Podiatric MRI Coil for the Study of Diabetes

We will develop a dual-section quadrature detection (QD) volume foot and ankle coil which can either be interfaced with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system as a switched field-of-view (FOV) or a multiple channel coil to facilitate imaging both anatomical regions without patient re-positioning. This development is to provide an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and a larger FOV to ascertain the feasibility of imaging and differentiating pathologies associated with diabetes mellitus complications in the lower extremity. The geometry of the foot and ankle does not accommodate the use of a large cylindrical coil surrounding the anatomy without penalty of inferior image quality in comparison to an optimized anatomically-specific coil. The coil system will provide superior SNR due to the innovation of creating a QD configuration which optimizes coil filling factor and an array version for simultaneous data acquisition. Diabetes Mellitus afflicts approximately five percent of the population of the United States, and the foot is a prime target for pathologies which commonly occur among patients with this disease. The growing number of clinical applications of MRI of the foot and ankle enhance the commercial viability.