Development of a patch antenna array RF coil for ultra-high field MRI

Magn Reson Med Sci. 2007;6(4):231-3. doi: 10.2463/mrms.6.231.

Abstract

In radiofrequency (RF) coil design for ultra-high-field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, short RF wavelengths present various challenges to creating a big volume coil. When imaging a human body using an ultra-high magnetic field MR imaging system (magnetic flux density of 7 Tesla or more), short wavelength may induce artifacts from dielectric effect and other factors. To overcome these problems, we developed a patch antenna array coil (PAAC), which is a coil configured as a combination of patch antennas. We prototyped this type of coil for 7T proton MR imaging, imaged a monkey brain, and confirmed the coil's utility as an RF coil for ultra-high-field MR imaging.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / anatomy & histology
  • Equipment Design
  • Haplorhini
  • Image Enhancement / instrumentation*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / instrumentation*
  • Radio Waves