Abstract #2908

MR Microscopy of Diseased Human Skin Using Phased-Array of Microcoils at 9.4 T: First Results

Katharina Gbel¹, Oliver G. Gruschke², Jochen Leupold¹, Johannes S. Kern³, Cristina Has³, Jan G. Korvink²,⁴, Leena Bruckner-Tudermann³,⁴, Jrgen Hennig¹, Dominik von Elverfeldt¹, Nicoleta Baxan¹,⁵

¹Dept. of Radiology, Medical Physics, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; ²Lab. of Simulation, University of Freiburg - IMTEK, Freiburg, Germany; ³Dept. of Dermatology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; ⁴Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; ⁵Bruker BioSpin MRI GmbH, Ettlingen, Germany

MRI of the skin as non invasive alternative to histopathology is challenging as dedicated approaches are required to overcome low sensitivity and contrast of standard MR investigations applied at microscale. The geometry of the skin with layers of large lateral dimensions and micrometre thickness demands high resolution over an enhanced FOV. Here, a home made MR detector arranged in a phased array geometry has been developed to surmount these challenges. Based on findings about coil performance and feasibility of high resolution imaging on healthy human skin, we present first results of diseased skin (Acne inversa) with direct comparison to histopathological sampling.