Projects
Cardiac Shim System
1.4M patients (US) have implantable Cardiac Defibrillators (ICDs) that create large artifacts in cardiac MR images, which frequently occur in important pathological regions of the heart preventing reliable diagnosis of various heart diseases. We have developed a Cardiac Shim System which reduces these artifacts. The Cardiac Shim System (CSS), consists of a robotic positioning system, multiple shim coils, a programmable power supply, electromagnetic filtering circuits, magnetic field mapping analysis software, shim-coil position and strength optimization software, and MRI system-use protocols can be used to precisely reduce artifacts in a operator-determined region of the heart. The innovative CSS design does not interact with, and is not acted upon by, the rf coils and the gradient coils of the MRI scanner, maintaining the scanner’s specified performance. Furthermore, the magnetic forces acting upon the CSS are balanced, permitting the shim coil to be moved freely within the MRI scanner bore and maximizing patient safety. The device has been tested in phantoms and swine.
Ultra Low Field Portable MR Systems & Applications
We consult for Weinberg Medical Physics
This is a portable Magnetic Resonance (MR) device for regional measurements of lung density in patients who suffer from Acute Lung Injury (ALI). The device is intended for use in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with patients who are on ventilators. The LDM device consists of a one-sided magnet, an RF coil, a small collection of rack-mounted electronic equipment and a mounting system for the magnet. The magnet creates a spatially localized homogenous magnetic field region located ~10cm remotely from the magnet surface. The spatial localization is provided by both the magnetic field and the RF coil and defines a target region from which an NMR signal is derived. In many ways, the device can be thought of as similar to a stethoscope, where different regions may be interrogated by moving the device around on the chest. If successful, this device will facilitate the management of critically ill patients with ALI.