Purpose: To investigate the use of a new high-dielectric constant (HDC) material for improving SNR and transmission efficiency for clinical MRI applications at 3 Tesla (T) with cervical spine imaging.
Materials and methods: Human subjects were imaged using a commercial cervical spine receive array coil on a clinical system with and without pads containing Barium Titanate beads in deuterium water placed around the neck. Numerical electromagnetic field simulations of the same configuration were also performed.
Results: Experimental and simulated maps of transmit and receive fields showed greater efficiency for imaging the cervical spine when the pads were present. Experimental measurements showed a significant improvement in SNR with the pads present and an average input power reduction of 46%.
Conclusion: Use of HDC material can enhance SNR and transmission efficiency for clinical imaging of the cervical spine at 3.0T.
Keywords: B1 field; MRI; RF field; SAR; SNR; high permittivity.
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