SMC Networks 500082, HNC-63-INT Scanning Set Up, Head and Neck Imaging Selecting the Active Coil

Rev 05

Chapter 4 - Scanning Set Up

Head and Neck Imaging

Selecting the Active Coil

One of the advantages of using the Invivo HNC-63-INT Neurovascular Array Coil (HNC) is the ability to acquire sequences of the head and neck without having to re-enter the scan room to change coils and/or re- center the patient. When positioning a patient for a study of the brain as well as an MRA of the carotids, center on the head as you would normally do for a routine brain scan. Then, to acquire a coronal or sagittal SURVEY image for the carotid MRA prescription, use an inferior offset of “FH-120” and a 240 mm FOV.

The neurovascular array coil contains both a head coil and a neck coil. The head coil (channel 2), neck coil (channels 3,4,5) or both head and neck coils (channels 2,3,4,5) can be active at any given time. To select the active coil(s), pick the proper channel(s) from the channel combination (ch. combination) menu on your Intera Operator's Console.

Field of View and Coverage

Survey Image

IMPORTANT! Using Autoshim

EXAMPLES:

HEAD only: Select	Ch. combination 2
NECK only: Select	Ch. combination 3,4,5
HEAD & NECK: Select	Ch. combination 2,3,4,5

For head or neck studies a FOV of 200 mm. is suggested, depending upon head size. The HNC-63-INT coil is 280 mm. in diameter. If the entire coil is active, a field of view of 320 mm. to 400 mm. is suggested. You may use a smaller FOV if desired. Fold-over suppression must be set to YES.

The Intera body coil may be used at any time while the HNC-63-INT Neurovascular Array Coil is in the scanner. This allows a large FOV (400

mm)body coil SURVEY to be performed, which is helpful in determining the foot-head offset required for imaging the neck.

AUTOSHIM is a feature of Intera software to improve image quality by improving the magnetic field homogeneity within the FOV selected. The improvement in image quality is often dramatic when the selected FOV is far off center, and when acquiring SPIR images.

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