Development and evaluation of a novel MR-compatible pelvic end-to-end phantom.

MR-only treatment planning and MR-IGRT leverage MRI's powerful soft tissue contrast for high-precision radiation therapy. However, anthropomorphic MR-compatible phantoms are currently limited. This work describes the development and evaluation of a custom-designed, modular, pelvic end-to-end (PETE) MR-compatible phantom to benchmark MR-only and MR-IGRT workflows. For construction considerations, subject data were assessed for phantom/skeletal geometry and internal organ kinematics to simulate average male pelvis anatomy. Various materials for the bone, bladder, and rectum were evaluated for utility within the phantom. Once constructed, PETE underwent CT-SIM, MR-Linac, and MR-SIM imaging to qualitatively assess organ visibility. Scans were acquired with various bladder and rectal volumes to assess component interactions, filling capabilities, and filling reproducibility via volume and centroid differences. PETE simulates average male pelvis anatomy and comprises an acrylic body oval (height/width = 23.0/38.1 cm) and a cast-mold urethane skeleton, with silicone balloons simulating bladder and rectum, a silicone sponge prostate, and hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol) foam to simulate fat/tissue separation between organs. Access ports enable retrofitting the phantom with other inserts including point/film-based dosimetry options. Acceptable contrast was achievable in CT-SIM and MR-Linac images. However, the bladder was challenging to distinguish from background in CT-SIM. The desired contrast for T1-weighted and T2-weighted MR-SIM (dark and bright bladders, respectively) was achieved. Rectum and bone exhibited no MR signal. Inputted volumes differed by <5 and <10 mL from delineated rectum (CT-SIM) and bladder (MR-SIM) volumes. Increasing bladder and rectal volumes induced organ displacements and shape variations. Reproduced volumes differed by <4.5 mL, with centroid displacements <1.4 mm. A point dose measurement with an MR-compatible ion chamber in an MR-Linac was within 1.5% of expected. A novel, modular phantom was developed with suitable materials and properties that accurately and reproducibly simulate status changes with multiple dosimetry options. Future work includes integrating more realistic organ models to further expand phantom options.

Transceive surface coil array for MRI of the human prostate at 4T.

A novel torso transceive surface coil array for prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) at 4T is presented. It is shown that with the use of a conformal transceive surface coil array with 50 Omega transmitter amplifiers and receiver preamplifiers, one can perform whole-volume torso imaging while maintaining the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) inherent to surface coil designs. Recent theoretical considerations have shown that by focusing the infringing radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field, one can achieve increased penetration and signal homogeneity compared to a conventional circularly polarized driving scheme. A variation of this driving scheme particular to the proposed coil design resulted in a twofold increase in SNR in the prostate compared to that achieved with a conventional circularly polarized driving scheme. The novel transceive surface coil array presented is capable of full-volume imaging of the human torso at 4T while maintaining signal penetration in the deep region of the prostate gland.

Transceive surface coil array for magnetic resonance imaging of the human brain at 4 T.

As the static magnetic field strength used in human magnetic resonance imaging increases, the wavelength of the corresponding radiofrequency field becomes comparable to the dimensions of the coil and volume of interest. The dielectric resonance effects that arise in this full wavelength regime may be partially compensated for through the use of surface coils. A novel high-field (4 T) transceive surface coil array is presented that allows arbitrary surface coil placement and size while maintaining the ability to independently transmit and/or receive through conventional 50-ohm power amplifiers and preamplifiers, respectively. A ninefold signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) increase is shown in close proximity to the transceive array and there is an overall 38% increase throughout the entire brain volume in comparison to the standard hybrid birdcage coil. Furthermore, the ability to independently transmit and receive through each surface coil within this array enables transmit and/or receive-only fast parallel imaging techniques to be employed while maintaining the increased SNR sensitivity inherent to surface coil designs.

Noise properties of a NMR transceiver coil array.

The use of multiple radiofrequency (RF) surface coil elements has applications in both fast parallel imaging and conventional imaging techniques. Through implementation of a simple magnetic decoupling network, 50 Omega matching can be achieved in both the transmitter and receiver chains, enabling the use of conventional RF power amplifiers and preamplifiers for transceive applications. Unlike phased array coil arrangements using low impedance preamplifiers for decoupling, the noise correlation between 50 Omega coils decoupled with discrete components has not been characterized. We have measured the dependence of coil quality factor (Q-factor) and noise correlation on coil separation and shown these quantities to be consistent with theoretical arguments, at least at 4 T (170 MHz). Our results suggest that a coil system for transmission and reception of NMR signals with 50 Omega coils can be built to take advantage of all the benefits of conventional array coils and with the added advantages of using conventional amplifiers.