A microstrip-based RF coil for use in an MRI apparatus constructed to perform human head imaging is provided and includes (a) a cylindrical non-magnetic core module having an outer surface and a longitudinal axis, a cylindrical bore extending through the core module along the longitudinal axis and defining an inner surface; and a plurality of conductive strip lines. The strip lines extend parallel to the longitudinal axis on the outer surface of the core module. The coil also includes a pair of circuit boards carried at or near the ends of the core module. The coil is constructed such that one or more of the conductive strips are divided into conductive microstrip segments with one or more tuning capacitors being bridged between two adjacent microstrip segmented sections of the conductive strip. The coil also include a shield support cylinder that is disposed concentrically about the core module and is spaced therefrom to receive the tuning capacitors. The shield support cylinder supports a conductive segmented shield that is operatively connected to the conductive strips through tunable capacitors at a front and rear of the shield support cylinder.
