Comparison of the 60 Tx/32 Rx Tic-Tac-Toe RF head coil to the Nova 1 Tx/32 Rx RF coil in sTx mode at 7T

Motivation: Difficulties in achieving homogeneous B1+ at 7T, particularly in the single-transmit (sTx) mode of the scanner, motivate novel RF coil designs. Goal(s): To compare the in-house developed 60 Tx/32 Rx Tic-Tac-Toe (TTT) RF coil to the commercial standard, the Nova 1 Tx/32 Rx RF coil, using the sTx mode at 7T. Approach: 14 volunteers were scanned using both the TTT and Nova coils. B1+ maps were acquired as well as several structural images: MP2RAGE, FLAIR, and SPACE. Results: The TTT coil provides homogeneous and consistent B1+ across subjects as compared to the Nova coil, with extended coverage in the temporal lobe and cerebellum. Impact: The 60 Tx/32 Rx Tic-Tac-Toe coil, designed for sTx mode, exceeds commercial standards for robust and homogenous imaging across a variety of subjects at 7T.