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Effect of prone versus supine patient positioning on pelvic magnetic resonance image quality
T R McCauley1, J G Wright, S M Bell
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06504.
Rationale And Objectives:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pelvis in the prone position has been proposed as a means of reducing motion-related image blurring. The authors performed a randomized controlled trial to determine if patient positioning affects image quality.
Methods:
All women undergoing pelvic MRI during a 7-month period, who could lie both prone and supine, were randomized to the supine or prone position. The quality of axial T2-weighted spin-echo images was rated by two radiologists using a 1-to-4 scale (1 = marked blurring to 4 = sharp definition of pelvic structures).
Results:
Of 78 eligible women, 61 were randomized. Two patients could not complete the examination. The mean image quality rating of 2.8 for the 32 patients imaged prone was not significantly different from the mean rating of 2.9 for the 27 patients imaged supine (P = .5, Mann-Whitney U test).
Conclusion:
Patient positioning did not significantly affect pelvic MRI quality. The choice of patient position should be based on other considerations, such as patient comfort or ease of patient positioning.