Research Reveals Benefits of Digital Broadband MRI

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system offers, for the first time, digital signal acquisition and processing, which means radiofrequency signals are digitized by microelectronics directly in the coil, rather than first transmitted in analog mode through coaxial cables and digitized in a converter.

This digital signal acquisition and processing results in a 40% increase in the signal-to-noise ratio, which facilitates the delivery of clear images, to help clinicians make informed decisions for a wide range of clinical procedures, including traditional applications such as neuro and musculoskeletal, and fast-growing applications such as body and cardiac.

The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine's (ISMRM) 19th annual meeting & exhibition in Montréal (Canada), in May 7-13, 2011, featured multiple studies that presented the Philips Healthcare (Best, The Netherland) Ingenia 1.5T/3.0T (Tesla) MRI system, the first-ever digital broadband MR system.

First available in Europe, Canada, and Japan and cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2011, Philips' Ingenia 1.5T/3.0T (Tesla) MRI systems is driven by Philips' commitment to developing smart, effective tools for better image quality and shorter exam procedure times, which can lead to increased diagnostic confidence and an improved experience for both the patient and clinician.

Dr. Tim Leiner of Utrecht University Medical Center (Utrecht, The Netherlands) presented his recent findings with the all new Ingenia digital MR system, which allows extremely rapid imaging of large volumes of data, potentially allowing clinicians to perform whole body MR procedures with a variety of tissue contrasts and a single dose of contrast, versus the standard double dose approach typical of currently available systems.

Dr. Raja Muthupillai and colleagues from the St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital (Houston, TX, USA) presented two studies: the first highlighted the Ingenia 3.0T's exceptional radiofrequency (RF) channel scalability and direct digitization to produce high-resolution three-dimensional (3D), noncontrast images of the neurovascular tree in a very short time using a 62 channel prototype coil; the second study demonstrated the Ingenia's ability to generate effective, high-quality cardiac images with a 3.0T MRI system across patients with different body types. This procedure was previously very difficult; the multitransmit capability of the Ingenia allows acquisition of high-quality cardiac images at 3.0T.

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