title: Signal-to-noise ratio and parallel imaging performance of commercially available phased array coils in 3.0 T brain magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and parallel imaging (PI) performance of two commercial phased-array coils (PACs) were examined in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. All measurements were performed on a 3.0 T MRI instrument. The SNR and PI performance were evaluated with 32-channel and 15-channel PACs. A gradient echo sequence was used for obtaining images of a phantom. SNR and geometry factor (g-factor) maps were calculated from two images with identical parameters. Horizontal and vertical profiles were taken through the SNR maps in the axial plane. The average g-factor was measured in a circular region of interest in the g-factor maps for the axial plane. The SNR map of the 32-channel coil showed a higher SNR than that of the 15-channel coil at the phantom's posterior and lateral surfaces. The SNR profiles for the 32-channel coil also showed a 1.3-fold increase at the phantom's center. The average g-factor of the 32-channel coil was lower than that of the 15-channel coil at the same acceleration factor. These results indicate that the 32-channel coil can provide a higher spatial resolution and/or a faster imaging speed. Horizontal and vertical profiles are useful for evaluation of the performance of commercially available PACs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Diagnostics, Shizuoka Cancer Center, 1007 Shimonagakubo, Nagaizumi, Sunto, Shizuoka, 411-8777, Japan, ts.yoshida@scchr.jp.
authors.forename: Tsukasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Kensei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirata
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urikura
authors.forename: Michitoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakaya
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio