A Radiofrequency Coil Configuration for Imaging the Human Vertebral Column at 7 Tesla

Maartje E. Vossen¹, Wouter M. Teeuwisse¹, Monique Reijnierse¹, Nadine B. Smith¹, Chris M. Collins², Andrew G. Webb¹

A quadrature transmit, eight-channel receive array RF coil configuration was designed for the acquisition of images of the entire human spinal column at 7 Tesla. RF transmission through the anterior part of the body was shown using electromagnetic simulations to be more efficient in terms of B1+ to SAR ratio than through the posterior side. Using this coil geometry, high resolution images from healthy volunteers could be acquired in clinically acceptable imaging times.