Using Patient Size as an indicator for Prostate MRI without use of Endorectal Coil

Abstract

MRI has emerged as a promising modality for detecting, staging, and monitoring treatment of prostate cancer in patients. Often prostate MRI exams make use of the endorectal coil (ERC) to improve the SNR on the prostate. However, it the ERC has limitations. The ERC is uncomfortable for patients and technicians, takes up hour time slots while non-ERC exams take up thirty-minute slots, and adds expense as every ERC is single use. Therefore, to increase patient quality of exam and hospital efficiency, this thesis endeavors to evaluate the use of ERC as a function of body habitus. Variability of patient weight, thickness, circumference, and BMI were evaluated against coil SNR to determine which body habitus threshold offering greatest SNR. Findings showed that using an A/P thickness threshold of 25 cm or patient circumference of 105 cm potentially offers acceptable SNR while removing use of ERC, but further testing is required.