Dual-channel Transmit-SENSE For Flip-Angle Homogenization in the Human Brain At 7 Tesla: A Feasibility Study

Martijn Anton Cloos^1,2, Guillaume Ferrand², Nicolas Boulant¹, Michel Luong², Christopher J. Wiggins¹, Denis Le Bihan¹, Alexis Amadon¹

Transmit-SENSE gives the opportunity to implement short excitation pulses with good flip-angle homogeneity. Commonly, a transmit-array system used for brain imaging at 7 Tesla consists of 8 independently modulated amplifiers in combination with a dedicated 8-channel RF coil. In this work we explore the possibility to drive an 8-element transmit coil with only 2 independent transmit-channels, significantly reducing the required preparation measurements and overall complexity of the system, while retaining the ability to perform adequate flip-angle homogenization in the human brain at 7 Tesla. Initial results indicate that the FA variation could be reduced to less than 10%.