A System for Open-Access He Human Lung Imaging at Very Low Field.
We describe a prototype system built to allow open-access very-low-field MRI of human lungs using laser-polarized (3)He gas. The system employs an open four-coil electromagnet with an operational B(0) field of 4 mT, and planar gradient coils that generate gradient fields up to 0.18 G/cm in the x and y direction and 0.41 G/cm in the z direction. This system was used to obtain (1)H and (3)He phantom images and supine and upright (3)He images of human lungs. We include discussion on challenges unique to imaging at 50 -200 kHz, including noise filtering and compensation for narrow-bandwidth coils.
Ruset
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IC
Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Physics Department, 9 Library Way, DeMeritt Hall, Durham, New Hampshire 03824.
Tsai
L L
LL
Mair
R W
RW
Patz
S
S
Hrovat
M I
MI
Rosen
M S
MS
Muradian
I
I
Ng
J
J
Topulos
G P
GP
Butler
J P
JP
Walsworth
R L
RL
Hersman
F W
FW