They create a portable MRI device

Researchers have developed the first magnetic resonance imaging technology that is portable, low cost, and maintains high diagnostic quality. It is a scanner to take images of arms and legs, light and low consumption, half that of a microwave oven.

The achievement is the work of a group from the Institute of Instrumentation for Molecular Imaging (i3M), a joint center of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Spain.

The device, which uses three patents developed by i3M and in whose development its spin-off company PhysioMRI Tech SL collaborates, has obtained the first magnetic resonance images outside clinical settings with diagnostic utility.

The device developed at the Valencian research center drastically reduces the cost of magnetic resonance imaging devices, from one million euros to around 50,000. In addition, it is much lighter, only 250 kilograms compared to the thousands of current devices, so “it is the first model that has been able to be taken to the patient’s home”, explains Joseba Alonso, CSIC researcher who leads the project .

Cost and weight are reduced by going from a superconducting magnet, like those used in large particle physics experiments, to one based on an array of about 5,000 tiny permanent magnets like those found in refrigerators. “The tradeoff is that this lowers the intensity of the magnetic field, and, therefore, the maximum resolution of the image,” acknowledges Alonso. “However, there are many applications where you don’t need all the resolution provided by the very expensive machines in hospitals, and at the same time it opens up a whole new range of possibilities.”

Reducing the magnetic field allows the system developed by i3M to be compatible with situations in which magnetic resonance imaging was automatically ruled out, such as use in the operating room or in patients with pacemakers or tattoos. In addition, lowering the weight of the device allows the system to be mounted on a cart and have a portable scanner, which can be used in patient homes, nursing homes or people with reduced mobility, outpatient clinics and small clinics, intensive care areas, emergencies, operating theaters and medical vehicles. Its access may also be extended in developing countries, field hospitals, sporting events…

The portable MRI machine. (Photo: UPV / CSIC)

The first MRIs outside the clinic have been obtained in an office, outdoors (with the machine powered by a small generator), and even in the patient’s home. “All the images obtained have sufficient quality to diagnose a multitude of injuries and illnesses,” says Alonso. Such quality has been confirmed by radiologists at the La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital in Valencia.

“To compensate for the loss of magnetic field compared to conventional systems, we use pulse sequences patented by us, with high efficiency in both spatial coding capacity and image reconstruction. This is how we get the images to have diagnostic quality”, describes the CSIC researcher.

For Alonso, this scanner is a first step towards the “democratization” of magnetic resonance imaging, which is the most precious medical imaging technique but very limited in its access due to the extremely high associated costs. The next steps to be taken for the device to reach the market consist of carrying out exhaustive studies that show the clinical value of the machine, as well as passing a series of tests (safety, electromagnetic compatibility, materials, etc.) that allow its approval at least by the health authorities of the European Union and the United States.

Alonso and his colleagues expose the technical details of the new scanner in the academic journal Scientific Reports, under the title “Portable magnetic resonance imaging of patients indoors, outdoors and at home.” (Source: UPV)