Purpose : To evaluate the effectiveness of a silicone device used to obtain homogeneous fat suppression during 3T MRI scans of the foot.
Materials and Methods : 38 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Fat saturated, T2-weighted, fast spin-echo images were acquired. The scanning was repeated in the pre- (group A) and post- (group B) application of the device. Signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios (SNR and CNR) were calculated and compared in the four regions of interest (ROIs). ROI 1 and 2 were selected from toe-side bone and soft tissue, while ROI 3 and 4 were selected from proximal bone and soft tissue. Qualitative analysis using a four-point scale was performed for three categories. The categories are as follows: the overall image quality, homogeneity of the first phalange and metatarsal bone.
Results : The SNR and CNR in ROI 1 and 2 were significantly higher in group A than in group B (SNR; P < .001, CNR; P < .001), and there were no significant difference in ROI 3 and 4. The qualitative score of the overall fat suppression in group B was significantly higher than that in group A (P < .001). Homogeneity of the first phalange in group B was also significantly higher than that in group A (P < .001). On the other hand, the homogeneity of the metatarsal bone was not significantly different in the two groups.
Conclusion : The use of a silicone device provides homogeneous fat suppression in 3T MRI of the foot and can significantly improve image quality.

• Dae-Keon Seo(Department of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea)
• Sa-Ra Na(Department of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea)
• Kwan-Woo Choi(Department of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea)