Practical aspects of birdcage coils

Numerical modeling and experimental results are presented for a variety of birdcages for high-field MRI microscopy. The data include the first published numerical calculations and experimental measurements of magnetic filling factors of birdcages or other MRI coils. Fast, 3D calculations for shielded coils are demonstrated using the Biot-Savart law along with energy minimization. It is shown that the near-held, higher-order inhomogeneity effects remaining after a first-order, asymmetry correction may easily exceed 20% in situations where it is desirable to maximize filling factor. It is also found that an order-of-magnitude improvement in the accuracy of predicted capacitor values may be achieved by using a more detailed circuit model of the birdcage resonator. (C) 1999 Academic Press.