Magnetic resonance in medicine : official journal of the Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
-
An improved MR tracking coil design is described that provides more robust tracking performance. It is shown theoretically and experimentally that a coil equipped with an internal spin source increases the signal-to-noise ratio in comparison to a coil system without internal source. ⋯ The experiments showed no significant effect on the signal-to-noise ratio between the two types. The improved MR-tracking coil design with internal source was successfully used in cholecystostomies and in laparoscopic interventions; both procedures were performed on swine.