An Introductory Guide On 7 Tesla MRI
European approving agency gave approval for 7 Tesla MRI scan in August 2017 for its clinical use. On 12th October 2017, FDA of USA also gave approval for the same. A Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique makes use of magnetic field and radio waves to take images. As Tesla is a unit of Magnetic strength measurement, 7 Tesla represents the magnetic strength of the new MRI machine.
It is a significant improvement from the present 3 Tesla MRI scanners. This increases the magnetic strength by more than twice. Though in research, MRI scanner of 21.1 Tesla strength is also available it is for the first time that more than 3 Tesla is being used for the clinical purpose.
Benefits of 7 Tesla MRI & Its Applications
A 7 Tesla MRI scanner can produce images with higher resolution. This can help the doctors diagnose diseases which were hitherto difficult. However, present approval is more clinical use in brain studies and MRI scan of Knee. According to the available documentation, a 7 Tesla MRI scan will find usages in:
- People with epilepsy
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Neurological Disorders
- Better fMRI studies
- Higher resolution images with finer details
- Greater detailed visualization of Tumors
- A clear delimitation of anatomical structures, such as ligaments, vessels or cartilage
7 Tesla MRI Location
As clinical use of 7 Tesla MRI has been approved only in last quarter of 2017, its adoption is at an early stage. Presently, It is mainly available in medical research hospitals of Europe and USA. However, as its availability and affordability will improve over time, it is expected that more cities and country will deploy this new scanner. Some of the location where it is available worldwide:
North America
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging of MGH, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging (CBI) of New York
- University Langone Medical Center, New York City, New York, USA
- Center for MR Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Advanced Imaging Research Center (AIRC), Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
- Toronto Western Hospital (TWH), University Health Network (UHN), Toronto, Canada
Europe
- Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (ELH), Essen, Germany
- Center for Imaging in Biomedicine (CIBM), École Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- NeuroSpin, French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Saclay, France
- Excellence Center for Highfield MR, Medical University of Vienna (MUW), Vienna, Austria
- Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany
Asia
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
- Neuroscience Research Institute (NRI) of Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, South Korea
- National Institute of Information and Communication Technology (NiCT) / Center for Information and Neural
Networks (CiNET), Osaka, Japan - Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
South America
- University of Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
Australia
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Above list is not exhaustive. Source
However, there are multiple centers in Delhi-NCR which provide 3 Tesla MRI scan. You can find a complete list of 3 Tesla MRI centers in Delhi on our blog.
7 Tesla MRI in India
Presently 7 Tesla MRI is not available in India. However, during last few years, 3 Tesla MRI adoption has increased in India. Thus, in case your doctor has not specifically asked for a 7 Tesla MRI scan, a patient may choose 3 Tesla MRI scan which offers superior resolution compared to 1.5 Tesla MRI.
7 Tesla MRI Cost
As it is not available in India presently, thus its cost cannot be established. However, as it needs significant upfront investment in equipment and infrastructure, it is expected to cost much more than 1.5 Tesla or a 3 Tesla MRI. Fill the form below and receive call back with cost and centers for 3 Tesla MRI Scan.
7 Tesla MRI Side Effects
MRI Scan makes use of the magnetic field for imaging which usually does not have any side effects. The same is also true for 7 Tesla MRI scan also. However, an MRI scan may have certain side effects and risks which we have listed in our general article on MRI scan.