A volume adjustable four-coil phased array for high resolution MR imaging of the hip

A four-coil phased array was specifically designed and built for MR imaging of the hip at 1.5 T. Its RF and imaging properties were evaluated using phantom and in-vivo studies and the results were compared to those of three different commercial coils commonly used for hip imaging. Our coil gave a significantly higher S/N at anatomic locations commonly evaluated for hip diagnosis. The increased S/N supports higher image spatial resolution and improves the visualization of fractures and lateral injuries.