Flexible and Stretchable Radiofrequency Coils for Improved Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background & Unmet Need

• MRI uses radiofrequency (RF) coils to obtain imagesof internal anatomy
• Current MRI techniques use rigid RF coil arrays toaccommodate a wide range of patient anatomies
• Arrays that better conform to the anatomy of interestyield better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
• While newer, flexible RF designs improve thisvolume issue, full SNR optimization requires that RFcoils be stretchable
• Current efforts for stretchable RF coils suffer fromdetuning during stretching or require outside circuitryto retune coils
• Unmet Need: RF coils which are both stretchableand flexible to conform to patient anatomy and areautomatically tunable

Technology Overview

• The Technology: The inventors have developed astretchable and autotuning RF coil array for MRI
• In this RF coil, liquid metal is embedded in a softpolymer, which allows it to conform to a variety ofpatient shapes
• The design of the proposed coil includes astretchable interdigital capacitor, which reducesresonance frequency shift with stretching
• PoC Data: In bench measurements, the proposedcoil had a frequency shift of only 0.4% at 27%stretch, compared to the control coil at 4%
• In vivo, the proposed coil showed a 60% SNRincrease compared to a dedicated knee coil array

Technology Applications

• General MR imaging with increased resolution
• More effective MRI for challenging anatomies
• Wearable MRI technology

Technology Advantages

• Design provides higher SNR for better imaging
• Flexible and stretchable design can be worn bypatient and conform to a variety of anatomies
• Coils are autotuning, so there is no need for externaltuning circuits or equipment