title: Size-optimized 32-channel brain arrays for 3 T pediatric imaging.
abstract: Size-optimized 32-channel receive array coils were developed for five age groups, neonates, 6 months old, 1 year old, 4 years old, and 7 years old, and evaluated for pediatric brain imaging. The array consisted of overlapping circular surface coils laid out on a close-fitting coil-former. The two-section coil former design was obtained from surface contours of aligned three-dimensional MRI scans of each age group. Signal-to-noise ratio and noise amplification for parallel imaging were evaluated and compared to two coils routinely used for pediatric brain imaging; a commercially available 32-channel adult head coil and a pediatric-sized birdcage coil. Phantom measurements using the neonate, 6-month-old, 1-year-old, 4-year-old, and 7-year-old coils showed signal-to-noise ratio increases at all locations within the brain over the comparison coils. Within the brain cortex the five dedicated pediatric arrays increased signal-to-noise ratio by up to 3.6-, 3.0-, 2.6-, 2.3-, and 1.7-fold, respectively, compared to the 32-channel adult coil, as well as improved G-factor maps for accelerated imaging. This study suggests that a size-tailored approach can provide significant sensitivity gains for accelerated and unaccelerated pediatric brain imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, AA Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA. keil@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Keil
authors.forename: Vijay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Alagappan
authors.forename: Azma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mareyam
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: McNab
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Veneta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tountcheva
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Triantafyllou
authors.forename: Daniel D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Dilks
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kanwisher
authors.forename: Weili
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: P Ellen
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Lawrence L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Wald
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008280:Magnetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014159:Transducers