Capacitive approach to restore decoupling between channels for four-element MR coil array

Multichannel coil arrays are increasingly being used to improve signal-to-noise ratio in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The decoupling between coils is an important parameter in array design. Indeed coupling between elements affects the resonance frequency of each single coil and decreases its sensitivity. Many solutions have been developed to achieve decoupling between elements of the multichannel coil array. Presented is a capacitive solution to restore channel decoupling of a specific four-channel receiver coil array using common conductors. The principle of an effective decoupling was first demonstrated by circuit simulations of |S|-parameters. A receive-only four-channel coil array was design for rat head MRI. Experimental |S|-parameter measurements validated the proposed capacitive approach by restoring decoupling between elements and particularly between external loops.