Open design eight-channel transmit/receive coil for high-resolution and real-time ankle imaging at 7 T.
At 1.5 T, real-time MRI of joint movement has been shown to be feasible. However, 7 T, provides higher SNR and thus an improved potential for parallel imaging acceleration. The purpose of this work was to build an open, U-shaped eight-channel transmit/receive microstrip coil for 7 T MRI to enable high-resolution and real-time imaging of the moving ankle joint. A U-shaped eight-channel transmit/receive array for the human ankle was built. S-parameters and g-factor were measured. SAR calculations of different ankle postures were performed to ensure patient safety. Inhomogeneities in the transmit field consequent to the open design were compensated for by the use of static RF shimming. High-resolution and real-time imaging was performed in human volunteers. The presented array showed good performance with regard to patient comfort and image quality. High acceleration factors of up to 4 are feasible without visible acceleration artifacts. Reasonable image homogeneity was achieved with RF shimming. Open, noncylindrical designs for transmit/receive coils are practical at 7 T and real-time imaging of the moving joint is feasible with the presented coil design.