Improved SNR and Image Quality of Pediatric MRI with a Shape Conforming High-Density Posterior Cushion Coil

A high-density posterior cushion coil (HDPCC) can improve the SNR in pediatric MRI by conforming to the body and minimizing distance to the imaged volume when compared to a conventional rigid built-in table coil array. Posterior coil arrays built into MRI tables are mainstays but provide suboptimal performance in pediatric imaging due to their distance from the imaged volume and lower coil density. Our goal is to improve pediatric MRI by constructing a prototype 30-channel high-density posterior cushion coil (HDPCC) incorporated into a padded cushion. Twenty-five pediatric patients were scanned with the HDPCC, and twenty-five pediatric controls served as the comparison group using standard coils. Two radiologists graded image quality on a 5-point scale. SNR was measured in the right paraspinal musculature and the liver. All images obtained with the HDPCC were diagnostic (mean score 4.13/5). SNR in the superficial tissues of the paraspinal musculature was 34% higher with the HDPCC than with standard coils, while SNR in the deeper tissues of the liver was statistically similar between the two coils. HDPCC yields improved the signal-to-noise ratio in phantoms and pediatric study participants by conforming to the body.