HEALTH & MEDICINE :: JUNE/JULY 2008
Better and Sharper Pictures With 3T-MRI
3T-MRI uses a magnet that is at last twice as strong as other MRIS. This results in better, sharper images. (It’s like having more pixels in a digital camera). A stronger magnet also lets us take images in far less time than weaker magnets. 3T-MRI is simply the best MRI available today.
Musculoskeletal MRI is best at 3T for several reasons. 3T has more “signal to noise” which yields more detailed (trabecular detail) images that can be taken more quickly and have higher resolution. Increased trabecular detail lets us see stress fractures more clearly. Most people do not realize that MRI scanners have different levels of sensitivity and specificity. As treatment of bone bruises and fractures can be different, seeing that difference is crucial.
3T is twice as sensitive to contrast enhancement, making indirect arthrography an option—without having to inject contrast into the joint. This is less costly and saves the patient both the pain and the risk of infection related to joint injections. And, as injections do not always get into the joint, complications are avoided. Our studies cost the patient the same as weaker MRI’s but are much more detailed.
Left: 3T Image of a significant foot fracture that was missed on an OPEN MRI scanner.
Fat saturation (“fat sat”) of the joints is better at 3T. Combined with contrast, this results in more sensitive studies of inflammation, tumors and healing. These all have increased blood flow and enhancement which is easier to detect using fat sat. Our scanner produces images so incredible that some orthopedic surgeons say they have NEVER seen such detail. Hamstring injuries, so-called groin hernia, etc. are better seen at 3T. In fact, some are invisible on weaker scanners. Using 3T, we can now see how rheumatoid arthritis responds to medication. Non-invasively. At such high resolution, we can see details of the bones and joints and wrist that were previously only seen pathological or autopsy specimens.
3T lets us do contiguous scans (with thinner sections) on most areas. This means we can scan up to 30% more than less powerful scanners (which typically scan with a “skip”). Contiguous imaging means abnormalities have no place to hide. Our scans have approximately 8 times the resolution of any other scanner.
Higher signal to noise (doubled at 3T) means scanning is much faster—even a fidgety or claustrophobic patient can get a good diagnostic scan at this speed. At this year’s largest MRI conference in Toronto, 3T-MRI was touted as the best for musculoskeletal and brain and spine imaging.
Increased sensitivity to trabecular detail makes our bone imaging very detailed; our sensitivity to bone marrow tumors and subtle stress fractures is much higher. On a weaker scanner, you might not see such a fracture. I am including an image of a significant foot fracture that was missed on an OPEN MRI scanner.
Combining higher resolution with dynamic contrast enhanced imaging reveals details of tumors or diseases that were previously invisible. We can now see abnormalities due to muscle trauma or even polymyositis. It’s truly amazing how much (and how well) we can now see—without having to use any xrays or high energy particles! Radiation is a huge problem and most patients are never told that the risk of getting cancer is 1/500 for children per CT scan; 1/1000 in adults. CTA (computer tomography angiographic) studies have 3 times more radiation. CT colonoscopies can have up to 4 times more.
In conclusion, if you need an MRI, have it done on the very best machine available. The first time. A weaker machine can miss things. A scan on a weak machine could well result in your needing to get a second MRI on a better, more powerful, machine to confirm the results. If positive, you will repeat it at 3T to see the true extent. If negative, you will repeat it just tomake sure nothing is there. Why waste your time and money? Why not be sure from the beginning? 3T MRI does not cost more, it just gives you better results. Results you can trust.
Dr. Philip Chao graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University and was Scholar of the House. He continued his studies at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, receiving his medical degree in 1983. After a transitional internship year at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown NY, Dr. Chao did his residency in Radiology at Brooklyn’s SUNY Health Science Center (1984-1987), where he became Chief Resident. He stayed on to complete a fellowship in Neuroradiology (1987-1988). Dr. Chao has been interested in MRI technology since its very beginning—the first MRI scan took place in 1981 while he was pursuing his medical studies. The University of Pennsylvania, where Dr. Chao was both a Body MRI Fellow (1988-1990) and a Neuroradiology Fellow (1989-1990), was at the heart of the development of this technology and Dr. Chao was able to work with pioneers in MRI on the first GE Signa 1.5T (tesla) scanner. His advanced research and specializations complete, Dr. Chao left the University of Pennsylvania for a position as Director of MRI in Wilmington DE—a position he held for 14 years. Dr. Chao eventually left that position to create the best MRI center in Delaware, using the very latest technology: 3T MRI. While 3T (tesla) scanners have been used for scanning research patients since 2002, these advanced, more powerful MRI scanners only became available for clinical use in 2004. Dr. Chao worked hard to bring 3T technology to Delaware and in February 2007, MRI Consultants, LLC began operating the first 3T scanner in the State. 3T is the newest horizon for MRI.
For more information, contact MRI Consultants at 302.295.3367 or 302.295.0467. www.3t-mri.net
