7 Tesla prostate imaging with flexible body coil array

Motivation: To test the feasibility of 7T T2-weighted and diffusion imaging of the prostate using phase-only shimming with an in-house built 10-channel dipole parallel-transmit array plus 30-channel loop-receive coil array. Goal(s): To obtain in-vivo 7T T2w and diffusion (b=400s/mm2) prostate images in healthy volunteers using the torso array. Approach: SAR margins were determined using phantom and Duke simulations with 10Tx/30Rx array and validated on the phantom with bench and MRI measurements (S-matrix, B1+ maps). T2w and diffusion images were acquired from the volunteers. Results: Extensive coil validation established SAR margins using simulations, bench and MRI measurements, enabling anatomically representative T2-weighted and diffusion prostate images. Impact: 7T torso parallel-transmit MRI is still under ongoing development to improve coil technology for better transmit efficiency and anatomical contrast. This study presents a contribution to this quest using T2-weighted and diffusion prostate images on an in-house-built 10Tx/30Rx torso array.