Development of a phased-array coil for the lower extremities

A phased-array coil was developed to facilitate imaging the vasculature of the lower extremities. The array consists of four surface coils placed in a Plexiglas "I-beam" frame that are configured to allow bilateral studies with up to a 40-cm field of view (FOV). Data from phantoms indicate an increase in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the regions of interest by an average factor of 2.8 +/- 0.9 over that of the body coil. Preliminary in vivo data have also been obtained from n = 8 subjects and demonstrate significant improvements in image quality. The coil design described here should lead to reduced scan times through the ability to image both legs simultaneously with less need for patient repositioning.