1.5T versus 3T MRI image quality

Posted in 1.5T outdoes 3T competition | 0 comments

This is about the possibility of getting 1.5T versus 3T MRI image quality.

MRI image quality makes or breaks a radiology business.  We have seen this time and time again. Some centers try to use new equipment or higher field strength as a differentiator, but ultimately, it is the value quality of the images that make the diagnosis easier or harder for the reading radiologist.  3T images are not always better than 1.5T MRI system images.

MRI image quality is created using around sixty to eighty different physics settings, depending upon the particular sequence used.

MRI Optimize Consultants uses their expertise with those factors to create the best image quality from your system, at any field strength.  In the example above, it is clearly demonstrated that the 1.5T versus 3T image quality can be equal or exceeded when the opportunity for a 1.5T system to get an image tune-up happens.

1.5T versus 3T MRI image quality 

Typically, a 3T system gets twice the signal to noise ratio during the mri scan, but it also puts out four times the heat in a factor known as SAR (specific absorption rate.) This can be a detriment to those with a 3T system.  Not all metal implants surgically implanted, can be scanned inside a 3T system, because of the contraindication.

Due to the heating limits mandated by the FDA on scanning humans, it is more difficult to run a moderate number of sequences in a row with a 3T than it is with a 1.5T MRI system without hitting the SAR limits.  When the SAR limits are reached with the 3T, it is possible to wait for the time necessary and allow the heat to dissipate before continuing to scan.   Images are data, so getting the right information helps the radiologist diagnosis the MRI exam images.

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