Innovative Screen-Printed MRI Coils: Enhancing Performance and Patient Comfort

We introduce a groundbreaking advancement in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) coil technology that addresses key challenges in medical imaging. Leveraging screen-printing techniques, our approach results into flexible, lightweight MRI coil arrays with enhanced coil performance and better patient experience. We report on the design and characterization of a 12-channel RF receiver coil array, including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) studies performed in phantoms, volunteers, and patients. Phantom tests involving the pediatric printed coil indicated noise covariance matrices on par with those of the commercial coil, with a minor SNR reduction for the printed coil. Our work included a comprehensive study that assess the performance and acceptance of a pediatric-sized screen-printed flexible MRI coil array, contrasting it with conventional coil technology. Study participants, ranging from 2 days to 12 years in age, underwent MRI scans using the pediatric printed array. The results were benchmarked against historical control subjects who were scanned using a commercial 32-channel cardiac array at 3 Tesla. A survey of caregivers and clinicians demonstrated strong acceptance of the printed coil, garnering an average score of 4.1 out of 5, indicating a preference for the printed coil. The diagnostic quality of images produced using the printed coil was highly rated, achieving a quality score of 4.5.