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A radiofrequency coil for infants and toddlers
Kyle M Gilbert1,2, Emily S Nichols3,4, Joseph S Gati1,2
1Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
This study introduces an adaptable radiofrequency (RF) coil designed for infant and toddler brain MRI. The new coil improves signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and motion reduction, enabling sedation-free scans with enhanced image quality for pediatric neuroimaging.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Biomedical Engineering
- Pediatric Radiology
Background:
- Pediatric brain MRI presents challenges due to varying head sizes and motion in infants and toddlers.
- Existing adult radiofrequency (RF) coils are suboptimal for pediatric neuroimaging, impacting image quality and scan efficiency.
- Effective immobilization and motion correction techniques are crucial for successful pediatric MRI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate an adaptable RF coil specifically designed for pediatric brain MRI, accommodating a wide range of head sizes from infancy to early childhood.
- To improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and facilitate motion mitigation in pediatric neuroimaging.
- To enable high-quality, sedation-free brain MRI scans in infants and toddlers.
Main Methods:
- Designed a novel RF coil with adjustable elements to fit head sizes from 3-month-old infants to 3-year-old toddlers.
- Optimized coil geometry for improved SNR and inherent head immobilization.
- Integrated features for unimpeded facial view to allow for potential motion-tracking system integration.
Main Results:
- The pediatric RF coil demonstrated higher SNR across most brain regions compared to standard adult coils, with over twofold improvement in peripheral areas.
- Achieved fourfold acceleration rates in each Cartesian direction, enabling shorter scan times.
- The coil's design, combined with adjustable geometry and potential motion-tracking, significantly reduced motion artifacts and allowed for sedation-free scanning.
Conclusions:
- The developed adaptable pediatric RF coil significantly enhances image quality and scan efficiency for infant and toddler brain MRI.
- This technology offers a promising platform for high-resolution, sedation-free pediatric neuroimaging in both research and clinical settings.
- Improved SNR and motion control are key to advancing pediatric neuroimaging capabilities.
Abstract:
Infants and toddlers are a challenging population upon which to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, both in research and clinical settings. Because of the large range in head size during the early years of development, paediatric neuro-MRI requires a radiofrequency (RF) coil, or set of coils, that is tailored to head size to provide the highest image quality. Mitigating techniques must also be employed to reduce and correct for subject motion. This manuscript describes an RF coil with a tailored mechanical-electrical design that can adapt to the head size of 3-month-old infants to 3-year-old toddlers. The RF coil was designed with tight-fitting coil elements to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in comparison with commercially available adult head coils, while simultaneously aiding in immobilization. The coil was designed without visual obstruction to facilitate an unimpeded view of the child's face and the potential application of camera or motion-tracking systems. Despite the lack of elements over the face, the paediatric coil produced higher SNR over most of the brain compared with adult coils, including more than twofold in the periphery. Acceleration rates of fourfold in each Cartesian direction could be achieved. High SNR allowed for short acquisition times through accelerated imaging protocols and reduced the probability of motion during a scan. Modification of the acquisition protocol, with immobilization of the head through the adjustable coil geometry, and subsequently being combined with a motion-tracking system, provides a compelling platform for scanning paediatric populations without sedation and with improved image quality.
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