Motivation: Current combined brain and cervical spine pTx coils at 7 Tesla require more than eight transmit (Tx) channels, limiting their widespread use. Goal(s): To investigate wether a pTx coil with eight Tx elements and tailored and universal pTx achieves uniform flip-angles (FA) simulataneously across the brain and cervical spine regions. Approach: Simulated B1+ maps were calculated for the Duke and Ella models. Tailored phase-only RF shims and dynamic kT-points pulses were optimized for FA homogeneity. Results: Dynamic tailored/universal kT-points pulses significantly improved FA homogeneity over RF shimming (5/2.5x for 5-kT-points). Accurate B1+ information is crucial for optimal FA homogeneity in dynamic pTx. Impact: This simulation study demonstrates feasability of combined brain and cervical spine MRI at 7 Tesla using an eight Tx channel dynamic pTx setup. Optimized pTx pulses result in high FA homogeneity and enable detailed investigations of both neuroanatomical structures simultaneously.
Aigner et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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