Characterization of phase-based methods used for transmission field uniformity mapping: a magnetic resonance study at 3.0 T and 7.0 T.

Knowledge of the transmission field (B1(+)) of radio-frequency coils is crucial for high field (B0  = 3.0 T) and ultrahigh field (B0 ≥7.0 T) magnetic resonance applications to overcome constraints dictated by electrodynamics in the short wavelength regime with the ultimate goal to improve the image quality.

Functional and morphological cardiac magnetic resonance imaging of mice using a cryogenic quadrature radiofrequency coil.

Cardiac morphology and function assessment by magnetic resonance imaging is of increasing interest for a variety of mouse models in pre-clinical cardiac research, such as myocardial infarction models or myocardial injury/remodeling in genetically or pharmacologically induced hypertension. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) constraints, however, limit image quality and blood myocardium delineation, which crucially depend on high spatial resolution. Significant gains in SNR with a cryogenically cooled RF probe have been shown for mouse brain MRI, yet the potential of applying cryogenic RF coils for cardiac MR (CMR) in mice is, as of yet, untapped.