The world's most powerful MRI -- 100,000 times stronger than the Earth's
magnetic field -- is going on-line at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The machine will be especially useful for imaging the brain for such conditions
as tumors and strokes.
A recent study of 12 men and 13 women found the machine to be safe. Some
patients experienced lightheadedness, a metallic taste or nausea.
But there were no cognitive problems or changes in such vital signs as heart
rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate.
"If we do things very carefully in a controlled way, the hazards are minimized,"
said Dr. Keith Thulborn, director of UIC's Center for Magnetic Resonance
Research.
The UIC study was published in the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
The machine has a 9.4 tesla magnet. By comparison, the most advanced MRIs
already in use have 3 tesla magnets. (Tesla is a measuring unit of magnetism.)
The examination room will be free of magnetic parts that could be sucked into
the machine like a bullet, endangering anyone in their path.
The machine can image sodium and other elements that can't be tracked by
existing MRIs.
"We are seeing activity in the brain along a completely different dimension,"
Thulborn said.
For example, the machine can determine whether cells have died, based on their
sodium content. Cancer doctors would not have to wait for weeks to see whether a
chemotherapy treatment is shrinking a tumor: The MRI would show right away
whether tumor cells are dying.
MRI patients typically must remain motionless inside the machine for 30 or 40
minutes. Some get claustrophobic and need sedation. The new machine takes less
time to produce higher-resolution images.
