Coil array mode compression for parallel transmission magnetic resonance imaging

US8085046B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The General Hospital Corporation · US

Inventors

• Adam C. Zelinski · Jersey City, US
• Lawrence L. Wald · Cambridge, US
• Elfar Adalsteinsson · Belmont, US
• Vivek Goyal · Cambridge, US
• Vijay Alagappan · Somerville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 28, 2009
• Grant date: Dec 27, 2011
• Expiry date: Jul 1, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R33/5612
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for target-dependent, sparsity-enforced selection for choosing a substantially optimal connection of radiofrequency (“RF”) transmitters to the elements of the RF coil array is provided. In particular, a method is provided that selects the linear combinations of the “N” spatial mode profiles of a transmission RF coil array, such that the k-space trajectory and pulse duration acceleration capabilities of the array are advantageously utilized. A sparsity-enforcement method that determines a subset of the available spatial modes for a parallel transmission RF coil array is employed to this end. In this manner, the utilization of the encoding power of a highly-parallel N-mode coil array in a system with only “P” available excitation channels is enabled.