Two-centre comparative experimental study of biparametric MRI at 3.0 T with and without endorectal coil using...

Application of an endorectal coil (ERC) for 3.0-T prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is contentious. We hypothesised that a multicoil phased-array protocol provides T2-weighted images (T2WI) and diffusion-weighted images (DWI) with reduced field-of-view (DWI_reduced) and monoexponential apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps that are technically equivalent with ERC or without ERC (noERC).

Axial T2WI (repetition time [TR] 7500 ms, echo time [TE] 98-101 ms) and DWI_reduced (field-of-view 149-179 × 71-73 mm², TR/TE 4500-5500/61-74 ms, b values, 50/800 s/mm²) ERC and noERC images were obtained on identical clinical 3.0-T scanners at two centres and compared for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in anterior and posterior outer pericarp (OP) and peripheral placenta (PP) in five green Hayward kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa, European Union regulation 543/2011 class 2). Corroboration in 21 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (negative biopsy, prostate imaging reporting and data system version 2 ≤ 2) involved identical MRI protocols: 10 at site 1, noERC, and 11 at site 2, with ERC. Two-tailed Student's t test was used.

With few exceptions, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was similar in kiwifruits and prostates for ERC and noERC. In T2WI, SNR was higher posteriorly in noERC MRI for peripheral zone (PZ) (p < 0.001). In DWI_reduced, SNR was higher posteriorly in ERC-OP (p = 0.013) and ERC-PZ (p = 0.026) for b = 50 s/mm²; noERC-OP (p = 0.044) and ERC-PZ (p = 0.001) for b = 800 s/mm²; and ERC-OP (p = 0.001), noERC-OP (p = 0.001), and ERC-PZ (p = 0.001) for ADC, respectively. Volumes of kiwifruits and prostates were similar (89.2 ± 11.2 versus 90.8 ± 48.5 cm³, p = 0.638-0.920).

Findings imply that multicoil phased-array 3.0-T prostate MRI with T2WI and DWI_reduced with ADC maps provides equivalent results with and without ERC.