Improved multi-channel pTx B1+ mapping in the head and neck at 7T by combining RF shims and transmit voltages

Acquiring robust multi-channel B1+ maps in both the head and neck using pTx head coils at 7T can be challenging due to the combination of low RF penetration into the neck, the limited dynamic range of multi-channel B1+ mapping techniques, and B0 sensitivity. We present a pipeline for large dynamic range pTx field mapping along with a publicly available 10-subject database of head and neck field maps for a commonly used multi-channel head transmit coil. The pipeline is evaluated by comparing the predicted B1+ to the measured B1+ for random transmit shim configurations in the head and neck.