Abstract #2496

Development of Tissue Susceptibility Matched Pyrolytic Graphite Foam for Improved Frequency Selective Fat Suppression and Motion Suppression in Breast MRI

Gary Lee¹, Patrick Goodwill¹, Kevin Phuong², Ben Inglis³, Brian Hargreaves⁴, Steven Conolly^1,2

¹Berkeley/UCSF Bioengineering Joint Graduate Group, Berkeley, CA, United States; ²Bioengineering, University of California - Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States; ³Henry J Wheeler, Jr. Brain Imaging Center, Berkeley, CA, United States; ⁴Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States

DCE breast MRI is emerging as the second most common diagnostic imaging modality for breast cancer, which has ~200,000 new cases and ~40,000 deaths annually. However, breast MRI still lacks adequate specificity. Magnetic susceptibility mismatches near the breast/air interface contribute to field inhomogeneities which make frequency selective fat suppression techniques more difficult. We have developed tissue susceptibility matched pyrolytic graphite foam that is lightweight, safe for patients, and compatible with embedded RF coils. PG foams may improve frequency selective fat suppression for breast MRI and provide more robust motion suppression, which may lead to improved specificity in breast cancer diagnosis.