A comparison of double-tuned surface coils

The combined acquisition of proton images and localized spectra is considered essential to the practical application of NMR techniques to human and animal research. Double-tuned surface coils which have been introduced to the literature are intended to address the problem; however, a careful evaluation of available designs is lacking. The "trap" method, the loop gap resonator design, and the transformer-coupled double-tuned design are evaluated here using bench tests of signal intensity and Q as well as signal-to-noise measurements on a 2-T imager/spectrometer. Comparisons are made relative to optimized single-tuned circuits of the same size for both protons at 85 MHz and phosphorus at 34 MHz. The results suggest that the "trap" design and the transformer coupled design are very efficient (98%) in the low-frequency mode (34 MHz) while the loop gap resonator is relatively inefficient (82%). In the high-frequency mode (85 MHz) the loop gap resonator is 75% efficient while the "trap" design and the transformer coupled coil are closer to 50% efficient.