Shielded Microstrip Array for 7T Human MR Imaging

Bing Wu, Chunsheng Wang, D.A.C. Kelley, Duan Xu, D.B. Vigneron, S.J. Nelson, Xiaoliang Zhang
2010 IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging  
The high-frequency transceiver array based on the microstrip transmission line design is a promising technique for ultrahigh field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal excitation and reception. However, with the increase of radio-frequency (RF) channels, the size of the ground plane in each microstrip coil element is usually not sufficient to provide a perfect ground. Consequently, the transceiver array may suffer from cable resonance, lower Q-factors, and imaging quality degradations. In
more » ... s paper, we present an approach to improving the performance of microstrip transceiver arrays by introducing RF shielding outside the microstrip array and the feeding coaxial cables. This improvement reduced interactions among cables, increased resonance stability, and Q-factors, and thus improved imaging quality. An experimental method was also introduced and utilized for quantitative measurement and evaluation of RF coil resonance stability or "cable resonance" behavior.
doi:10.1109/tmi.2009.2033597 pmid:19822470 pmcid:PMC2834268 fatcat:7ldq7tc4rbgyrhgodm6ncwly74