Dual phased array coils for high-resolution MRI of the shoulder.

We connected two 3-inch coils to a dual phased array receiver system and sandwiched the shoulder between the two coils. To obtain a quantitative assessment of the improved SNR, we imaged a phantom with both the dual phased array coils and the standard shoulder coil. SNR as a function of distance from the coils was computed by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) standard. At the expected depth of the humeral head, the SNR of the phased array coils on single excitation was 1.42 times that of the standard shoulder coil on two excitations. The higher quality of the images on single excitation shortened the imaging procedure. The dual phased array coils realized the minimum FOV: 8 cm with a pixel of 0.31 x 0.41 mm. The dual phased array coils achieved high spatial resolution images of the shoulder with significantly shorter imaging times.