Switched array coils (SACs) are a useful tool in local coil imaging since they allow in a user-friendly manner one to make the best choice in the trade-off between field of view and signal-to-noise ratio. This is done by selecting the current path within a conductor array equipped with suitable switches. Since the switching can be controlled by the system, this allows changing of the coil dimensions within multislice sequences. Thus image quality can be improved due to smaller coil dimensions for a given slice and a larger area can be covered by electronically shifting this sensitive area. The principle can be applied to surface--as well as volume--coil designs.
A switchable-array surface coil for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the spine has been built that enables the user to change the working size of the coil depending on the volume of interest. The prototype has achieved similar image quality to that obtained with conventional coils of equal size. This type of antenna may reduce the number of individual coils necessary for a high-quality MR imaging study.
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