Hybrid RF Coils for Inner Ear Imaging at 7 T MR

Kyoung-Nam Kim¹, Phil Heo¹, Gyu Cheol Han², Hongbae Jeong¹, Suk-Min Hong¹, Myung-Kyun Woo¹, Myung-Kyun Woo¹, Joshua Haekyun Park¹, Young-Bo Kim¹, Zang-Hee Cho¹

To achieve ultra-structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of inner ear, hybrid radiofrequency (RF) coils and their integrated RF circuitries was employed at 7 T MRI and targeted to allowing the feasibility of small anatomical imaging. The coil configuration of hybrid RF coils for inner ear MR imaging was consist of two parts of 8-channel volume transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) and planar type of dual 4-channel Rx-only coil for simultaneous RF signal acquisition at 7 T. In in-vivo inner ear MR imaging, the hybrid RF coils showed improvement of SNR in the inner ear included cochlear, semicircular canal, and other organs was achieved and thus coverage to allow adequate observation of the encompassed anatomy of inner ear.