Abstract #2041

Rschmann P, Morich M, Vernickel P, Graesslin I, Falaggis K, Leussler C, Zhai Z, Katscher U

Parallel RF transmission has gained increased interest in MR imaging research. This study investigates the consequences of a malfunction in one of the transmit channels on the resulting SAR. Based on FDTD simulations the local SAR was derived for a decoupled eight-channel body coil loaded with an anatomically detailed body model. The results of the simulation indicate that the failure of a single RF transmit channel can lead to increased local SAR in a given region. To prevent safety hazards, a malfunction control of the RF transmit channels is required in a multi-element transmit MR system.