Quality Electrodynamics has constructed and tested a 32-channel cardiac array for use on the Toshiba 1.5T Vantage Atlas that its developers say will provide acceleration factors in any direction, including oblique phase-encoding, which is often applied in cardiac imaging.

In a presentation May 7 at the ISMRM meeting, the development team showed results indicating that the array, which leverages parallel imaging techniques, enables advanced coronary MRI applications within much shorter acquisition times than would otherwise be possible. The team was composed of staff from the Mayfield Village, OH-based coil company, Toshiba, and Case Western Reserve University.

The product, which measures 40 x 45 cm, consists of anterior and posterior halves, each with 16 receive coils. To improve patient comfort, the anterior half is made of soft, flexible foam materials that cover electronics encased in rigid plastic. The posterior half is housed in a rigid case covered with soft pads.

An effective loop size of approximately 11 x 11 cm was maintained to achieve the required signal-to-noise ratio. Nonmagnetic micro-size preamplifiers were used to minimize unwanted coupling of the component coils.