Magnetic resonance imaging receiver coil decoupling using circumferential shielding structures.

Area of Science:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Coil Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Phased-array coils are crucial for high-resolution MRI, but maintaining element decoupling, especially in flexible or curved configurations, remains a challenge.
• Existing commercial arrays may compromise performance when adapted to non-ideal geometries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel flexible phased-array MRI coil design with enhanced element decoupling for both curved and flat surfaces.
• To compare the imaging performance, specifically signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), against a standard commercial adult head coil.

Main Methods:

• A flexible phased-array design utilizing circular coils with a circumferential shielding structure was proposed.
• Two distinct circumferential shielding configurations were investigated using numerical simulations and experimental imaging.
• Decoupling performance was quantified using S21 parameters, and SNR was assessed through imaging experiments.

Main Results:

• The proposed flexible phased-array design demonstrated robust decoupling between coil elements, achieving S21 < -16.72 dB on curved surfaces.
• Both shielding types resulted in higher SNR images compared to a commercially available 32-channel adult head coil array.
• The design maintained good coil element decoupling irrespective of whether the array was bent or flat.

Conclusions:

• The developed flexible phased-array coil with circumferential shielding offers superior decoupling and SNR performance for MRI applications.
• This design presents a promising advancement for developing next-generation, adaptable MRI hardware.
• Further in vivo validation with a multi-channel array is warranted to confirm performance in clinical settings.