Design and Application of a Four-Channel Transmit/Receive Surface Coil for Functional Cardiac Imaging at 7T

Purpose: To design and evaluate a four-channel cardiac transceiver coil array for functional cardiac imaging at 7T. Materials and Methods: A four-element cardiac transceiver surface coil array was developed with two rectangular loops mounted on an anterior former and two rectangular loops on a posterior former, specific absorption rate (SAR) simulations were performed and a B-1(+) calibration method was applied prior to obtain 2D FLASH CINE (mSENSE, R = 2) images from nine healthy volunteers with a spatial resolution of up to 1 x 1 x 2.5 mm(3). Results: Tuning and matching was found to be better than 10 dB for all subjects. The decoupling (S-21) was measured to be > 18 dB between neighboring loops, > 20 dB for opposite loops, and > 30 dB for other loop combinations. SAR values were well within the limits provided by the IEC. Imaging provided clinically acceptable signal homogeneity with an excellent blood-myocardium contrast applying the B-1(+) calibration approach. Conclusion: A four-channel cardiac transceiver coil array for 7T was built, allowing for cardiac imaging with clinically acceptable signal homogeneity and an excellent blood-myocardium contrast. Minor anatomic structures, such as pericardium, mitral, and tricuspid valves and their apparatus, as well as trabeculae, were accurately delineated.