Practical methods for improving B 1 + homogeneity in 3 tesla breast imaging

Purpose To improve image contrast and B 1 + field homogeneity in 3 Tesla (T) breast MR. Materials and Methods Two practical B 1 + shimming methods for 3T breast MR are presented; low-cost passive shimming using local pads of high dielectric permittivity ([epsi]r from 0 to 100), and two-channel radiofrequency (RF) shimming (adjusting Q-I amplitude ratios and phase differences of 0 to -4 dB and 90 to 45 degrees), as well as a combination of both methods. The technique has been studied both in simulation using a numerical body model with added mammary tissue and in vivo in six subjects. Results Large improvements are observed with both methods, leading to a decrease in left-right B 1 + asymmetry ratio of 1.24 to 1.00 (simulation) and from 1.26 to 1.01 (in vivo). RF safety was not adversely affected. Conclusion Both RF shimming and dielectric shimming were shown to improve inhomogeneity in the B 1 + field in 3T breast MR. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;41:992-999. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.