Curved Planar Gradient Coil Design Using the Boundary Element Method

Chad Harris¹, Blaine Alexander Chronik¹

In the present study, we have implemented a boundary element method to design and compare the performance of a single axis (y-axis) curved surface gradient coil with varying degree of curvature from planar up to a half cylinder. A curved surface gradient would be of use in the context of providing a specific fourth gradient channel exclusively for very high performance diffusion weighted imaging in a specified volume of tissue such as the breast, prostate, or posterior regions of the brain. It has also been shown experimentally that planar gradient designs offer significantly improved peripheral nerve stimulation properties as compared to traditional whole-body gradient designs.