Qi Duan1, Graham Wiggins1, Bei Zhang1, Riccardo Lattanzi1, Bernd Stoeckel2, Daniel K. Sodickson1
1Radiology, Center for Biomedical Imaging, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 2Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc., New York, NY, USA
This work demonstrates that SNR gains deep in an object can be achieved with a single loop coil by lifting the coil off the object surface. Experimental SNR measurements on a 3T Siemens Tim system were compared with full-wave electrodynamic simulations incorporating a realistic noise model. Close agreement between experiment and simulation was observed. Lift-off-related SNR benefits had a notably asymmetric distribution, with the greatest gains occurring on the far side of the object, opposite to the position of the coil.