Changes in brain magnetic resonance imaging patterns for preterm infants after introduction of a magnetic resonance-compatible incubator coil system: 5-year experience at a single institution

Objective To evaluate the changes in using patterns of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in preterm infants after introduction of a MR-compatible incubator coil system. Materials and methods Brain MRIs for preterm infants with the MR-compatible incubator coil from March 2010 to July 2014 (n = 154, group A) were compared with MRIs prior to the introduction of the incubator coil, from March 2005 to February 2010 (n = 65, group B). Clinical data, MRI findings, acquisition time, and incidence of adverse events during the study were retrospectively reviewed. For the qualitative analysis of the examinations, the presence of motion artefact, spatial resolution, and overall image quality were assessed. Signal uniformity of each sequence was evaluated for a quantitative comparison. Results Comparing with group B, Group A was significantly younger (36 + 3 vs. 38 + 3 weeks, p < 0.001), had a significantly lower body weight (2006.6 and 2390.3 g respectively; p < 0.001) at the time of MRI, and had shorter time interval (54.3 ± 2.6 vs. 70.5 ± 4.4 days, p = 0.002) between birth and examination. Abnormal findings were noted more frequently in group A (n = 100, 65%) than in B (n = 24, 37%. p = 0.001) with a significantly higher incidence of diffusion restriction (n = 21, 13.6% vs. n = 4, 6.2%, p = 0.034). Mean image acquisition time was significantly shorter in group A (21.4 ± 4.5 vs. 25.4 ± 5.5 min, p < 0.001) with significant lower adverse events during MRI (n = 26, 40 vs. n = 6, 3.9%, p < 0.001). Group A exhibited significantly less motion artefact, better spatial resolution, and better overall image quality with decreased signal variation than group B (all p < 0.001). Conclusion Application of the MR-compatible incubator for preterm brain MRI evaluation is safer and provides more timely evaluation of preterm infants with better image quality.