Design and development of a transmit RF coil for large field of view hyperpolarized 13C imaging

Motivation: To bring hyperpolarized 13C body imaging to its full potential. Goal(s): Develop a 13C transmit coil that can provide large FOV coverage with uniform B1+ field, while minimizing impact to patient access and comfort. Approach: An asymmetric 8 rung high-pass birdcage coil was designed to sit directly on the patient cradle. The prototype coil was constructed as a flat base along with a detachable top cage. Results: The B1 maps acquired using the 13C birdcage coil in T/R mode showed good uniformity. The coil also performed as expected as a Tx only coil. Impact: The 13C transmit coil developed in this project provides uniform RF excitation across a large FOV without compromising patient comfort and the 1H imaging. It will be an integral element for routine clinical HP 13C metabolic imaging in the future.