A SOLID REUSABLE ENDORECTAL RECEIVER COIL FOR MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING OF THE PROSTATE - DESIGN, USE, AND COMPARISON WITH AN INFLATABLE ENDORECTAL COIL

We have designed a solid endorectal receiver coil for MRI of the prost ate. The coil provided an improved signal-to-noise ratio up to 5 cm fr om its surface when compared with a standard pelvic phased array. This preliminary report describes 16 patients who were imaged using this c oil, seven of whom had been examined previously with a balloon-design endorectal coil. Patient tolerance of these coils was compared. The so lid coil was easy to insert and quick to set up because it did not req uire external tuning and matching. It avoided uncomfortable rectal dis tension experienced with the balloon coil as well as susceptibility ar tifacts from air in the balloon, In addition, it could be sterilized a nd reused.