Anatomical and metabolic assessment of prostate using a 3-Tesla MR scanner with a custom-made external transceive coil: healthy volunteer study

PURPOSE: To examine the possibility of using a 3 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance (MR) scanner with a custom-made external coil to obtain ductal details of the prostate, high-quality spectra, and metabolite mapping corresponding to prostate zonal anatomy in healthy volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRI and two-dimensional (2D) chemical shift imaging (CSI) were performed in 16 healthy volunteers using a 3T scanner with a custom-made external transmit-receive (transceive) coil. Visualization of the prostatic duct-like structure was analyzed on T2-weighted (T2W) images. The resolution of the metabolite peaks and the distribution of metabolites in CSI were also assessed. RESULTS: In the axial plane, 3-mm-thick images were better than 4-mm-thick images with the same voxel volume for assessing duct-like structures and prostatic urethra. Differentiation between inner and outer citrate (Cit) peaks was frequently observed (29 out of 30). The mean peak area ratio of choline (Cho) plus creatine (Cr) over Cit in the peripheral zone (PZ) was significantly lower than in the transition zone (TZ) (P = 0.014). CONCLUSION: 3T MR examinations of the prostate using an external coil allow information to be collected about the details of duct-like structures, the high-quality spectra of Cit, and the zone-specific distribution of metabolites.