Improving image quality and decreasing SAR with high dielectric constant pad in 3.0T fetal MRI

Motivation: At high magnetic field, degraded image quality due to dielectric artifacts and elevated SAR are two main technical challenges in fetal MRI at 3.0T. Goal(s): To assess the potential of HDC pad in increasing image quality and decreasing SAR in 3.0T fetal MRI. Approach: Quantitative Image-quality analysis included SNR and CNR. Qualitative analysis was performed by three radiologists with four-point scale to evaluate overall image quality, dielectric artifact and diagnostic confidence. Whole-body total SAR was read on software workstation. Results: With HDC pad, SNR and CNR was significantly higher while SAR was significantly lower. Impact: In clinical setting, adding HDC pad can increase overall quantitative and qualitative image quality while reducing dielectric artifact and SAR.