Abstract:
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is one of the most promising imaging modality to detect
abnormalities in the human anatomy. It helps clinicians to diagnose different diseases which
cannot be detected in other imaging techniques. For instance, early brain stroke can be
detected with the help of MRI instead of Computed Tomography (CT). MRI is preferred
whenever soft tissue study is needed whereas CT scan is performed mostly when quick
diagnoses are required in emergency such as accident and trauma.
A typical MRI system comprises a magnet, RF system, gradient system and an image
reconstruction system. The RF system is further divided into a transmit and receive section.
The former consists of RF power amplifier and transmit coil in addition to other transmitter
components. The receiver, on the other hand, has pre-amplifier and receives coils.
Receive coil is an important component to acquire the MR signals. This thesis focuses on
studying the operation of receive coils for low tesla or permanent magnet MRI system
followed by the design and implementation of a multipurpose flexible coil suitable for
integration with Siemens Magnetom C MRI scanner. The circuit is implemented in ADS to
achieve the resonance at 14.6MHz. The PCB layout is done in Altium Designer and finally
tested with an MRI system.
The image quality of the designed coil is satisfactory according to the Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM) specification. SNR test carried out on Siemens Magnetom C MRI
demonstrates an SNR of more than 60, that is higher than the required threshold of 56. This
thesis lays the foundation of indigenous design and implementation of MRI Coils for use in
Pakistan.
