In vivo biomicroscopy of the skin with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and high frequency ultrasound.
Noninvasive imaging and characterization of the skin is of great interest in dermatology. In order to get relevant diagnostic information, high-resolution imaging techniques have to be applied. Ultrasonic imaging is a potential method for this purpose where the special requirements concerning the spatial resolution make it essential to apply high frequency ultrasound (HFUS). Alternatively, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), being a very promising imaging modality, also shows the perspective of becoming a valuable diagnostic tool in dermatology. However, to account for the small dimensions of the structures under observation, very specialized system designs have to be developed. In this paper, a HFUS imaging system working in the 50 MHz and 100 MHz range is applied for high-resolution skin imaging. Furthermore, a commercial MRI-system was equipped with specially designed low noise rf (radio frequency) coils with minimized volume, and customized imaging sequences were applied to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio. With HFUS and high-resolution magnetic resonance (HR-MR) imaging complementary imaging techniques for in vivo biomicroscopy of the skin are available.
Liffers
A
A
Institute of High Frequency Engineering, Ruhr-University Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany.
Vogt
M
M
Ermert
H
H
D016477:Artifacts; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation*