Date of Award

Summer 1994

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biomedical Engineering

First Advisor

Ishii, Thomas K.

Abstract

The birdcage resonator has been used for over ten years to produce a rotating magnetic flux density for the excitation process necessary for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Patients will load the birdcage differently which necessitates the calibration of transmit power on a per patient basis. The method to perform this power calibration currently implemented on GE SIGNA MRI systems is NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) based. The method, called auto-prescan (APS), has major drawbacks including the amount of time the method requires on a per patient basis. A real-time electronic method for power calibration, termed B1 feedback, is presented. A theoretical justification for using the b1 feedback method is developed. Experimental results are presented that show a discrepancy in NMR flip angle produced by the APS and B1 feedback methods of 1.53 degrees for a desired NMR flip angle of 90 degrees.

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