Christopher Antony Wadsworth1, Shahid A.
Khan1, Simon D. Taylor-Robinson1, Wladyslaw M W Gedroyc2,
Munir M. Ahmad3, Richard R. A. Syms3, Ian R. Young3
1Department of Hepatology &
Gastroenterology, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom; 2MRI
Unit, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom; 3Department
of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College, London, United
Kingdom
Problem:
Strictures in the biliary tree are difficult to characterise as benign or
malignant. A RF receiver microcoil applied directly to the biliary tree
should improve MRI resolution substantially. Method: An innovative flexible
catheter mounted microcoil has been developed. This was used as the receiver
coil in MR imaging of a resected liver and biliary tree. Results: High
resolution images were obtained. Signal to noise ratios and resolution were
substantially better with the microcoil than with the standard coil.
Conclusion: A prototype RF microcoil receiver can produce high quality images
of ex vivo human liver tissue.
These images demonstrate interpretable anatomical detail with sub-millimetre
resolution and are superior to those obtained using a standard body coil.