Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility, Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Roessle-Strasse 10, 13125, Berlin, Germany.
Eur Radiol. 2012 Oct;22(10):2211-20. doi: 10.1007/s00330-012-2487-1. Epub 2012 Jun 1.
To implement, examine, and compare three multichannel transmit/receive coil configurations for cardiovascular MR (CMR) at 7T.
Three radiofrequency transmit-receive (TX/RX) coils with 4-, 8-, and 16-coil elements were used. Ten healthy volunteers (seven males, age 28 ± 4 years) underwent CMR at 7T. For all three RX/TX coils, 2D CINE FLASH images of the heart were acquired. Cardiac chamber quantification, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) analysis, parallel imaging performance assessment, and image quality scoring were performed.
Mean total examination time was 29 ± 5 min. All images obtained with the 8- and 16-channel coils were diagnostic. No significant difference in ejection fraction (EF) (P > 0.09) or left ventricular mass (LVM) (P > 0.31) was observed between the coils. The 8- and 16-channel arrays yielded a higher mean SNR in the septum versus the 4-channel coil. The lowest geometry factors were found for the 16-channel coil (mean ± SD 2.3 ± 0.5 for R = 4). Image quality was rated significantly higher (P < 0.04) for the 16-channel coil versus the 8- and 4-channel coils.
All three coil configurations are suitable for CMR at 7.0T under routine circumstances. A larger number of coil elements enhances image quality and parallel imaging performance but does not impact the accuracy of cardiac chamber quantification.
• Cardiac chamber quantification using 7.0T magnetic resonance imaging is feasible. • Examination times for cardiac chamber quantification at 7.0T match current clinical practice. • Multichannel transceiver RF technology facilitates improved image quality and parallel imaging performance. • Increasing the number of RF channels does not influence cardiac chamber quantification.
在 7T 下实施、检查和比较三种用于心血管磁共振（CMR）的多通道发射/接收线圈配置。
使用具有 4、8 和 16 个线圈元件的三种射频发射/接收（TX/RX）线圈。十名健康志愿者（七名男性，年龄 28±4 岁）在 7T 下接受 CMR。对于所有三个 RX/TX 线圈，都采集了心脏的 2D CINE FLASH 图像。进行了心脏腔室定量、信噪比（SNR）分析、并行成像性能评估和图像质量评分。
平均总检查时间为 29±5 分钟。使用 8 通道和 16 通道线圈获得的所有图像均具有诊断价值。各线圈之间的射血分数（EF）（P>0.09）或左心室质量（LVM）（P>0.31）无显著差异。与 4 通道线圈相比，8 通道和 16 通道阵列在中隔上产生了更高的平均 SNR。发现 16 通道线圈的最低几何因子（平均值±SD 2.3±0.5，R=4）。与 8 通道和 4 通道线圈相比，16 通道线圈的图像质量评分显着更高（P<0.04）。
在常规情况下，三种线圈配置均适用于 7.0T 的 CMR。更多的线圈元件可提高图像质量和并行成像性能，但不会影响心脏腔室定量的准确性。
• 7.0T 磁共振成像进行心脏腔室定量是可行的。• 7.0T 心脏腔室定量的检查时间与当前临床实践相匹配。• 多通道收发器射频技术有助于提高图像质量和并行成像性能。• 增加射频通道的数量不会影响心脏腔室定量。
