Purpose: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a custom-made phased-array microcoil within a 400 MHz animal system for the morphological characterization of human skin tissue in correlation with histopathology.
Materials and methods: A dedicated 7-channel microcoil-based MR detector arranged in a phased-array geometry was developed to combine the advantages of both a large field of view and a high signal-to-noise ratio. Standard gradient echo sequences were adapted for the characterization of skin morphology ex vivo.
Results: In this study, the feasibility of using this type of microdetector, combined with specially manufactured sample holders, to achieve high-resolution MR images of fresh and formalin-fixed, normal and hidradenitis suppurativa diseased skin was successfully demonstrated. The setup presented in this work allows reliable acquisitions of high-resolution images with in-plane resolution up to 25 × 25 μm², and 100 μm in the orthogonal direction, thereby allowing the differentiation of typical layers of the skin, sebaceous glands and hair follicle.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that MR microscopy on skin biopsies can be applied at low cost on a standard animal MR imaging system. The successful imaging of different skin structures ex vivo is a prerequisite for non-invasive, in vivo application of skin MR microscopy for accurate complementary disease diagnosis in dermatology.
Keywords: High-field MRI; MR microscopy; RF phased-array microcoil; hidradenitis suppurativa; histopathology; skin MRI.
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.