[Experimental study of coil selection considered from subject size].
We examined the index of coil selection in consideration of subject size to measure signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and uniformity in a phantom experiment. The QD-Head, 8-channel-Head, and 8-channel-Head-Neck coil were used for head examination, QD-Body, 4-channel-TORSO, and 8-channel-Body coil were used for body examination. In the examination of the head, measurements were performed at various positions in a coil. The SNR measured by the QD-Head coil showed the highest values for 9 cm or 12 cm diameters of the phantom, and 10 cm to 15 cm distance from the coil entrance. The QD-Head coil also showed adequate uniformity at most sizes of phantoms. In the body examination, both multi-channel coils showed an SNR higher than the QD-Body coil for all sizes, but they were inferior to the QD-Body coil in uniformity. The 4-channel-TORSO coil showed an SNR higher than the 8-channel-Body coil when a phantom with a diameter of 21 cm or less was used. Since sensitivity distributions differ according to various cases, the 8-channel coil does not necessarily always show a high SNR. It is necessary to perform coil selection according to the subject's size and purpose.
Yamada
Kazuhiro
K
Radiological Center, University of Fukui Hospital.
Ishimori
Yoshiyuki
Y
Fujiwara
Yasuhiro
Y
Yamaguchi
Isao
I
Fukuya
Yuuko
Y
D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging