Prototype Description and Ex Vivo Evaluation of a System for Combined Endorectal Magnetic Resonance Imaging and In-Bore Biopsy of the Prostate

We describe early ex vivo proof-of-concept testing of a novel system composed of a disposable endorectal coil and converging multichannel needle guide with a reusable clamp stand, embedded electronics, and baseplate to allow for endorectal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and in-bore MRI-Targeted biopsy of the prostate as a single integrated procedure. Using prostate phantoms imaged with standard T2-weighted sequences in a Siemens 3T Prisma MR scanner, we measured the signal-To-noise ratio in successive 1-cm distances from the novel coil and from a commercially available inflatable balloon coil and measured the lateral and longitudinal deviation of the tip of a deployed MR compatible needle from the intended target point. Signal-To-noise ratio obtained with the novel system was significantly better than the inflatable balloon coil at each of five 1-cm intervals, with a mean improvement of 78% (P < 0.05). In a representative sampling of 15 guidance channels, the mean lateral deviation for MR imaging-guided needle positioning was 1.7 mm and the mean longitudinal deviation was 2.0 mm. Our ex vivo results suggest that our novel system provides significantly improved signal-To-noise ratio when compared with an inflatable balloon coil and is capable of accurate MRI-guided needle deployment.