Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Prostate Using a 32 Channel Vs. an 8 Channel Coil at 3T

Steffen Sammet¹, Guang Jia¹, Jiachao Liang¹, Francisco Aguila¹, Seongjin Choi¹, Jun Zhang¹, Michael Vincent Knopp¹

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the prostate is gaining increasing importance in diagnosis, characterization and therapy planning. This study objectively assesses imaging performance of a newly available, commercial 32 channel coil system vs. a standard 8 channel coil system for prostate MRI in-vivo at 3T. Prostate MR imaging at 3T using a 32 channel coil revealed substantially improved image quality, both quantitatively and qualitatively, compared to an 8 channel coil used under identical conditions and in an intra-individual comparison. Using coils with a higher number of elements appear to help overcome some of the challenges of high field MR body applications.