Stephan Orzada1,2, Stefan Maderwald1,2,
Sophia L. Gricke2, Nina Parohl2, Susanne C. Ladd1,2,
Mark E. Ladd1,2, Harald H. Quick1,3
1Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic
Resonance Imaging, Essen, NRW, Germany; 2Department of Diagnostic
and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen,
Essen, NRW, Germany; 3Institute of Medical Physics,
Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nurnberg, Erlangen, Germany
MRI
of rodents is an ever growing application when translatory imaging research
from mouse to man is envisioned. In this study, two different multi-channel
transmit/receive radiofrequency coil arrays have been designed for
high-resolution rodent imaging on a 7T whole-body human MRI system. Both
arrays have been evaluated in comparative phantom experiments and in vivo
high-resolution MRI in rats. Both coil setups provided high
signal-to-noise-ratio in rodents. While the 8-channel loop radiofrequency
array with its larger inner diameter provided better overall signal
homogeneity, the 8-channel novel stripline radiofrequency array design
provided overall higher signal-to-noise-ratio and better parallel imaging
acceleration performance.