Design and evaluation of a 1H/31P double-resonant helmet coil for 3T MRI of the brain.

Design and evaluation of a 1H/31P double-resonant helmet coil for 3T MRI of the brain. Phys Med Biol. 2018 Dec 19;: Authors: Hong SM, Choi CH, Shah NJ, Felder J Abstract Proton Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can be combined with signals from non-proton nuclei (X-nuclei) to provide metabolic information. Double-resonant coils are often used for X-nuclei MR studies where the proton element is employed for scout imaging and B0 shimming. This work describes the development of a new double-resonant coil capable of operating at both proton and X-nuclei frequencies. 
 The proposed design extends the wheel-and spoke coil, which allows for quadrature drive, by adding an extra ring outside the coil to achieve double-resonance. Furthermore, in order to maximise SNR by increasing the filling factor, the shape of the coil has been modified to a helmet style making it suitable for brain applications. 
 The performance of the double-resonant helmet coil was evaluated by simulation and MR measurements. The helmet coil was successfully tuned to the 1H/31P resonance frequencies of a 3T MR scanner, with high isolation between the two quadrature ports. MR measurements of a phantom were carried out, and the averaged sensitivity of the double-resonant helmet coil over the whole phantom was found to be higher than that of the conventional double-tuned birdcage coil at both frequencies.&#13. PMID: 30566926 [PubMed - as supplied...
Source: Physics in Medicine and Biology - Category: Physics Authors: Tags: Phys Med Biol Source Type: research