Stretchable self-tuning MRI receive coils based on liquid metal technology (LiquiTune)

TL;DR

This paper introduces a soft, stretchable MRI receive coil made from liquid metal and ultra-stretchable polymer that self-tunes to maintain optimal resonance, improving image quality and patient comfort.

Contribution

It presents a novel liquid metal-based, self-tuning, stretchable MRI coil that maintains stable resonance over various elongations, outperforming traditional rigid coils.

Findings

Resisted frequency detuning within 0.4%, much lower than control coils at 4%.

Increased signal-to-noise ratio by up to 60% over commercial coils.

Demonstrated theoretical, simulation, and experimental validation of the coil's performance.

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging systems rely on signal detection via radiofrequency coil arrays which, ideally, need to provide both bendability and form-fitting stretchability to conform to the imaging volume. However, most commercial coils are rigid and of fixed size with a substantial mean offset distance of the coil from the anatomy, which compromises the spatial resolution and diagnostic image quality as well as patient comfort. Here, we propose a soft and stretchable receive coil concept based on liquid metal and ultra-stretchable polymer that conforms closely to a desired anatomy. Moreover, its smart geometry provides a self-tuning mechanism to maintain a stable resonance frequency over a wide range of elongation levels. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations were experimentally confirmed and demonstrated that the proposed coil withstood the unwanted frequency detuning typically observed with other stretchable coils (0.4% for the proposed coil as compared to 4% for a comparable control coil). Moreover, the signal-to-noise ratio of the proposed coil increased by up to 60% as compared to a typical, rigid, commercial coil.