Abstract
PURPOSE: To develop a flexible, lightweight, and multi-purpose integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming (iPRES) coil array that can conform to the subject's anatomy and perform MR imaging and localized B(0) shimming in different anatomical regions with a high SNR, shimming performance, ease of positioning, and subject comfort. METHODS: A four-channel flexible iPRES coil array was constructed by enabling RF and direct currents to flow on the same flexible coil elements for imaging and shimming, respectively. Shimming experiments were performed with the coil array wrapped around the knee or neck of healthy subjects to demonstrate its high shimming performance and versatility. Additionally, its SNR and shimming performance in the knee were compared to those obtained with the coil array wrapped around a larger rigid tube designed to fit most knee sizes. RESULTS: Shimming with the coil array wrapped around the knee or neck resulted in an average reduction in B(0) RMSE of 50.1% and 40.5% relative to first-order and second-order spherical harmonic shimming, respectively, and substantially reduced distortions in DWI images. In contrast, shimming the knee with the coil array wrapped around the rigid tube only provided a 29.6% reduction in B(0) RMSE, whereas the SNR was reduced by 58.7%. CONCLUSION: The flexible iPRES coil array can conform to different anatomical regions and perform imaging and localized B(0) shimming with a higher SNR, shimming performance, ease of positioning, and comfort compared to a rigid iPRES coil array, which should be valuable for many applications throughout the human body.