US 12,433,531 B2
Nuclear magnetic resonance systems and methods for noninvasive and in-vivo measurements using a unilateral magnet
Pablo Jose Prado, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to Livivos Inc., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by LIVIVOS INC., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 18, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/746,418.
Application 18/746,418 is a continuation of application No. 18/090,652, filed on Dec. 29, 2022, granted, now 12,127,847.
Application 18/090,652 is a continuation of application No. 16/178,317, filed on Nov. 1, 2018, granted, now 11,540,766, issued on Jan. 3, 2023.
Application 16/178,317 is a continuation of application No. 15/868,996, filed on Jan. 11, 2018, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/720,349, filed on Aug. 21, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/720,300, filed on Aug. 21, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/456,164, filed on Feb. 8, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2025/0017520 A1, Jan. 16, 2025
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/055 (2006.01); G01R 33/38 (2006.01); G01R 33/383 (2006.01); G01R 33/46 (2006.01); G01R 33/48 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 5/4244 (2013.01) [A61B 5/055 (2013.01); A61B 5/4872 (2013.01); G01R 33/3802 (2013.01); G01R 33/3808 (2013.01); G01R 33/46 (2013.01); G01R 33/4828 (2013.01); G01R 33/383 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a unilateral magnet is shaped to generate a static magnetic field that extends into an internal organ of a subject when the unilateral magnet is configured to be positioned against or in proximity to a measurement area of the subject, the magnetic field shaped to generate a sensitive volume within a target region of the internal organ,
a Radio Frequency (“RF”) circuit,
an RF antenna,
a transceiver, a processor communicatively coupled to the RF circuit, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium with computer instruction embedded thereon to cause the processor to:
instruct the transceiver to transmit RF pulses in accordance with a pre-determined RF pulse sequence into the target region;
obtain, from the transceiver, a received first set of NMR signals generated by a first set of atomic nuclei from a first substance as the first set of nuclei realign their spin axes to a magnetic field after being stimulated by the RF pulses;
obtain, from the transceiver, a received second set of NMR signals generated by a second set of atomic nuclei from a second substance as the second set of nuclei realign their spin axes to the magnetic field after being stimulated by the RF pulses;
perform a discrete multi-component analysis of the NMR signals to determine a first set of measured NMR relaxation times and a first diffusion parameter from the first set of NMR signals, and a second set of measured NMR relaxation times and a second diffusion parameter from the second set of NMR signals;
characterize the first and second substances based on a multi-component analysis of the first and second sets of NMR signals by performing a J-coupling analysis of the NMR signals based on a distinctive response of the first set of NMR signals and the second set of NMR signals to RF pulse sequences as determined by resolving independent relationships of the NMR signals at pulse sequence times, t, to determine a first component contribution, C1, corresponding to the first substance and second component contribution, C2, corresponding to the second substance, as follows:

OG Complex Work Unit Math
and
wherein C0 is a baseline signal, TE is an inter-spin echo duration time, the first diffusion parameter is proportional to A1, the second diffusion parameter is proportional to A1, the first set of measured NMR relaxation times is proportional to T2eff1, the second set of measured NMR relaxation times is proportional to T2eff2, T21 is the spin-spin relaxation time of the first substance, and T22 is the spin-spin relaxation time of the second substance; and
issue instructions to display a characterization of the first and second substances in a graphical user interface.