Design, Characterisation and Performance of an Improved Portable and Sustainable Low-Field MRI System

Low-field permanent magnet-based MRI systems are finding increasing use in portable, sustainable and point-of-care applications. In order to maximize performance while minimizing cost many components of such a system should ideally be designed specifically for low frequency operation. In this paper...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in physics 2021-07, Vol.9
Main Authors: de Vos, Bart, Parsa, Javad, Abdulrazaq, Zaynab, Teeuwisse, Wouter M., Van Speybroeck, Camille D. E., de Gans, Danny H., Remis, Rob F., O’Reilly, Tom, Webb, Andrew G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
gradient coil design
halbach magnet
low field MRI
MR hardware
RF amplifier
RF coil array
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Summary:Low-field permanent magnet-based MRI systems are finding increasing use in portable, sustainable and point-of-care applications. In order to maximize performance while minimizing cost many components of such a system should ideally be designed specifically for low frequency operation. In this paper we describe recent developments in constructing and characterising a low-field portable MRI system for in vivo imaging at 50 mT. These developments include the design of i) high-linearity gradient coils using a modified volume-based target field approach, ii) phased-array receive coils, and iii) a battery-operated three-axis gradient amplifier for improved portability and sustainability. In addition, we report performance characterisation of the RF amplifier, the gradient amplifier, eddy currents from the gradient coils, and describe a quality control protocol for the overall system.
ISSN:2296-424X
2296-424X
DOI:10.3389/fphy.2021.701157