Novel 10-channel phased-array coil design for carotid wall MRI at 3T

Background Accurate assessment of plaque accumulation near the carotid bifurcation is important for the effective prevention and treatment of stroke. However, vessel and plaque delineation using MRI can be limited by low contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and long acquisition times. In this work, a novel 10-channel phased-array receive coil design for bilateral imaging of the carotid bifurcation using 3T MRI is proposed. Methods The novel 10-channel receive coil was compared to a commercial 4-channel receive coil configuration using data acquired from phantoms and healthy volunteers (N = 9). The relative performance of the coils was assessed, by comparing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), g-factor noise amplification, and the CNR between vessel wall and lumen using black-blood sequences. Patient data were acquired from 12 atherosclerotic carotid artery disease patients. Results The 10-channel coil consistently provided substantially increased SNR in phantoms (+88 ± 2%) and improved CNR in healthy carotid arteries (+62 ± 11%), or reduced g-factor noise amplification. Patient data showed excellent delineation of atherosclerotic plaque along the length of the carotid bifurcation using the 10-channel coil. Conclusions The proposed 10-channel coil design allows for improved visualization of the carotid arteries and the carotid bifurcation and increased parallel imaging acceleration factors. ### Competing Interest Statement I have read the journal's policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: MdB receives studentship support from Siemens Healthineers and CR is an employee of PulseTeq Limited. ### Funding Statement The Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging is supported by core funding from the Wellcome Trust (203139/Z/16/Z). MdB acknowledges studentship support from Siemens Healthineers and the Dunhill Medical Trust. PJ thanks the Dunhill Medical Trust and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre for support. LB acknowledges support from the British Heart Foundation (PG/15/74/31747). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Not Applicable The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Healthy volunteer data were acquired under an agreed technical development protocol approved by the Oxford University Clinical Trials and Research Governance office, in accordance with International Electrotechnical Commission and UK Health Protection Agency guidelines. For patient imaging, ethical approval was obtained from the UK National Research Ethics Services and patients provided written informed consent. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Not Applicable I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Not Applicable I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Not Applicable All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. * CNR : contrast-to-noise Ratio DANTE : delay alternating with nutation for tailored Excitation FSE : fast spin echo g-factor : geometry factor GRAPPA : generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition MESE : multi-echo spin echo MRA : magnetic resonance angiography MRI : magnetic resonance imaging RF : radiofrequency SD : standard deviation SENSE : sensitivity encoding SNR : signal-to-noise ratio TOF : time-of-flight TR/TE : repetition time/echo time