Mayo unveils 7-Tesla MRI for clinical use
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. can now boast of having the only clinically-used 7-Tesla MRI scanner in North American, the Post-Bulletin reports.
While there are a few 7-Tesla machines being used for research purposes, the MAGNETOM Terra, as it’s called, has already scanned several volunteers and some patients.
As of today, the scanner is approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration only to scan patients’ knees and brains in an effort to minimize exposure to radiofrequency energy. The machine has more than two times the magnetic field strength of any other clinical MRI scanner in North America, according to the Post-Bulletin.
"You're seeing these super, super tiny details," said Kimberly Amrami, MD, and consultant in the Department of Radiology at the Mayo Clinic in the report. "It's the kind of thing that can have a huge impact in a person's life."
Mayo hopes the MRI machine will be available for regularly scheduled scans in the near future.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.