PURPOSE: To demonstrate the feasibility of high-field SENSE imaging of large objects, such as the human head, using a semicircular (half-volume) coil for both transmission and multi-channel reception. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As a proof of concept, we present experimental data obtained using a seven-element half-volume (180 degrees of arc) transmit/receive quadrature transverse electromagnetic (TEM) coil. SENSE images of the human brain were acquired with a reduction factor of R=2, using two degenerate linear modes of the same coil as independent receive channels at 4T. Since the need for additional hardware (i.e., a separate set of receive coils) is eliminated, the design can be substantially simplified. RESULTS: The experimental data demonstrate that linear modes of the half-volume TEM coil have essentially no noise correlation, and their sensitivity profiles satisfy the requirement for small g-factors. Also, this type of coil provides efficient transmission with a relatively large uniform region and a reception profile that is more uniform than that of the surface coils. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate the feasibility of SENSE imaging using a half-volume coil. Half-volume coils allow reduced total power deposition compared to full-volume coils, and may replace the latter in body imaging applications in which the target region of interest (ROI) is smaller than the entire torso. Copyright (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
PURPOSE: To demonstrate the feasibility of high-field SENSE imaging of large objects, such as the human head, using a semicircular (half-volume) coil for both transmission and multi-channel reception. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As a proof of concept, we present experimental data obtained using a seven-element half-volume (180 degrees of arc) transmit/receive quadrature transverse electromagnetic (TEM) coil. SENSE images of the human brain were acquired with a reduction factor of R=2, using two degenerate linear modes of the same coil as independent receive channels at 4T. Since the need for additional hardware (i.e., a separate set of receive coils) is eliminated, the design can be substantially simplified. RESULTS: The experimental data demonstrate that linear modes of the half-volume TEM coil have essentially no noise correlation, and their sensitivity profiles satisfy the requirement for small g-factors. Also, this type of coil provides efficient transmission with a relatively large uniform region and a reception profile that is more uniform than that of the surface coils. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate the feasibility of SENSE imaging using a half-volume coil. Half-volume coils allow reduced total power deposition compared to full-volume coils, and may replace the latter in body imaging applications in which the target region of interest (ROI) is smaller than the entire torso. Copyright (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Authors: Arjan D Hendriks; Alessio Fracasso; Catalina S Arteaga de Castro; Mark W J M Gosselink; Peter R Luijten; Natalia Petridou; Dennis W J Klomp Journal: NMR Biomed Date: 2018-02-14 Impact factor: 4.044