Mouse MRI using phased‐array coils

The advantages of array coil imaging in human whole‐body MR systems are well known and have gained relevance in many applications and MR techniques. In the field of small‐animal studies, this concept has become increasingly important. In this work, three different phased‐array coils for performing MRI on mice are presented. For imaging at 300 MHz, a four‐channel receive‐only phased‐array coil is introduced. One two‐channel and a four‐channel transmit/receive setup operating at 750 MHz show the feasibility of array coil imaging at 17.6 T. All of these coils show excellent performance and deliver high‐quality MR images of mice. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.