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Three‐layered radio frequency coil arrangement for sodium MRI of the human brain at 9.4 Tesla
Author(s) -
Shajan G.,
Mirkes Christian,
Buckenmaier Kai,
Hoffmann Jens,
Pohmann Rolf,
Scheffler Klaus
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.25666
Subject(s) - radio frequency , electromagnetic coil , transceiver , radiofrequency coil , resonator , transmitter , physics , signal to noise ratio (imaging) , nuclear magnetic resonance , materials science , signal (programming language) , channel (broadcasting) , acoustics , optics , computer science , optoelectronics , telecommunications , cmos , quantum mechanics , programming language
Purpose A multinuclei imaging setup with the capability to acquire both sodium ( 23 Na) and proton ( 1 H) signals at 9.4 Tesla is presented. The main objective was to optimize coil performance at the 23 Na frequency while still having the ability to acquire satisfactory 1 H images. Methods The setup consisted of a combination of three radio frequency (RF) coils arranged in three layers: the innermost layer was a 27‐channel 23 Na receive helmet which was surrounded by a four‐channel 23 Na transceiver array. The outer layer consisted of a four‐channel 1 H dipole array for B 0 shimming and anatomical localization. Transmit and receive performance of the 23 Na arrays was compared to a single‐tuned 23 Na birdcage resonator. Results While the transmit efficiency of the 23 Na transceiver array was comparable to the birdcage, the 23 Na receive array provided substantial signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) gain near the surface and comparable SNR in the center. The utility of this customized setup was demonstrated by 23 Na images of excellent quality. Conclusion High SNR, efficient transmit excitation and B 0 shimming capability can be achieved for 23 Na MRI at 9.4T using novel coil combination. This RF configuration is easily adaptable to other multinuclei applications at ultra high field (≥ 7T). Magn Reson Med 75:906–916, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.