Improved thoracic outlet syndrome MRI assessment with a modular flexible coil at 3 T

Motivation: Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) causes severe upper limb pain due to nerve and blood vessel compression. Efficient dynamic MRI is crucial but current setups are uncomfortable and provide limited SNR. Goal(s): To evaluate a novel modular flexible (ModFlex) coil array for better TOS MRI, comparing its performance to standard torso coils and acquire first in vivo images. Approach: A volunteer underwent TOS MRI using both standard and ModFlex coils. Sagittal T1-weighted sequences with different acceleration techniques were acquired and SNR maps analyzed. Results: The ModFlex coil showed higher SNR in critical areas, suggesting improved patient comfort and exam efficiency with potential time reduction. Impact: A novel modular flexible coil significantly improves MRI imaging for thoracic outlet syndrome, enhancing SNR and patient comfort. This proof-of-concept study promises more accurate diagnoses and shorter exam times, potentially improving clinical practice for TOS assessment.