In Phase I, a RF coil array for high-resolution knee imaging was developed at 1.5T. Phantom tests and volunteer evaluations showed improved signal-to-noise of 24-28 percent over the industry standard. Phase II will involve optimizing the RF coil arrays based on a """"""""new design,"""""""" followed by extensive phantom and volunteer evaluations to achieve high signal-to-noise over the knee, foot and wrist joints of adults. A major technical focus is to improve the S/N of a NMR experiment by a factor of sqrt (2) over the industry standards. Potential clinical and research uses are to obtain reliable, reproducible high-resolution images needed to enhance diagnostic accuracy in possibly reduced scan times, reducing patient discomfort while increasing throughput in a MR scanner. This we believe will be of a substantial benefit to mankind.
Clinical applications include non-ionizing, non-invasive and a cost effective approach toward diagnosis of musculoskeletal diseases of the knee, foot and wrist when compared to the invasive arthrography. This project will provide improvements to MR phased array coil technology, including sequences and technique optimizations. If clinical value is demonstrated, MR systems based technology will find widespread applications in imaging the human musculosketal system.
