Benefits of 3T MRI – twice as good!- 3T MRI is the best MRI
Why is it twice as good? We have double the signal to noise as 1.5T.
To get double the signal to noise as 1.5T you have to scan four times as long!
It has 10 times the signal to noise of a typical OPEN MRI scanner and therefore scans up to 100 times as fast.
3T MRI in the brain. Clearer picture. Higher resolution and thinner scans in less time. We see blood products more clearly with at least twice the sensitivity. This is important in head trauma.
Better MS studies 40% or more lesions than a 1.5T scanner
Better MRA – we see more vessel detail because we scan with twice the resolution
Better contrast enhanced studies – we are twice as sensitive to contrast enhancement. (We use 1/2 dose to be safe for you.)
Better Functional MRI
Better inner ear studies – using 0.5mm thickness – this is more than 6 times the detail of most other scanners. Our DESS/CISS studies can be obtained at 0.5mm thickness.
Spine imaging Super-fast 12 minutes scantime for lumbar spine or super high resolution. Our screening 1-2 minute sequences can be used in claustrophobic patients.
Breast imaging we are twice as sensitive to contrast enhancement. We scan with higher resolution than 1.5T. You basically get the best breast MRI at 3T. Typically we scan with 2mm and 1mm thick slices which are contiguous.
Abdomen imaging using the VIBE sequences MRI is equal to contrast enhanced CT but without ionizing radiation 4mm slice thickness with 256x256 resolution. One real benefit of the MRI is that it doe not cause any cancer or side effects to the patients. CT scans use radiation and in the eyes can cause cataracts. In the body and pelvis the amount of radiation is very high. The recent estimate is that a CT can might cause an additional cancer from the radiation in up to 1 in 550 patients (if you are a child) and 1 in a 1000 if you are an adult. This figure has not been widely publicized and the recommendation is not to do CT unless it is really necessary. The second recommendation is to use more MRI of the abdomen and pelvis and we need to follow these recommendations. We also offer reports in an hour or less if you want to speak to the radiologist. If you are in pain or claustrophobic being in a scanner that is twice as fast has its benefits.
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