Development of a Compact Head-only Scanner with a Window and Shoulders Outside its Vertical Bore.
Taylor Froelich, Sebastian Theilenberg, Joseph Bailey, Lance J. DelaBarre, S. A. Suddarth, Daniel Cosmo Pizetta, Mateus José Martins, Édson Luiz Gea Vidoto, Yun Shang, Russell Lagore, Terence W. Nixon, John Strupp, Jamal R. Olatunji, Mathieu Szmigiel, Mark W. Hunter, Edgar R. Rodríguez Ramírez, Mailin Lemke, Chathura Kumaragamage, Huub Weijers, R Gonzalez · Proceedings on CD-ROM - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Scientific Meeting and Exhibition/Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Scientific Meeting and Exhibition · 2024
Motivation: MRI has evolved into an indispensable tool, but remains inaccessible to much of the world’s population. Goal(s): To build a compact, low-cost, mid- to high-field MRI system capable of producing diagnostic-quality images. Approach: A complete redesign of MR scanner architecture and key technologies; including a compact high temperature superconducting magnet, multi-coil gradient array, and digital spectrometer. The system required extensive testing prior to integration and initial imaging. Results: Initial experiments produced high-resolution images despite using an extremely inhomogeneous magnetic field from the compact 0.7 tesla magnet. Impact: This work represents a significant milestone within the MRI community to address the problems in accessibility and under-utilization facing MRI today. By focusing on ways to develop portable, low-cost systems, the accessibility of this imaging modality can increase substantially.