Measurements of RF power reflected and radiated by multichannel transmit MR coils at 7T

The power balance of multichannel transmit coils is a central consideration in assessing performance and safety issues. At ultrahigh fields, in addition to absorption and reflection, radiofrequency (RF) radiation into the far field becomes a concern.

We engineered a system for in situ measurement of complex-valued scattering parameter (S-parameter) matrices of multichannel transmit coils that allows for the calculation of the reflected and accepted power for arbitrary steering conditions. The radiated power from an RF coil inside a large single-mode waveguide couples to that mode. Finite-difference time-domain simulations were used for the calculations, and E-field probes were used to measure the electric field distribution, and hence the radiated power, in the waveguide. To test this concept, an eight-channel shielded-loop array for 7T imaging was studied inside a 280-cm-long cylindrical waveguide with a 60-cm diameter.

For a 7T parallel-transmit coil, the S-parameters were measured and the reflected power calculated as a function of steering conditions. Maximum radiated power was observed for the circularly polarized mode.

A system was developed for in situ S-parameter measurements combined with a method for determining radiated power, allowing a complete assessment of the power balance of multichannel transmit coils at 7T.