Quantitative Abdominal Sodium MRI Combined with 32-Channel Proton pTx MRI at 7T in a Large Field-of-View

Motivation: 23Na MRI enables the quantification of the tissue sodium concentration. A large field-of-view is beneficial for abdominal MRI, especially if several organs are of interest. Due to lower resolution compared to 1H MRI, 23Na MRI is less suited for segmentation. Goal(s): To combine large field-of-view 1H and quantitative abdominal 23Na MRI in the same position at 7T. Approach: Employing a custom-built 23Na radiofrequency coil and reference vial setup together with a 32-channel proton pTx array to allow dual-nuclei MRI in the same position. Results: Combination of large field-of-view 1H and quantitative 23Na MRI of the human torso is feasible at 7T in ≤42min. Impact: This work shows the feasibility of combined 1H and 23Na imaging at 7T in a large field-of-view both under free breathing, laying the ground work for an accurate evaluation of the tissue sodium concentration in several organs at once.