Motivation: Diffusion MRI can provide endogenous contrast for breast cancer screening. Gradient performance is ultimately limited by physiological constraints, namely PNS. Goal(s): To develop a high-performance bilateral local breast insert gradient with dedicated bed to enable diffusion encoding for breast cancer screening. Approach: The gradient coils' wire path was optimized to achieve maximum local gradient strength, a coil carrier was 3D-printed and wound from Litz-wire. CAD-designed mechanics were fabricated using water-jet cutting. Results: Field mapping showed gradient efficiency up to 2.20 mT/m/A, enabling a local gradient strength of up to 1.32 T/m when using an amplifier with 600A. Impact: This setup presents a first step toward a dedicated MRI system for bilateral breast cancer screening using diffusion MRI. It can offer a cost-effective alternative to current screening methods, requiring no contrast agents.
Arends et al. (2025) studied this question.