Application
A RF coil with eight TX/RX channels is presented for reproducible pTx method development and/or safety assessments and standardization
Contributors
Christoph Stefan Aigner1, Mads Sloth Vinding2, Lukas Winter1, Reiner Montag1, Sebastian Schmitter1,3,4, Bernd Ittermann1, Frank Seifert1
Estimated cost
<2500€ (excluding Rx/Tx switches)
This work investigates an open-source, low-cost, 8-channel transmit/receive head coil to enable rapid and reproducible pTx development, safety assessment and evaluation at 3T. FDTD simulations were validated with phantom measurements on a 3T with an external pTx system. Relative and absolute 2D/3D B1+-maps were acquired to compute the CP+ mode, and two RF shims were tailored to enforce B1+ efficiency and homogeneity. The open-access design files could serve as a basis for new RF coil designs or pTx projects without needing high expertise in RF coil development or as a cost-effective alternative for multi-centre studies.
Specifications:
- 8-channel transmit/receive
- f=128MHz
- inner dimensions: 22x20cm
- B1+ efficiency: about 35µT/sqrt(kW) in the center (CP+ mode)
Publications
Submitted to ISMRM 2023, Toronto, Canada
Affiliations
1Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig and Berlin, Germany
2Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
3Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
4Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States