Use of surface coils in magnetic resonance imaging of orbit and knee.

Surface coils are specially designed radio-frequency receiver coils used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of special anatomical regions, for instance, orbit and knee joint, with a higher spatial resolution than that obtained with conventional MRI techniques. They are designed to fit the anatomical part to be imaged, thus enabling a coil to be placed in close proximity to relevant structures. Surface coils can take these different shapes because they are only used for detecting the MR signal and thus do not need to meet particular design specifications for optimal radio-frequency homogeneity. We report our clinical experience with nearly 100 patients in the first year in the special surface-coil approach of orbit and knee joint.