Live on physicsworld.com: “Magnetic-field cameras: mapping a path to optimal MRI performance.”
Courtesy GE
Made to measure: Metrolab’s MFC2046 camera system accommodates for magnet “rampingThe process of injecting current to bring the field up to the operational field. Used particularly for superconducting magnets. More” and detailed field mappingThe process of measuring magnetic field intensity at many different points, in order to understand the structure of the field... More of MRI systems – a combination that saves time and money in the assembly plant and during system installation in the clinic.
Magnetic resonance imagingMagnetic Resonance Imaging. Using NMR to image the interior of a solid body, usually for a medical diagnosis. More (MRI) has become a mainstay of medical imaging facilities. Superior soft-tissue contrast versus CT scans and the use of non-ionizing radio waves to visualize a rich matrix of practical information – including blood volume/oxygenation and localized metabolic activity within tumor sites – represent a winning combination for clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of all manner of diseases.
Underpinning that clinical capability is an array of enabling technologies, the most extensive and most expensive of which is the cryogenically cooled superconducting magnetAn electromagnet built with superconducting wire. To remain superconducting, the coil has to be maintained at cryogenic temperatures, so it... More that sits at the heart of today’s cutting-edge MRI scanners. Clinical MRI machines typically have a magnetic field strength in the rangeThe range of a probe is defined by the minimum and maximum field strength it can measure. On an instrument,... More 0.1 to 3.0 T – though research systems for human and small-animal applications are available at much higher fields (up to 25 T). In every case, these multimillion-dollar systems require a magnetic field that combines extreme stability with extreme uniformity (to within a few ppmParts per million, or 10-6. Bigger than a ppb, but still pretty darn small. More) to ensure optimal imaging performance.
To service that need, Swiss manufacturer Metrolab Technology SA, a market leader in precisionPrecision is how closely multiple measurements will be clustered. Also called reproducibility or repeatability. In everyday speech, often confused with... More magnetometers, has developed a portfolio of measurement tools and accessories to enable MRI equipment manufacturers to quantify and map the magnetic subsystems at the heart of their clinical MRI scanners. MRI equipment vendors use Metrolab’s products throughout the technology and innovation cycle: to support R&D on next-generation systems; in the production and assembly plant; and during the installation of new MRI machines in clinical facilities… Read the full article on Physics World!
