Improved Transmit Efficiency and Clinical Coverage using a Cervical Spine Array with a Volumetric Transmitter at 7T

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Several challenges are present when imaging the cervical spine in high-field MRI, such as achieving B1 coverage over the desired anatomy while maximizing efficiency of the transmitter. A cervical spine array coil with a volume transmit birdcage was built and tested on a system for improved transmit coverage and efficiency over previous prototypes. The coil consists of a partially shielded 22-rung birdcage transmitter and a 24 element receive RF array. A new mechanical design with larger eye windows improves the clinical experience. Improved transmit efficiency and complete B1 field coverage in the cervical spine region were confirmed through volunteer imaging.