Double surface coil MR imaging of the urinary bladder

MR imaging of various structures using a single surface coil results in an improved signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and thus in better spatial resolution. A major drawback, however, is the limited depth of the images. This problem can be ameliorated by using a specially designed ''double'' surface coil. Clinical experience in 25 patients with various stages of cancer of the urinary bladder revealed the superiority of the double surface coil images compared to conventional MR and CT images. The double surface coil images showed a twofold gain in S/N compared to body coil imaging. The image quality of the dorsal bladder wall and surrounding structures was excellent