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Mobile 1.5T MRI Center //

Mobile 1.5T MRI Director: Dr. Kent A. Kiehl

MIND Mobile Imaging System is available for external research and/or clinical use on a weekly or monthly rate.  The system can be deployed anywhere in North America and is designed to be sent to a location that has a concentrated base of patients who need to be scanned for research or clinical purposes in a short time window.  For example, the mobile MRI has been deployed to a forensic psychiatric hospital where about 200+ patients were scanned in a month for a research study. Other populations may include retirement communities for studies of dementia and Alzheimer’s, athletes at sporting facilities for examination of concussions, elementary schools for studies of normal brain development, or animal colonies for non-invasive research studies.

The system can come fully staffed with MRI technologists and/or research staff (for consenting, clinical/psychiatric screening).    Click here for information on leasing the Mind's Mobile MRI for clinical or research use or contact Dr. Kent A. Kiehl (kkiehl@mrn.org).


Technical Specifications for the MIND Mobile MRI Scanner:

The system houses a state-of-the-art Avanto which is the most advanced 1.5T system in the Siemens product line. The Avanto is a ultra-short 150cm (4’11’’) long, whole body superconductive 1.5T magnet with 5th generation active shielding (AS) technology with counter coils, External Interference Shielding (E.I.S.) and excellent homogeneity (based on 24 plane plot, 50 cm DSV type. 0.8 ppm). The system comes equipped with both a 12 and 32-element Matrix head coil capable of ultra-fast parallel acquisition in either 4-channel (CP Mode), 8-channel (Dual Mode) or 12-channel (Triple Mode) multi-band settings.

The base Avanto system was upgraded to include the SQ-engine Gradient System with AudioComfort. The SQ-engine gradients have a maximum amplitude of 45 mT/m for the longitudinal direction and 40 mT/m for horizontal and vertical direction. The gradient slew rate is 200 T/m/s with a minimal rise time of 200 μs (from 0-40 mT/m amplitude). This is the fastest gradient engine that has been placed in a mobile MRI.

AudioComfort is an acoustic noise buffer that leads to a 30dB (A) attenuation of gradient noise compared to other conventional systems that leads to a reduction of 97% in sound pressure. This latter sound reduction is of great benefit to functional imaging studies.

For head imaging, the system is capable of BOLD EPI, diffusion tensor imaging, perfusion and diffusion imaging and spectroscopy. The MR system comes completely integrated into a trailer and has been equipped with functional imaging capabilities, including a DLP video projector for presenting visual stimuli and a pneumatic auditory system for presenting stereo auditory stimuli, custom and commercially available stimulus presentation software, and custom behavioral monitoring software that permits real-time monitoring of all participants behavioral data via fiberoptic response devices. Pupilometry and eye tracking capabilities are integrated into the system. The mobile MRI system is interfaced to an MR compatible patient monitoring unit featuring pulsed oximetry, heart rate monitor, blood pressure monitor, and EKG (OmniTrak, InVivo Research, Inc. Orlando, FL). The Mobile MRI system will allow for unparalleled access to previously difficult to reach populations, including forensic and severely mentally disordered populations.

The mobile MRI is a prototype system, customized for functional neuroimaging. Since May 2007, approximately 6,500 scan sessions in 3000+ research participants have been completed on the mobile MRI (several participants were scanned multiple times as part of a longitudinal study).

The system also comes equipped with body and extremity coils for standard radiological imaging of ankles, knees, etc.



























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