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Abstract #3795

Targeted Travelling Wave MRI Using a Coaxial Waveguide

Stefan Alt1, Marco Mller1, Reiner Umathum1, Michael Bock1

1Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany


In high field MRI with volume resonators, image quality suffers from the appearance of standing wave patterns. We propose the use of a coaxial waveguide with interrupted inner conductor to guide the RF energy to the designated imaging region. These targeted travelling waves can achieve a more homogenous excitation and reduce SAR outside the FOV. Feasibility of the method is assessed with RF field simulations using a detailed anatomical model as well as with a hardware prototype. Transverse magnetic field and SAR distributions are shown and evaluated on the simulated data and an image from the hardware prototype is shown.