Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley are developing flexible MRI radiofrequency coils that are created with a screen printer, enabling them to be customized to the size and shape of patients.
The coils, designed for both 1.5- and 3-tesla scanners, produce high-quality MR images because they wrap snugly around the patient's body, and they potentially could reduce the amount of time it takes for an MRI scan. The coils could also be reused and not printed specifically for each patient.
The project is funded by the U.S. National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).