Mellena Davis Bridges MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Robert A. Pooley PhD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

To evaluate the early clinical performance of the first iteration of an ultrashort, wide bore 1.5 Tesla MRI system design, both as regards patient acceptance and image quality.

A questionnaire designed to assess subjective patient comfort and acceptance was administered to the first 103 patients scanned in our institution on the Siemens 1.5T Espree MRI system (January-March 2005). The accumulated data was entered into a spreadsheet and analyzed. Comparative evaluation of image quality was accomplished through multiple signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements in the Espree and the same manufacturer’s Symphony system. T1 SE and T2 TSE sequences were used with various head, body and surface coils. Image quality was also addressed through subjective feedback from subspecialty radiologists in our practice.

30% of patients described themselves pretest as very claustrophobic, but only 2% experienced significant claustrophobia during the Espree examination. 95 % of all patients reported willlingness to undergo further studies in the scanner. 87% of the 89 who had had previous conventional MRI examinations and 73% of the 60 who had previous “open MRI” examinations described the current experience as more comfortable. Similar results were obtained in subsets of claustrophobic and obese patients. SNR measurements for CP head coil and body coils were slightly better (2-4%) for the Espree than for the Symphony. The Espree 12 channel head matrix showed 50-75% increase in SNR when compared to a CP head coil used in either the Symphony or Espree scanners. Scans with body surface coils and in-table spine coils (different coils for for each scanner in this case) indicated a decrease in SNR for the Espree compared to the Symphony (25-30%). Clinical image quality rated good to excellent by staff radiologists.

Patient acceptance of the ultrashort, wide-bore design was excellent, improved over acceptance of both conventional tube-type and open-sided designs. Image quality as reflected in SNR was similar to other 1.5 T units from the same manufacturer except when using the body array coil.

Bridges, M, Pooley, R, "Open-Bore” MRI: Patient Acceptance and Image Quality.  Radiological Society of North America 2005 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 27 - December 2, 2005 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2005/4419919.html