3 Tesla 31P/1H Calf Muscle Coil for 1H and 31P MRI / MRS integrated with NIRS

In this work, we present a 3T 31P/1H calf coil with two interleaved and co-centered birdcages in one layer to provide homogenous transmit fields and good SNR for both 31P and 1H nuclei. In addition, the coil design allows for integration of a Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) probe for simultaneous NIRS and MRI readouts during exercise. Simulation and phantom experimental results show that the coil provides homogeneous transmit and receive fields. In vivo experiment show that the coil provide good SNR for both 31P MRS and 1H MRI and MRS