10-channel phased-array coil for carotid wall MRI at 3T.

Background: Accurate assessment of plaque accumulation near the carotid bifurcation is important for the effective prevention and treatment of stroke. However, vessel and plaque delineation using MRI can be limited by low contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and long acquisition times. In this work, a 10-channel phased-array receive coil design for bilateral imaging of the carotid bifurcation using 3T MRI is proposed.

Asymmetric quadrature split birdcage coil for hyperpolarized 3He lung MRI at 1.5T.

An asymmetric quadrature birdcage body coil for hyperpolarized (HP) (3)He lung imaging at 1.5T is presented. The coil is designed to rest on top of the patient support and be used as a temporary insert in a clinical system.

Improving whole brain structural MRI at 4.7 Tesla using 4 irregularly shaped receiver coils.

Both higher magnetic field strengths (> or =3 T) and multiple receiver "array coils" can provide increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for MRI. This increase in SNR can be used to obtain images with higher resolution, enabling better visualisation of structures within the human brain. However, high field strength systems also suffer from increased B(1) non-uniformity and increased power deposition, reaching specific absorption rate (SAR) limits more quickly.