A 32-channel parallel transmit system add-on for 7T MRI.

Authors :: Orzada S
Solbach K
Gratz M
Brunheim S
Fiedler TM
Johst S
Bitz AK
Shooshtary S
Abuelhaija A
Voelker MN
Rietsch SHG
Kraff O
Maderwald S
Flöser M
Oehmigen M
Quick HH
Ladd ME
Source :: PloS one [PLoS One] 2019 Sep 12; Vol. 14 (9), pp. e0222452. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Sep 12 (Print Publication: 2019).
Publication Year :: 2019
Abstract: Purpose: A 32-channel parallel transmit (pTx) add-on for 7 Tesla whole-body imaging is presented. First results are shown for phantom and in-vivo imaging.<br />Methods: The add-on system consists of a large number of hardware components, including modulators, amplifiers, SAR supervision, peripheral devices, a control computer, and an integrated 32-channel transmit/receive body array. B1+ maps in a phantom as well as B1+ maps and structural images in large volunteers are acquired to demonstrate the functionality of the system. EM simulations are used to ensure safe operation.<br />Results: Good agreement between simulation and experiment is shown. Phantom and in-vivo acquisitions show a field of view of up to 50 cm in z-direction. Selective excitation with 100 kHz sampling rate is possible. The add-on system does not affect the quality of the original single-channel system.<br />Conclusion: The presented 32-channel parallel transmit system shows promising performance for ultra-high field whole-body imaging.<br />Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.