Sub-Millimeter Breast Imaging & Relaxivity Characterization at 7T

Ryan Brown¹, Kellyanne Mcgorty¹, Linda Moy¹, Scott DeGregorio¹, Daniel K. Sodickson¹, Graham C. Wiggins¹

The breast may be a prime candidate for high field imaging given that typical high field hindrances such as poor B1 penetration, B1 inhomogeneity, and susceptibility artifacts are expected to be mild. Several facets of breast imaging at 7T are examined: in vivo SNR at 7T is shown to be 2-3 times greater than that at 3T; 0.6 mm isotropic images illustrate the potential of 7T breast imaging; in vivo tissue relaxation times are reported for the first time at 7T; finally, B0 mapping is performed to assess shimming robustness which is especially important for this application.