Ceramic resonators for targeted clinical magnetic resonance imaging of the breast.

Currently, human magnetic resonance (MR) examinations are becoming highly specialized with a pre-defined and often relatively small target in the body. Conventionally, clinical MR equipment is designed to be universal that compromises its efficiency for small targets. Here, we present a concept for targeted clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which can be directly integrated into the existing clinical MR systems, and demonstrate its feasibility for breast imaging.

A new quadrature annular resonator for 3 T MRI based on artificial-dielectrics.

Dielectric resonators have previously been constructed for ultra-high frequency magnetic resonance imaging and microscopy. However, it is challenging to design these dielectric resonators at clinical field strengths due to their intrinsically large dimensions, especially when using materials with moderate permittivity. Here we propose and characterize a novel approach using artificial-dielectrics which reduces substantially the required outer diameter of the resonator.