Specific coil design for SENSE: A six-element cardiac array

In sensitivity encoding (SENSE), the effects of inhomogeneous spatial sensi tivity of surface coils are utilized for signal localization in addition to common Fourier encoding using magnetic field gradients. Unlike standard Fo urier MRI, SENSE images exhibit an inhomogeneous noise distribution, which crucially depends on the geometrical sensitivity relations of the coils use d. Thus, for optimum signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) and noise homogeneity, spe cialized coil configurations are called for. In this article we study the i mplications of SENSE imaging for coil layout by means of simulations and im aging experiments in a phantom and in vivo. New, specific design principles are identified. For SENSE imaging, the elements of a coil array should be smaller than for common phased-array imaging. Furthermore, adjacent coil el ements should not overlap. Based on the findings of initial investigations, a configuration of six coils was designed and built specifically for cardi ac applications. The in vivo evaluation of this array showed a considerable SNR increase in SENSE images, as compared with a conventional array. (C) 2 001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.