Ocular MR imaging: evaluation of different coil setups in a phantom study

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biophysics

Background:

• Ocular magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is crucial for diagnosing eye conditions.
• Small loop surface coils are typically recommended, but optimal configurations remain uninvestigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate different coil setups for ocular MR imaging at 1.5 tesla.
• To determine the coil configuration yielding the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Main Methods:

• A phantom simulating the eyeball and orbital fat was used.
• 4-cm and 6-cm loop surface coils, and a multi-channel head coil were tested.
• T1-weighted spin-echo sequences were employed to measure SNR.

Main Results:

• The 6-cm loop coil alone achieved the highest mean SNR (27.5).
• The 6-cm coil outperformed the 4-cm coil in both mean and superficial region SNR.
• Incorporating the head coil significantly reduced mean SNR to 10.4.

Conclusions:

• A 6-cm loop surface coil is optimal for ocular MR imaging at 1.5 tesla.
• Combining coils or using a head coil with loop coils is detrimental to image quality due to increased noise.