A simple approach to overcoming mutual coupling effects in some transmit array coils for magnetic resonance imaging

Single Echo Acquisition (SEA) is a method of completely parallel MR imaging that uses coil elements for spatial localization during receive, replacing the need for phase encoding repetitions. In this receive-only form, SEA imaging requires the use of a phase compensation gradient, the value of which is dependent on coil geometry, imaging distance from the elements, and element orientation. Operation of the arrays in transmit-receive mode, while adding significant complexity, is one potential method of eliminating the restrictions imposed by the phase compensation gradient. This abstract examines a straightforward current-splitting technique to enable parallel transmission for studying the complicated field interactions of these array coils in transmit mode.