A Radiometric Approach to Temperature Monitoring in the MR Scanner
The present invention offers a novel method of using the Magnetic Resonance (MR) scanner as a radiometer for measuring body temperature. This methodology utilized the radiated thermal noise to estimate the absolute body temperature by non invasive means. The methodology can be further extended to create a radiometric tomography reconstructing thermal maps of monitored objects or organs. Background A radiometer is a device used to measure the power in electromagnetic radiation. A typical setup for a radiometric system consists of a receiving antenna, a high gain amplifier, voltage measuring device, and the related circuitry. Traditionally radiometers have been used for environmental, astronomical, and military applications. Among these applications are the estimation of atmosphere temperature profiles, target detection, and solar emission mapping. In most of these applications the radiometers operated in the GHz range, with high gain amplifiers and low noise hardware components used to detect the low signal. MR scanners have equivalent receiving circuitry to the radiometer. Description (Set) Proposed Use (Set) This invention shows the potential to incorporate temperature detection to existing MR imaging scanners with the addition of minor hardware add-ons. This will have promising clinical potential, especially in monitoring lesion temperature or observing temperature fluctuations while using interventional MR coils. At most it can provide a tool for safety verification during a variety of MR protocols.Inventor(s): El-Sharkawy, Abdel-Monem M
Type of Offer: Licensing
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