RF coil considerations for short‐T2 MRI

With continuing hardware and pulse sequence advancements, modern MRI is gaining sensitivity to signals from short‐T2 1H species under practical experimental conditions. However, conventional MRI coils are typically not designed for this type of application, as they often contain proton‐rich construction materials that may contribute confounding 1H background signal during short‐T2 measurements. An example of this is shown herein. Separately, a loop‐gap style coil was used to compare different coil construction materials and configurations with respect to observed 1H background signal sizes in a small animal imaging system. Background signal sources were spatially identified and quantified in a number of different coil configurations. It was found that the type and placement of structural coil materials around the loop‐gap resonator, as well as the coil's shielding configuration, are critical determinants of the coil's background signal size. Although this study employed a loop‐gap resonator design, these findings are directly relevant to standard volume coils commonly used for MRI. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.