Simultaneous MR imaging of both breasts using a dedicated receiver coil

We have designed and built a dedicated magnetic resonance (MR) coil that images both breasts simultaneously with the patient in a prone position, incorporates imaging advantages of surface coils, and benefits from having separate transmitter and receiver coils. This coil is compatible with a 0.15-T (6.3 MHz) resistive-magnet unit. It works as a simple plug-in replacement for the standard receiver coil. The unit's triple-coil structure consists of two outer coils that lie close to the lateral surface of the right and left breast and a central coil positioned between the breasts. A two-chambered box supports the coils. Breast-coil image-reception sensitivity is three to seven times greater than values obtained with a whole-body coil and shows a smooth spatial variation without oscillatory or sharply breaking behaviors. Increased sensitivity for breast tissue allows us, with a given imaging time, to use thinner sections (5 mm thick) than are possible with the whole-body coil. Since the coil is insensitive to...