MR imaging of the prostate at 3 Tesla: comparison of an external phased-array coil to imaging with an endorectal coil at 1.5 Tesla.
OBJECTIVE
To qualitatively compare the image quality of torso phased-array 3-Tesla (3T) imaging of the prostate with that of endorectal 1.5-Tesla imaging.


METHODS
Twenty cases of torso phased-array prostate imaging performed at 3-Tesla with FSE T2 weighted images were evaluated by two readers independently for visualization of the posterior border (PB), seminal vesicles (SV), neurovascular bundles (NVB), and image quality rating (IQR). Studies were performed at large fields of view(FOV) (25 cm) (14 cases) (3TL) and smaller FOV (14 cm) (19 cases) (3TS). A comparison was made to 20 consecutive cases of 1.5-T endorectal evaluation performed during the same time period.Results. 3TL produced a significantly better image quality compared with the small FOV for PB (P = .0001), SV (P =.0001), and IQR (P = .0001). There was a marginally significant difference within the NVB category (P = .0535). 3TL produced an image of similar quality to image quality at 1.5 T for PB (P = .3893), SV (P = .8680), NB (P = .2684), and IQR (P = .8599).


CONCLUSIONS
Prostate image quality at 3T with a torso phased-array coil can be comparable with that of endorectal 1.5-T imaging. These findings suggest that additional options are now available for magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate gland.
Sosna
Jacob
J
Department of Radiology and Urology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Pedrosa
Ivan
I
Dewolf
William C
WC
Mahallati
Houman
H
Lenkinski
Robert E
RE
Rofsky
Neil M
NM
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015588:Observer Variation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011467:Prostate / Q000098:blood supply / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000473:pathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric