Ex situ endorectal MRI probe for prostate imaging.

A unique ex situ MRI probe, which examines samples external to its geometry, is presented. The probe is intended to be used for imaging the prostate gland via an endorectal pathway. It has a semicylindrical shape with a length of 6 cm and typical diameter of approximately 3 cm. The probe's imaging field of view spans almost along its entire length and up to a distance of 2 cm away from its surface, with an angular sector of approximately 90 degrees . The detailed design of the probe is presented, followed by a set of representative results obtained by the current bench prototype of this system. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.