Health Imaging & IT - December 2008 - (Page 16)

TeChnoLogy ReVIeW By Sarah Lamberti Why 1.5T MRI is LEADING the Pack No longer just “bone-and-joint” imaging systems, 1.5T MRI systems are the field strength of choice these days in the United States—due in part to well-established protocols, imaging sequences and flexibility in applications and patient accommodation. As more clinical protocols are created and vendors add new features and software enhancements, 1.5T MRI installs continue at a steady pace in clinical imaging specialties traditionally dominated by digital x-ray, multidetector CT and nuclear medicine. [ Chest scan using GE Healthcare’s Signa HDx 1.5T MRI system. ] 16 Health Imaging & IT | December 2008 o many clinicians, 1.5T MR has become the “meat-and-potatoes” field strength, thanks to well-established protocols and sequences for imaging procedures. With a wide variety of coil options, 1.5T has the potential for better image quality across a variety of imaging applications in comparison to 3T. Imaging departments and imaging centers recognize that 1.5T simply has a more proven track record than its higher field strength cousin 3T. When adding or replacing MRI, 1.5T is king—approximately 49 percent of respondents to the 2008 Health Imaging & IT Top Trends Survey who planned to buy an MRI system in 2008 said they were purchasing or planning to purchase 1.5T MR versus 38 percent considering a 3T. Another 7 percent are considering a 1T MR purchase, while 3 percent are considering 7T. Even though 3T systems can scan faster or at higher resolution than 1.5T scanners, the proven, reliable imaging strength and quality of 1.5T are what many medical imaging professionals continue to compare everything else to, according to Alan R. Moody, radiologist in chief, department of diagnostic imaging, at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. He says that two years ago, the overall atmosphere in the marketplace was that 3T was going “to storm the ramparts and replace 1.5T.” However, over time, this has been found to no longer be the case and now the general consensus is that 1.5T is the imaging workhorse now generally accepted as the gold standard in MRI. “1.5T MRI is basically the standard—it does everything, and to challenge that at 3T you pretty much have to be able to do everything that 1.5T does and then do it better,” Moody says. While 3T is excellent for neurological and musculoskeletal applications, it lags behind 1.5T in abdominal imaging and cardiac imaging, which are areas in which “we tend to put the majority of our work for the 1.5T,” he notes. Another challenge of higher strength magnets is the interaction with metal implants such as stents, aneurysm HealthImaging.com T http://www.HealthImaging.com

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Health Imaging & IT - December 2008 Table of Contents The Enterprise News Update Technology at Work: What You Need to Compete Why 1.5T MRI is Leading the Pack Workflow Strategies Aid Advanced Visualization Deployment Illuminating Reading Room Design for Better Reading Strategies Cardiac SPECT Sharpens its Focus OrthoPACS: The Information Backbone of the Orthopedic Clinic Imaging Tools Reader's Resource

Health Imaging & IT - December 2008

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