Heeseung Lim1, Kundan Thind1, Jian-xiong Wang2, Andrew Alejski3, Francisco Martinez3, Timothy J. Scholl1, 3
1Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; 2GE Healthcare, Applied Science Laboratory, London, Ontario, Canada; 3Imaging Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute
A novel dual-frequency birdcage RF coil that is electronically switchable between 13C and 1H imaging modes has been developed for molecular imaging with hyperpolarized substances. PIN diodes in parallel with end-ring capacitors were used to switch the resonator between a band-pass (1H: 127.7 MHz) and a low-pass (13C: 32.1 MHz) configuration using a DC bias. The SNR-efficiency of this combined coil has been systematically compared with that of identical single-frequency coils for each nucleus using phantoms. in vivo imaging of pyruvate metabolism in a healthy rat brain has been demonstrated and co-registered with detailed proton morphology.