The scanner, the only one of its kind, was developed as part of a US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bioengineering Research Partnership.

 

General Electric (GE) Global Research (Niskayuna, NY, USA) and the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA) developed the scanner. The scanner was designed specifically for imaging of the head, wrists, ankles, and feet, and other small extremities. Approximately 45% of the MRI scans at the Mayo Clinic are for the imaging of the head and small extremities. The system is installed at the Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota, campus in the USA.

 

One aim of the new design was to improve the MRI experience for patients. The scanner allows patients undergoing a scan to keep their arms and torso completely outside of the MRI magnet. A scan in an existing whole-body scanner requires the patient to lie on a table that enters the magnet of the MRI machine, and patients, especially those with claustrophobia, are not comfortable with the procedure.

 

The new system also features a new prototype magnet that is around one-third the size of magnets in existing MRI scanners. In addition, the compact scanner requires only a small fraction of the helium cooling liquid required today. Because of its size, the new scanner needs less floor space for installation, has lower electrical power consumption, and a significantly faster scanning speed. Initial imaging has shown that it can be used for advanced applications such as functional MRI, diffusion MRI, and MR Elastography.