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Feasibility study of 3-T MR imaging of the skin

  • Musculoskeletal
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of 3-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the skin, to describe skin anatomy at 3 T and to discuss future prospects of skin MRI. A 7-cm single-element surface receiver coil was developed for our 3-T MRI system. Thin sections were obtained with a three-dimensional FIESTA acquisition sequence and a spin-echo T1-weighted sequence (SET1). Prospective analysis was performed twice by two radiologists independently. Thirty-six healthy volunteers were included and underwent MRI on the face and the calf. Image quality was assessed regarding visibility of skin layers and quantification of artefacts. High field strength MR enables imaging of the skin with a high spatial in-plane resolution (87–180 µm), the total examination lasting 15–20 min. Image quality was excellent for the calf (mean SET1 quality = 96%) with a high intra- and interobserver correlation (SET1 kappa coefficient concerning visibility of epidermis, dermis and hypodermis ≥ 0.84). Motion artefacts resulted in a small loss of quality and reproducibility for the face. In conclusion, 3-T MR allows high spatial resolution imaging of the skin and can potentially provide an accurate noninvasive means of analysing the skin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Radiologie A, CHU Jean Minjoz, Boulevard Flemming, 25030, Besançon Cedex, France

    Sébastien Aubry, Céline Casile, Jérome Jehl & Bruno Kastler

  2. Laboratoire Intervention, Imagerie, Ingénierie et Innovation en Santé, Université de Franche-comté, 25000, Besançon, France

    Sébastien Aubry & Bruno Kastler

  3. Service de Dermatologie, CHU Saint-Jacques, 25000, Besançon, France

    Philippe Humbert

  4. Centre d’Investigation Clinique en Innovation technologique, CHU Saint-Jacques, 25000, Besançon, France

    Chrystelle Vidal

Authors
  1. Sébastien Aubry
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  2. Céline Casile
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  3. Philippe Humbert
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  4. Jérome Jehl
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  5. Chrystelle Vidal
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  6. Bruno Kastler
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Correspondence to Sébastien Aubry.

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Aubry, S., Casile, C., Humbert, P. et al. Feasibility study of 3-T MR imaging of the skin. Eur Radiol 19, 1595–1603 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-009-1348-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-009-1348-z

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