Simple RF design for human functional and morphological cardiac imaging at 7tesla

Area of Science:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Cardiovascular Imaging
• High-Field MRI

Background:

• High-field MRI (7 Tesla and above) offers significant potential for cardiac imaging.
• Conventional hardware is insufficient for homogeneous transmission at these field strengths.
• Advanced multi-transmit systems are not widely accessible.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically optimize a simple quadrature coil for 7 Tesla cardiac MRI.
• To achieve B(1) field homogeneity without signal voids in the heart.
• To adapt navigator echoes for cardiac gating at the heart/lung interface.

Main Methods:

• Designed and optimized a quadrature coil for 7 Tesla cardiac imaging.
• Adjusted coil size, geometry, and position for optimal B(1) field.
• Adapted standard navigator echoes for gating at the heart/lung interface.

Main Results:

• Successfully performed morphological and functional cardiac MRI at 7 Tesla.
• Achieved high-resolution cine imaging.
• Demonstrated morphological imaging of the right coronary artery.

Conclusions:

• A simple quadrature coil can effectively enable cardiac MRI at 7 Tesla.
• Optimized coil design and adapted gating techniques overcome hardware limitations.
• This approach facilitates advanced cardiac imaging without requiring complex, unavailable systems.