Coil development for 7 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the prostate

Prostate imaging performed on the contemporary 1.5-3 T clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems has proven to be of great benefit within the context of prostate cancer management. The use of multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) aids the clinicians in identifying the biopsy sites and offers a non-invasive way of staging the disease and monitoring its progression. Given the clinically verified usefulness of prostate MRI on the current clinical systems, it is logical to ask if further benefits can be extracted by exploring prostate imaging on ultra-high-field (UHF) scanners. UHF systems boast main magnetic field strengths of ≥ 7T and offer a much higher potential signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The additional SNR can be traded for higher resolution anatomical images or faster acquisition times compared to the lower field strength scanners. Realising the SNR gain of higher field systems, however, requires an appropriately designed radiofrequency (RF) coil. A well-built MR body coil is the necessary precursor for an objective assessment of the clinical diagnostic utility of the higher field systems in the context of prostate imaging. The project sought to develop a coil for prostate imaging at 7T. As part of the project, multiple loop coil configurations were simulated and compared. A six-channel transmit-receive design was constructed, characterised and approved for use in healthy volunteers. Preliminary volunteer T2 and diffusion-weighted images were acquired, demonstrating promising results.