Computational Analysis and Validation of Coil Arrays for Whole-Brain MR-Imaging at 7 T

The performance of two different head coil designs, an asymmetrically fed microstrip and a microstrip dipole, for whole-brain MRI at 7 T were analyzed regarding the B₁ ⁺-field and SAR distributions. The simulated electromagnetic behavior of the single elements are validated by bench measurements. The microstrip dipole design turned out to exhibit an almost similar B₁ ⁺ -field distribution along with a significantly lower SAR. Preliminary measurement results confirm the simulations of the realized prototype array exciting one single element. The design of the prototype could be substantially supported by numerical simulations.