High-Resolution and Parallel Imaging of Rat Brain Using a Dedicated 3-D Orthogonal Phased Array Coil at 3T

Zhigang You¹, Wingchi Edmund Kwok¹

For rat brain MRI studies, clinical scanners offer the advantages of reducing field inhomogeneity and susceptibility artifacts associated with high-field small-bored systems and the studies are more translational for human applications. However, obtaining sufficient SNR and resolution on clinical scanners is challenging. Therefore, we developed a dedicated 3D-orthogonal phased-array receive coil for rat brain imaging at 3T. Compared to a commercial 4cm surface coil, our coil provides higher and more uniform signal, significantly improving image quality and resolution. Our coil is also compatible with parallel imaging to reduce scan time. It should be useful for high-resolution imaging of rat brain.