through the different existing an emerging technologies for making the next generation flexible receiver arrays.
14:00		Wireless Coils View Presentation Video Lena Nohava Keywords: Physics & Engineering: Hardware This lecture focuses on the presentation of key requirements and possible strategies for the future development of wireless radiofrequency (RF) coils. On-coil signal digitization, different wireless transmission technologies as well as recent advances e.g., related to wireless control signaling, clock synchronization to the MRI system, and wireless power delivery strategies will be discussed. Course participants are introduced to the remaining challenges and perspectives in wireless RF coil development.
14:30		Dielectric & Metamaterials View Presentation Video Alexey Slobozhanyuk Keywords: Physics & Engineering: Physics, Physics & Engineering: Hardware, Physics & Engineering: RF Safety The development of new materials to improve MR image quality remains an active area of research, but has not yet found significant use in clinical applications. Within this lecture we will review how dielectric resonators and metamaterials can be used in clinical and ultra-high field MRI. We will highlight pros and cons of applications of new materials in clinics and give some simple recipes which may help to build very simple wireless coils and pads which can be used in different hospitals all around the world.
15:00		Break & Meet the Teachers
15:30		RF Amplifiers & Electronics View Presentation Video Nicola De Zanche Keywords: Physics & Engineering: Hardware, Physics & Engineering: RF Safety This lecture covers the basic concepts of small signal and power RF amplifiers, as well as the unique requirements for MR applications.
16:00		Simulation of RF Electromagnetic Fields for MRI: Methods and Applications View Presentation Video Christopher Collins Keywords: Physics & Engineering: RF Safety, Physics & Engineering: Hardware, Physics & Engineering: Physics Simulations of electromagnetic fields have many valuable uses for design and evaluation of RF coils with consideration of both performance and safety. What methods are best depend on the intended application, available resources, and preferences of the researcher. Successful use of RF simulations for MRI requires good understanding of the simulation process, the expected behavior of RF coils and the fields they produce, and how these fields relate to signal and/or heating during MRI. In this presentation, we will cover important concepts and methods for simulating RF coils, fields, and their effects in MRI.
16:30		RF Safety with Implants View Presentation Video Yigitcan Eryaman Keywords: Physics & Engineering: RF Safety This talk will focus on radio-frequency (RF) safety issues related to imaging patients with metallic implants. Different investigation methods including full-wave electromagnetic simulations, simplified transmission line models, and transfer-function measurements will be covered. Effect of RF induced currents on MR image quality will also be presented. Finally, a variety of mitigation strategies at different field strengths will be introduced.