Mitigation of radiated E-field from a 3T MRI system operated without a Faraday shielded room using parallel transmission

Motivation: Eliminating the Faraday cage would lower installation costs by ~2X and facilitate deployment of MRI in diverse settings, but requires reducing the Tx system’s electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Goal(s): We employ a parallel transmit (pTx) array and EM absorbers to reduce RF-radiation from a 3T MRI operating without a shielded room, ensuring operation within regulatory limits. Approach: We model a 3T MRI with a CP body coil and design a 16-channel pTx array and EM-absorber to reduce E-field radiation. Performance is assessed with pTx pulse optimization and L-curve analysis. Results: We demonstrate a 2270-fold reduction in radiation compared to the birdcage coil. Impact: By successfully mitigating RF-radiation from MRI systems operated without Faraday cages, this research advances cost-effective MRI installations in diverse clinical/research environments, encouraging further exploration of pTx technology for controlling electromagnetic fields both inside/outside of the body.