Evaluation of Pediatric MRI with a High-Density Posterior Cushion Coil

Motivation: Posterior coil arrays built into MRI tables are common, but provide suboptimal performance in pediatric imaging due to their distance from the imaged volume and lower coil density. Goal(s): Improve pediatric MRI by constructing a prototype 30 channel high density posterior cushion coil (HDPCC) incorporated into a padded cushion. Approach: 25 pediatric patients were scanned with HDPCC. 25 age-matched controls were scanned with standard coils. Two radiologists graded image quality on a 5-point scale. SNR was measured in the right paraspinal musculature and the liver. Results: All images obtained with HDPCC were diagnostic (mean score 4.13/5). Posterior SNR was higher than standard coils. Impact: HDPCC can improve SNR in pediatric MRI by conforming to the body and minimizing distance to the imaged volume.