title: A System for Open-Access He Human Lung Imaging at Very Low Field.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Physics Department, 9 Library Way, DeMeritt Hall, Durham, New Hampshire 03824.
authors.forename: I C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Ruset
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Mair
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patz
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Hrovat
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Muradian
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Topulos
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Walsworth
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Hersman