A hybrid sodium/proton double-resonant transceiver array for 9.4T MRI

High field MRI makes it possible to obtain images of non-proton (X) nuclei due to its increased sensitivity. A double-resonant coil can provide both images of X nucleus and proton without the need to reposition the patient. Most double-resonant coils use lossy trap circuits to minimum interactions between X nucleus and H nucleus. In this study, we propose a hybrid sodium/proton double-tuned transceiver array for 9.4T MRI. The interactions were reduced by hybrid structure without using a lossy circuit. Compared with birdcage or TEM coils, the sensitivity of phased-array was better at the peripheral region of the phantom. For proton imaging at 9.4T, the microstrip transmission line (MTL) array structure was used as coil element for its good performance at ultra-high field. The RF circuit and 3-D EM co-simulation method was used to evaluate the performance of this hybrid double-resonant coil. A practical double-resonant coil with same parameters was built and its feasibility was validated through bench test.