Orlando Simonetti (right) works with MRI technologist Heather Hermiller to operate a new FDA-approved MRI machine that he helped develop. The machine has a lower magnetic field and larger patient opening, expanding access to patients who were previously unable to undergo MRI.
January 18, 2022 — Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful medical tool that provides detailed images of everything from bones and joints to the brain and spinal cord, but millions of patients can’t benefit from the improved care it provides. Implanted devices like defibrillators and pacemakers interfere with the MRI’s magnetic signal, while obese and claustrophobic patients are often unable to get into the small opening on a traditional MRI machine. Now,The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Centeris the first in the nation to install a reimagined MRI machine built bySiemensin collaboration with Ohio State researchers that was recently approved for use in patients by the FDA. It has a much lower magnetic field and a larger patient opening, removing barriers to this potentially life-saving technology.
“My colleagues and I developed new techniques to boost the signal-to-noise ratio in MRI machines, which made us think that we could use this technology to create a machine with a lower magnetic field strength and still get high quality images out,” saidOrlando Simonetti, professor of internal medicine and radiology atThe Ohio State University College of Medicine.
In some instances, the low-power machine actually provides better imaging than a traditional MRI, especially of the heart and lungs. It’s an important advancement for patients with conditions like heart failure, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension and evenCOVID-19他们必须接受有害辐射的成像，如x射线或CT扫描。
“因为肺部有空气，它会抵消更高场强的信号。但在较低的场强下，我们有可能通过核磁共振更清楚地看到肺组织。”Simonetti说。
Ohio State has partnered with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to study the use of this new MRI technology for kids withcongenital heart disease, who must undergo repeated heart catheterizations throughout their lives. Until now, the procedure required X-ray imaging to guide small metal wires. But the new MRI machine does not interact with the wires, making the procedure safer and preventing these children from being exposed to radiation each time it’s performed.
For more information:https://www.osu.edu/
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