What's next for MRI technology?

Not all forms of radiology are made equal. For instance, X-rays have their uses–they can catch bone breaks and detect disease tissue. However, their versatility pales compared to MRIs, which help evaluate tendon, ligament, or other soft tissue injuries. They also help examine and analyse spinal cord trauma and brain tumours.

Furthermore, MRIs offer more precise imaging than CT scans. They give better pictures of herniated discs and torn ligaments, significantly aiding diagnostics in these regions.

Getting even more specific, here’s what doctors can see in MRIs more than in other types of imaging:

• Exact tendon, nerve, blood vessel, and muscle anatomies.
• Overall bony architectures.
• The amount of fluid in patients’ joints.
• Bone bruising.

At the heart of this preamble is one crucial point: MRIs dig deeper than most standard imaging. It’s why athletes typically receive them to detect injuries. You’ll often hear about X-rays coming back negative, while MRIs detect an injury after examining the same area on the same patient.

What if we told you recent advances in MRI technology could completely transform the diagnostic imaging sphere?

MRI-based innovations build strength upon strength, making an already versatile form of radiology even more well-rounded.

Not everyone has had an MRI or can quite conceive what it is. So, we’ll provide a brief definition to alleviate any confusion.

MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging. It uses computer-generated radio waves and a magnetic field to generate comprehensive organ and tissue images.

Typically, MRI machines are magnets shaped like tubes. They’re also quite large, and when you lie inside one, the magnetic field within works with hydrogen atoms in your body and radio waves to produce cross-sectional images. Picture a sliced bread loaf to get a good idea of such images.

Two primary selling points of MRI machines are the different angles they offer medical professionals and 3D-imaging capabilities.

Let’s now delve into some recent advancements taking MRIs to the next level:

The previous section was a primer for the meat of the science behind MRI imaging.

Here, we’ll provide some more technical details, helping grasp a crucial innovation that promises to improve patient outlooks by detecting diseases earlier, leading to earlier treatments.

An MRI magnet (possessing many electromagnetic coils) temporarily magnetises the body before delivering a radiofrequency pulse into the imaged area. This process stimulates the tissue molecules’ magnetised hydrogen. Then, radiofrequency signal detection occurs, which is returned by the triggered hydrogen nucleus.

This signal resembles that of an FM radio. It’s processed by a computer to produce images for biomedical clinicians in the following spaces:

• Musculoskeletal
• Neuroscience
• Oncology
• Cardiovascular
• And more!

Something called a magnetic field gradient determines an image's clarity and level of detail. It depends on precisely controlled magnetic field strength changes in numerous directions. The speed of the change is known as the slew rate.

A new innovation in the MRI space called the 3T Magnetom Cima MRI scanner has the potential to make serious waves. Most conventional systems have a whole-body gradient strength that’s only 20% to 40% as powerful as the Cima.

The magnetic field gradient amplitude is a differentiating factor for an MRI scanner’s ability to catch the most granular details. Its water diffusion and motion sensitivities also play a role in this. The slew rate–or gradient coils’ pulsing speed–determines signal formation speeds.

Texas A&M University’s School of Engineering Medicine Dean Roderic Pettigrew–who inspired this next-generation MRI scanner–points out how these factors help detect fast-occurring actions like coronary motion.

Furthermore, Pettigrew speaks to how microstructure images (e.g., cardiac fibres) can be made clearer by the strong gradients Cima promises to offer. This innovation has the potential to help clinicians better grasp and treat prostate cancer, early-stage cardiovascular disease, and other highly prevalent issues.

It’s expected that in slightly less than a year–as of this writing–the Philips MR 7700 3.0T MRI system with deep learning and AI will debut in the Veterinary Centre at Michigan State University.

MSU’s researchers stand to benefit as much as furry, four-legged veterinary patients due to better quality images produced faster.

Classified as a 3 Tesla MRI, this new scanner can provide detailed imaging from animals as tiny as mice to the most enormous wild cats and horses.

The new AI software plans data points and fully grasps the information it’s processing. These features ensure the MRI doesn’t compromise data integrity while enhancing the overall image quality.

Various software options found in the Philips MRI system will aid in researching cardiac, musculoskeletal, neurovascular, and abdominal conditions. It also offers multi-nuclear imaging.

The University of Sheffield is partnering with GE Healthcare to develop new lung MRI scanning technology.

This MRI scanner partnership will use hyperpolarisation technology for xenon lung MRI. It will improve diagnosis processes for cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, and other lung diseases.

Early lung disease signs can be detected by xenon MRI. These markers would go unnoticed without this tech, as routine tests can’t provide such detail.

The project combines xenon with more affordable low-field MRI tech to make it more accessible to national healthcare system patients who stand to benefit most from it. The equipment is safe enough for even the most vulnerable (e.g., infants and children). The scans only take a few minutes. There’s no radiation exposure, and it can be repeated to see lung-based changes alongside disease progression and treatment responses.

Primarily, the project aims to integrate computer software and hardware to spearhead hyperpolarised xenon tech usage on current MRI systems. There’s also the objective of researching how low-field strengths can provide a platform for high-quality imaging.

MRI innovation is as cut-and-dry an example of making the world a better place through technological advancements. These upgrades promise to vastly improve patient outcomes, potentially increasing the lifespans of entire populations.