Three-Dimensional Quadrature Array Coil Elements for Improved Parallel Magnetic Resonance Imaging Performance At 1.5 Tesla

In this study, a special concept of 3D quadrature array coil elements is presented. It allows for doubling the number of phased-array coil elements over a localized region of interest (ROI) without the necessity of reducing the sizes of the elements below optimal dimensions and thus losing performance due to domination of the noise of the elements. In this study, a 3D quadrature array coil element is formed of a planar coil element in combination with a perpendicular orientated, geometrically decoupled, second coil element. Simulation results of such a perpendicular arrangement of single coil elements are presented demonstrating the improvement in spatial sensitivity distribution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over the localized ROI. In addition, an eight-channel prototype array coil was built out of 3D quadrature array elements approving the advantageous encoding capabilities and SNR performance of the presented concept by in vivo T-2-weighted spin-echo imaging studies on the thoracic human spinal cord. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 38A: 61-73, 2011.