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MRI Scanner Technology

I've only ever been in an MRI scanner twice, the first time being claustrophobic I panicked as I wasn't given any sedation and nearly fell out of the scanner in my haste to get out of the scanning room, this was a couple of minutes into the scan.  Because of this experience I managed to find an open scanner which was a much less traumatic experience, but was disappointed when the consultant neurologist on reviewing the images said that they weren't as clear as they would have been if taken in a closed scanner. 


This was a few years ago and although I'm not planning to have any more MRI scans at the moment I was wondering if the situation cropped up again whether scanner technology has evolved to close that gap now?
  • The closed scanners, generally, have a much better magnetic field 'uniformity' and therefore tend to produce better scans. The magnetic field uniformity is an important factor in the quality of the scans and much time has been (and probably) still is spent designing and tuning MRI scanners to give the most uniform magnetic field in the scanning area.


    I am not actively working in the medical engineering field anymore so can not comment on the current state of the open scanners. Depending on what your doctor was trying to 'look' at they can often produce good enough images. On the other hand there are other imaging modalities (X-ray, CT, ultrasound, nuclear medicine) that your doctor could have also considered if they are appropriate for your investigation.