Feasibility study of novel 8-channel stacked 1H/31P transceiver coil as PET insert for 7T MRI

Abstract

The feasibility of simultaneous 1H/31P PET/MR imaging added-on to an existing 7T MRI system was assessed. Space constraints preclude using whole-body birdcages. Instead, an 8-channel 1H dipole array stacked with additional 8-31P channels is set up. By positioning PET detectors between the RF-shield and gradient coil, further shielding of the PET-crystals and electronics can be omitted. 8-channel 31P scans had a higher SNR compared to a birdcage setup. The 1H/31P setup gives ~5% degradation of PET sensitivity. Similarly, the impact of the new setup (proximity of the RF shield) was insignificant for MRI performance at both frequencies.