An 8‐channel RF coil array for carotid artery MR imaging in humans at 3 T. Issue 4 (23rd March 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hu, Xiaoqing; Zhang, Lei; Zhang, Xiaoliang; Zhu, Huabin; Chen, Xiao; Zhang, Yongqin; Chung, Yiu‐Cho; Liu, Xin; Zheng, Hairong; Li, Ye
• Is Part Of: Medical physics. Volume 43:Issue 4(2016)
• Page Start: 1897
• Page End: 1906
• Publication Date: 2016-03-23
• Subjects: biomedical MRI -- blood vessels -- coils -- diseases -- phantoms; Clinical applications; Involving electronic [emr] or nuclear [nmr] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging -- Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers -- Coils -- Coils; Windings; Conductive connections; magnetic resonance image -- carotid artery imaging -- multichannel phased array -- signal‐to‐noise ratio; Vascular system -- Medical image noise -- Coils -- Phased array imaging -- Magnetic resonance imaging -- Bifurcations -- Antenna arrays -- Spatial resolution -- Medical image spatial resolution; Medical physics -- Periodicals; Medical physics; Geneeskunde; Natuurkunde; Toepassingen; Biophysics; Periodicals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 610.153
• DOI: 10.1118/1.4944500
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0094-2405

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: Carotid artery diseases due to plaque buildup at the carotid bifurcation are a leading cause of stroke. Accurate plaque quantification and characterization of plaque composition and morphology by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is essential to identifying high‐risk patients. Difficulties in detecting plaque, which is physically small, and the unique physiological structure of the carotid artery make use of a radio frequency (RF) coil array with high resolution, large longitudinal coverage, and deep penetration ideal for clinical examinations. The goal of this project was to design and fabricate a sensitive RF coil array with sufficient imaging coverage and signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) for carotid artery imaging at 3 T. Methods: Based on clinical requirements and the anatomical structure of the human carotid artery, an 8‐channel carotid coil array was designed and fabricated for 3 T MRI of the carotid artery in humans. The performance of the proposed 8‐channel carotid coil array was validated through bench tests and MR imaging experiments on a 3 T whole body MRI scanner. Its performance was also compared experimentally to the performance of a commercial 4‐channel phased array carotid coil designed by Machnet BV (Machnet BV coil, Roden, Netherlands). Results: The 8‐channel carotid coil array performed significantly better in imaging the carotid artery than the commercial 4‐channel Machnet BV coil in terms of the SNR, coverage, and penetration depth. In parallel imaging, the proposed 8‐channel carotid coil array demonstrated a much lower maximum value and average value of the geometry factor in the region of interest. Carotid artery images acquired in vivo using the proposed 8‐channel carotid artery coil and the commercial 4‐channel Machnet BV coil were also compared, demonstrating the former's potential for clinical diagnosis. Conclusions: Based on the analyses of phantom and in vivo imaging studies, the proposed 8‐channel carotid coil array has the potential for use in clinical diagnosis, performing better in terms of SNR, imaging coverage, and penetration depth than the commercial 4‐channel carotid artery coil array at 3 T. In future studies, the proposed 8‐channel carotid coil array can also serve as an important part of a large‐scale multichannel coil array for imaging the whole carotid artery system, including the extracranial and intracranial arteries.