Optimized Slab Selective Parallel RF Excitation at Ultra High Field

This work presents a novel approach to achieve homogeneous single slab excitation under severe RF field inhomogeneity in ultra high field MRI. Based on the recently developed parallel transmission technology, an optimized 3D tailored RF (TRF) pulse has been proposed to upgrade the excitation performance. The pulse is designed with a dedicatedly chosen trajectory that is tailored according to the highly responsible-for-desired-pattern k-space area. An iterative RF pulse design method is employed to ensure the excitation accuracy. Test simulations show that the proposed scheme optimally upgrades the excitation, and more importantly, reduces the required peak RF energy, which further upgrades the safety of clinical applications.