Special Procedures Head Coil

This Special Procedures MRI Head Coil will serve a number of different imaging functions. The system consists of a basic transmit and receive quadrature coil for standard imaging, radiation therapy planning, pediatric imaging and/or dual tuned spectroscopy.

This coil is a 12-element birdcage that is 11 inches in diameter and 11 inches between end rings. The electrical performance is similar to the existing GE system head coil in transmit power and SNR (up to 10% increase in SNR). The difference is this coil splits in half to allow for easier patient access and positioning. Also, it is not fixed to the table, allowing it to be easily positioned and slid on the table. The head pad and positioner pads slide within the coil, allowing the coils to be used in a number of unique ways. Once the patient is laid into the coil, the coil can then be positioned around the patient without the patient having to move. This is accomplished with the top off the coil, so the amount of time that the patient is confined is kept to a minimum. Along with larger openings and wide field-of-view mirror, patient anxiety and claustrophobia is reduced.

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Elekta Stereotactic Frame Positioner

This stereotactic frame positioner is for use in the Special Procedures Head Coil. Designed for use with the Leksell® stereotactic head frame, the stereotactic frame positioner addresses drawbacks of other stereotactic head positioners.

Typically, these other positioners are cumbersome and fit poorly into system head coils. While the stereotactic frame is affixed to a patient’s head outside of the MRI suite, the correct positioning is not always apparent without the MRI coordinate frame and MRI coil present. This is because the positioner is attached at the patient end of the system.

With other systems, if the stereotactic frame is inadvertently positioned too low on the patient, the patient’s shoulders will contact the MR coil, preventing complete head coverage. Likewise, if the stereotactic frame is positioned too high on the patient’s head, the lesion may not be in the MR coil’s field of view. Finally, if the stereotactic frame is positioned at a poor angle or too far anterior, the patient may not fit into this type of positioner. As a consequence, the stereotactic frame could require repositioning – a poor alternative.

The solution is this stereotactic frame positioner. The positioner is attached inside of the coil, (allowing more mobility of coil positioning and freedom of stereotactic frame positioning) and retains a slide mechanism in conjunction to the MR coil’s slide mechanism. This allows the positioner to slide in and out of the coil as well as the coil sliding up and down the table. Now, an inaccurately positioned stereotactic frame will be of little consequence.

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Thermoplastic Immobilization Kit

The Special Procedures Head Coil was designed specifically to accommodate radiation oncology thermoplastic immobilization masks. Standard system head coils do not have the capability. This radiation treatment planning system that utilizes commonly used thermoplastic masks was developed in conjunction with Med Tec of Orange City, Iowa.

The advantage of this system allows thermoplastic masks to travel freely between MRI, FMRI, CT, PET and radiation treatment. The images can be fused to provide more accurate planning, and better post treatment check-up assessments.

Thermoplastic masks are formed individually for each patient with a hot water bath. The softened material hardens after a few minutes and fiducial markers can be applied. These fiducial markers are visualized in both CT and MRI, and thus accuracy of the planning is improved by fusing the data from each study.

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Pediatric Positioner Covering From Head to Toe

The Pediatric Positioner used with the Special Procedures Head Coil allows you to image children without moving them.

This stationary cradle positioner combined with a sliding split-top coil comprises a fresh solution to pediatric MRI. 60 cm of superior-to-inferior coverage means that a pediatric patient does not have to be moved to image head, torso, and pelvis. Unlike some phased array coils that have poor penetration and inhomogeneities, the split top coil will give full, homogeneous image quality in its 28cm FOV.

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High Resolution Brain Coil

This high performance Brain Coil was developed to image the anatomy of the head or brain and PROBE spectroscopy with increases in SNR. The system consists of a basic transmit and receive quadrature coil with end ring modifications that create clearance for a patient’s nose.

The High Resolution Brain coil is a 12-element birdcage with a 9-inch (23cm) diameter and 8-inches (20cm) between end rings. With the addition of a nose notch, the coil can attain 10 inches (25 cm) of clearance from anterior to posterior. The electrical performance of the HR Brain Coil is one nex (up to a 40% increase) better than the GE system head coil in SNR. The coil splits in halves, allowing for easier patient access and positioning. The addition of molded indicators and a coil slide mechanism yields fast and easy patient positioning.

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Cervical Spine Coil

This C-spine Array was developed to image the anatomy of the neck, C-spine, and brain stem with increases in SNR and patient comfort. The system is a receive-only array consisting of a flexible anterior bib with a conformal rigid base.

The C-spine Array is a four channel phased array coil. The cradle of the neck contains two channels combining in the MR system to be in quadrature. There is one channel under the thoracic vertebrae and another in the anterior flexible bib. The flexible anterior bib and conformal base bring the patient closer to the coil electronics resulting in higher SNR. The addition of a wide field-of-view mirror and coil slide mechanism makes patient positioning fast and comfortable.

The conventional approach to neck imaging is the use of a coil designed to survey the entire spine. The inevitable result with these large coverage arrays is lower SNR in any specific region of anatomy, the C-spine included, and possible artifacts in fast spin echo sequences. Midwest R.F. has designed the C-Spine Array Coil to deliver exceptional image quality dedicated to the soft tissues of the neck and the cervical spine.

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Trauma Neck Coil Array

This Trauma Neck Array was developed to image the cervical spine and soft tissues of the neck while the neck is immobilized in a MRI compatible cervical collar or halo. The Trauma Neck Array allows the patient to be imaged with the collar in place and no pressure points from rigid coil geometry. The patient does not have to be removed from a flat board. The array adds safety and comfort to a very poor situation.

The array consists of two channels - one channel in the anterior and one in the posterior. The flexible anterior and posterior halves allow the coils to be positioned closer to the patient resulting in higher SNR. The conformal shape permits safer, faster and more comfortable positioning.

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